Peacemaking Forms

In our holistic approach to violence prevention, we work with community members to foster five interrelated forms of peace:

1. Peace of mind: the mental placidity, calm, focus, and awareness needed to do most things well.
2. Peace of body: the physical wellness free of harmful substances and enriched by healthy, active, nourishing, and nutritious practices needed to achieve vitality and wellness.
3. Nonviolence: the prevention and elimination of physical, verbal, emotional, institutional, systemic, environmental, and intimate-partner violence.
4. Liberation: the equanimity and magnanimity arising when we treat each other equally, inclusively, equitably, and benevolently, and give each other similar opportunities to prosper even when we may have different roles, positions, backgrounds, and occupations.
5. Safety: the tranquility arising when trust abounds, when we feel cared-for, and when we have a consistent sense of security and protection from harm.

• Trauma-Informed Care

• Restorative justice practices. 

• Conflict resolution: Mediations, crisis interventions, Amnesty Days, and Truth and Reconciliation sessions.

• De-Escalation through mindfulness.

• Culturally-Responsive Social and Emotional Learning.

• Peer support (or peer counseling), individually or in groups.

• We also make referrals when our care and resources are limited (for substance abuse treatment, housing aid, food bank assistance, healthcare support, psychiatric rehabilitation, utility assistance, or legal aid). 

We guide and/or encourage community members as well as the institutions that are supposed to serve and protect them to prevent, eliminate, and/or reduce five sometimes-overlapping forms of violence:

1. Verbal violence: Written, spoken, or expressed harassment, bullying, put-downs, disparagement, teasing, taunting, threats, mockery, slurs, epithets, persistent silence when explanations should be given to make peace, and hate speech (or bigotry).
2. Physical violence: Any physical  attack, un-consensual touching, or invasion of a person's personal space (within an arm's reach away),  be it nonsexual or sexual, involving bodily harm, gestural threats that invade personal space, injury, death, or damage to, or destruction of, real or personal property (including vandalism, theft, and arson).
3. Emotional violence: Any targeted, toxic engagement that damages mental and/or emotional well-being, including, but not limited to, gaslighting, blaming, shaming, threats, insults, constant monitoring or stalking, excessive jealousy, manipulation, persistent defiance, persistent belligerence, humiliation, intimidation, dismissiveness, teasing, taunting, mocking, and threatening or harassing nonverbal gestures.
4. Institutional violence: Verbal, physical, emotional, or behavioral harm and violence from governmental officials and systems or state actors.
5. Political violence: Verbal, physical, emotional, or behavioral harm and violence because of, against, towards, or by politicians and political systems.