Non-violent communication gives us a way to express ourselves with compassion, empathy, and authenticity. This part of our human essence helps us to relate to everything and everyone else around us. According to Marshall B. Rosenberg, a renowned American psychologist, mediator, author, and teacher, “When we focus on clarifying what is being seen, felt and needed rather than diagnosing and judging, we discover the depth of our own compassion.” _
Women have a central role within families and society. A woman has the capacity to carry a life within herself and to nurture that life after it comes to the world. With this in mind, Global Peace Women (GPW) believes that it is of paramount importance for women to understand the strength of their unique values that would allow them to carry and nurture the future and, symbolically, the seed of peace while following a harmonious path in our communities.
Understanding our intrinsic values as women helps us to be more empathetic, loving, and compassionate while allowing us to better connect with those around us. As women, we are not alone in building a world of peace. However, we have a distinct role in promoting peace and development in our communities, starting with our families. We all have a responsibility to make the world a better place.
Beatrice Munhoz, the Global Peace Women Project Leader of Brazil, is a wife, mother, non-violent communication facilitator and enthusiast, a facilitator of restorative justice peacebuilding circles, and a graduate in administration and philosophy. She started a project that created conversation circles with students in schools to teach them the skill of non-violent communication. Her project which involved students aged 12-16 years old from the Multipurpose State College in Goiânia, Brazil, aimed at creating an environment where the participants learned the skills of active listening, conflict resolution, and human values. The participants were encouraged to connect with their humanity and look beyond behaviors for paradigm change.
“When we look at our humanity, we can understand the humanity of the other person. When we look at ourselves, we begin to understand that everything we need to become a better person is within us,” she said.
Beatriz’s project sowed seeds of compassion, cohesiveness, cooperation, and communion in the participants.
