OVERCOMING VIOLENCE - EXPLORING MASCULINITIES, VIOLENCE AND PEACE

The Women Peacemakers Program of IFOR is convinced that in order to change cultures of war and violence, women peace activists need to work together with male allies. Therefore the WPP is organizing a Training of Trainers entitled “Overcoming Violence - Exploring Masculinities, Violence and Peace”. This Training of Trainers takes place November 30 - December 11, 2009 and aims to:
- train male trainers on gender-sensitive active non-violence (ANV);
- explore the concept of masculinities in relation to issues of violence and peace;
- create a pool of male gender-sensitive active nonviolence trainers;
The training will be given by Patrica Ackerman, a well-known nonviolent activist and Steven Botkin, Executive Director of Men's Resources International.

Patricia Ackerman
Patricia Ackerman has over 25 years experience as an activist and advocate in the areas of gender, environment, anti-racism, and LGBTQ justice. She is a conflict resolutions expert, mediator, certified creative arts therapist, Episcopal priest, and psychotherapist. She has directed social justice projects at the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Nyack, NY, and at the Garrison Institute, Garrison NY. Patricia regularly leads workshops in gender, empowerment, and diversity. She has a
M.Div from Union Theological Seminary in NYC and is doing a doctorate in women, peace and security at CUNY Graduate center. She is an NGO representative at the United Nations.

Steven D. Botkin, Ed.D.
Executive Director Men’s Resources International
Steven Botkin founded the Men’s Resource Center (MRC) of Western Massachusetts in 1982 and received his doctoral degree in Social Justice Education from the University of Massachusetts several years later. For 20 years, as executive director, he guided the MRC from a grass-roots group of volunteers into a successful nonprofit organization, whose programs have become a model for community-based men’s groups around the world.
In 2004, Steven founded Men’s Resources International (MRI) to “mobilize networks of men as allies with women for violence prevention and positive masculinity.” Through MRI, Dr. Botkin lectures, leads workshops and trainings, and provides consultations for organizations throughout the United States and around the world. Recent trainings have been conducted for YWCA staff and volunteers in Zambia, community leaders in Nigeria, CARE International, the Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre and coffee farmers in Rwanda, and the International Rescue Committee, the Ministry of Gender and Development and community action groups in Liberia. Dr. Botkin is now working with the IRC to develop a Male Involvement Project in Cote d’Ivoire.

This blog was created to inform people who are interested in this training and its outcomes. The blog will feature regular updates on program sessions, as well as thoughts and reflections of the participants during the training.