Updates from the Conflict Management Certificate Program

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The Conflict Management Certificate Program at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies believes that each person can learn how to deal with conflict in a healthy, effective manner. Stress, anger and broken relationships need not result. Instead, conflict can provide an opportunity to explore new ideas and work more competently and productively with others.

The program works in partnership with practitioners from established organizations, as well as highly respected independent trainers, to offer a diverse range of workshops that enable participants to discover ways of managing conflict that fit their interests and context.

New workshop topics develop healthy conflict management skills | Record high grads and enrolments in 2018 | Co-hosting Ray and Vi Donovan for Restorative Justice Week

New workshop topics develop healthy conflict management skills

Participants at a workshop
The Conflict Management Certificate Program is offering three new workshops that have been designed to promote healthy and effective methods for dealing with conflict. The workshops are Mental Health and Conflict Management, Leadership Coaching Skills (Advanced Conflict Coaching), and The Art of Mindful Mediation.

The addition of these workshops is intended to offer opportunities for participants to delve deeper in to the subject matter, and offer additional training for a growing field of study. All of the workshops have been highly praised by participants, receiving comments such as “best training I’ve ever had!” and “rich, insightful input and interaction from introductions right through the three days”.

These new workshops are being offered again this year, as are many other previously offered workshops. There is a schedule of workshop offerings for 2019, as well as a list of all workshop topics offered on the Conflict Management Certificate Program website

Record high grads and enrolments in 2018

As the Conflict Management Certificate Program enters 20 years of operation, the program celebrated a record high of 50 participants who completed the requirements for either the Certificate in Conflict Management and Mediation or the Certificate in Conflict Management and Congregational Leadership in 2018.

There was also record high enrolment in several key workshops, including Understanding Conflict - Foundations, Understanding Conflict - Advanced, Facilitation Skills, and Peacemaking Circles Training. These workshops support the development of conflict management skills and continue to receive excellent reviews from participants. As a participant in the Peacemaking Circles Training said, “my world is richer for having attended this circle”.

Co-hosting Ray and Vi Donovan for Restorative Justice Week

The Conflict Management Certificate Program had the opportunity to co-host Ray and Vi Donovan with Mennonite Central Committee for Restorative Justice Week in November 2018. Ray and Vi came from the United Kingdom to speak about the power of restorative justice based on their personal experience using the restorative justice approach to conflict.

As parents of an 18 year old boy murdered in the street 18 years ago, Ray and Vi use their devastating experience to educate communities, and help create system change in regional policing, and probation. While visiting Grebel, Ray and Vi facilitated a three-day workshop that enabled participants to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively practice restorative approaches. The workshop was offered as an elective in the Conflict Management Certificate Program. 

New workshop topics develop healthy conflict management skills | Record high grads and enrolments in 2018 | Co-hosting Ray and Vi Donovan for Restorative Justice Week