Peace Makers (Conflict Resolution) | Description
Human relationships can be difficult to manage for anyone. For folks in difficult situations typical to our neighborhood – like those dealing with poverty and family member incarceration, the difficulty level increases. Furthermore, real and perceived cultural barriers can contribute to communication misunderstandings.
Consistent with IMPACT’s goal to prepare individuals in our neighborhood to achieve their personal potential, we offer possible solutions to situations involving personal conflict. We believe this is an essential component to personal advancement.
33% of welfare recipients report having experienced “severe aggression” in adulthood (Lloyd &Taluc, 1999). According to the National Family Violence Survey, rates of “abusive violence” are 3.5 times higher among people living in poverty than among people earning more than $40,000 year.
Because peacemaking is a skill, there are principles that can be learned and put into practice. With the appropriate tools, people can learn to substitute conflict resolution for violent reaction.
Peacemakers is an eight-week course that teaches sound approaches to handling conflict; from simple personal offenses to family and marital conflicts, to business and employment disputes. Participants learn foundational peacemaking principles that can be practiced and perfected for use in all relational areas of their lives.
Recent graduates have described situations where they have used conflict resolution skills to avoid difficult situations on the job. Two participants have asked that the course be offered at their church.
Although there is no cost to the participant, the cost to IMPACT to provide this course is $20 per student per 2-hour session. This provides all lesson materials, worksheets, and books. We limit the enrollment to 20 students per class. The overall cost to IMPACT for the 8-session course which covers 4 weeks is $8100.
