One thing’s for sure: there’s a deep need for whole-person education. The Metta Center aims for precisely this with our Certificate in Nonviolence Studies: program participants engage their minds, bodies, and spirits in the learning. In this week’s newsletter, we share an announcement: Our next 6-month Certificate course will run May 2 – October 2… read more
This summer, the Metta Center for Nonviolence is hosting a series on nonviolence education and building community that particularly focuses on how and why nonviolence can be particularly effective for reconciling conflict in schools. Special guest Robin Wildman, a nonviolence educator from Broad Rock Middle School in Rhode Island with 25 years of teaching experience,… read more
Dates: June 9, July 14, August 4 (Thursdays) Time: 5:00-6:00 pm PST Platform: UberConference (via computer or phone) Cost: Free! Click here to register! Join Metta and special guest Robin Wildman, a nonviolence educator from Broad Rock Middle School in Rhode Island, for an inspiring discussion series geared towards educators and anyone who is passionate… read more
“Nothing should be taught to children by force.” ~ Gandhi, Ashram Observances, p. 102 The use of force in education—physical, emotional or spiritual—only shows the lack of skill and the lack of consciousness of the teacher. Neither child nor adult learns to respect someone by being forced to do so. No outside compulsion awakens the… read more
The following post was written by Carol Bragg, a graduate of the Metta Center’s Certificate in Nonviolence Studies program. Imagine a school where, each morning, the principal recites one of the principles of nonviolence and asks students to think about that principle throughout the day. Picture a school that has monthly assemblies devoted to one… read more
Students See the Value of Nonviolence “When I hear people voicing despair about the state of the world,” writes Stephanie Knox-Cubbon in her newsletter introduction, “I say to them, ‘I wish you could meet my students!'” Stephanie looks toward our nonviolent future, one her students believe in—and one they’re making happen everyday. Today’s newsletter also… read more
The following post is the second one based on my talk at the India Center in Charleston, WV for Gandhi Day 2015. Please read Part 1 here. What can we learn from Gandhi’s ideas about Nai Talim (new education) and how can we apply them to our context now? How can (must) education be a… read more
November 6: “I do not believe in short-violent-cuts to success.” –Gandhi (Harijan, December 11, 1924) The Global War on Terror tries to sell us the false idea that we can effectively fight terrorism by killing “terrorists,” instead of addressing the conditions that led to terrorism in the first place. A “short-violent-cut to success,” instead of… read more
The India Center in Charleston, West Virginia celebrates Gandhi Jayanti, (Spinning Wheel Day, in honor of Gandhi’s birthday, October 2) each year by inviting a guest speaker to talk about a different theme relating to Gandhi and nonviolence. The celebration also includes dinner, interfaith prayers, songs by the children’s choir, and a poster and essay contest for… read more
October 12: “True economics stands for social justice.” –Gandhi (Harijan, October 9, 1937) Columbus Day, a national holiday in the United States, seems to be a celebration of Christopher Columbus, the man, the adventurous, courageous Italian explorer who convinced the Spanish king to send him on a sea-mission. Though really, it is a subversive celebration–a… read more
