Welcome to the School of Nonviolence

An Immersive Study of the Worldview of Nonviolence — Live Courses + Mentorship + Project Building

A 2-Year Immersive Mentorship in Nonviolence

Study Nonviolence, Start a Project, and Share the Process

A view of the world and all life as an interconnected whole.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The School of Nonviolence is a space where participants can broaden, deepen, disseminate, and embody their understandings of the worldview of nonviolence.

Immersion within this framework will change the way that they perceive themselves and the world around them. Through the application of the principles of nonviolence, participants will find an enhanced sense of meaning and agency in life.

This transformative experience is only the beginning of a long-term commitment toward ushering in a nonviolent future.

The School is a space where you can find support for putting your vision of peace into practice.

The School of Nonviolence is a space for teachers, activists/organizers, journalists, thought-leaders, and explorers who want:

WHO IS IT FOR

  • to answer the question “What is nonviolence?”;

  • to deepen their understanding of this perspective;

  • to be empowered and manifest a changed system;

  • and, centrally, to transform themselves as catalysts for change. 

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The Curriculum

The immersive experience offered by the School will include a series of live courses, talks, films, and other media based on our Roadmap. The program will culminate in bi-annual symposia where participants will have the opportunity to present the projects they are working on and share their visions and understandings of the framework of nonviolence.

The Symposium will be a platform to share experiences and ideas through individual presentations and roundtable discussions with other participants, faculty, and invited guest speakers.

“I am a humble explorer of the science of nonviolence.”

- Gandhi

We will offer courses on the following possible topics in alignment with the Metta Center’s Roadmap: 

  • Meditation, Spiritual Practices, and Nonviolence 

  • The Economics of Nonviolence; Alternate Economies

  • Methods of resistance, alternate systems, and communities

  • Earth, Ecology, Environment; Soil, Health, and Food; Climate Change: Catastrophes and Opportunities 

  • The Socio-Politics of Nonviolence; Nonviolence, the Law and Justice; Democracy and Nonviolence  

  • The Old-New story; Alternate cosmologies and indigenous worldviews; Utopias as blueprints for the future; Who are we and what is the meaning of life?

To graduate, participants will satisfactorily complete three or more live courses over a two-year period; at least two of which should be intensive (4 to 8 week) ones, and one or more can be shorter (1 to 2 weeks); and present their project.

THE FINAL PROJECT

Participants will select their final projects according to the kinds of change they desire to see in the world

Projects will address both personal as well as public concerns, affecting both micro and macro levels.

No topic that satisfies these criteria will be too “small” or too “big”; the only criterion is that the project will implement and make real some aspect of the nonviolent worldview that the participants envision.

Faculty at the School will guide topic selection and mentor the project on both a one-to-one basis as well as in group settings.

When they are ready, participants will submit their projects and present their progress in a bi-annual Symposium organized by the Metta Center for Nonviolence.

Faculty include Metta Community Members…

Michael Nagler

Metta Center founder

Francesca Po

Board member

Safoora Arbab

Board member

Anna Ikeda

Board member

Ela Gandhi

Board member

Stephanie Van Hook

Executive Director

…and other guest teachers and speakers

Enrollment is Free

To join the School you will need to set up an account with an email address and password, as well as complete an application. To learn more about the application process and apply once the application is live, click the button below.

Because we at the Metta Center want our educational resources to be as accessible as possible, there is no fee to enroll in the School of Nonviolence; however, we gladly accept donations as offerings from the heart here.

Donations are what enable us to keep providing quality courses, materials, and guidance online for all, so if you would like to support us in fulfilling our mission, please consider giving what you are able.

Thank you!

Questions? Contact us.