Center Provides Peace Skills Training for Church Organized Peace Camp

Peace Center board member and trainer Nichole McVeigh leads children in a listening game that points to the importance of active listening as a skill for building peace.

Peace Center board members Nichole McVeigh and Grant Rissler provided four sessions of peace skills to three different age groups at the August 12-15 summer Peace Camp sponsored by First Mennonite Church of Richmond, St. Paul’s Episcopal and West Richmond Church of the Brethren.  More than 20 children heading into grades K-6 attended the Peace Camp.

In addition to talking about communication and active listening, sessions focused on:

·       Recognizing strong emotions and using calming techniques

·       Using “I feel” statements to share emotions with others

·       Understanding needs and wants and looking for solutions that meet everyone’s needs (if not wants).

Participants play emotion charades with Peace Center board member and trainer Nichole McVeigh as a building block for recognizing and communicating emotions in conflict situations.

One participant shared that they enjoyed making a “calm-down” cave out of blankets, pillows and colorful fabric where they could practice calming techniques like taking a deep breath.   

If you or your organization is interested in contracting with the Peace Center to develop workshops on peace building skills, please e-mail rpec@rpec.org.