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Making Peace One Conversation at a Time: Peacemaker Resources

(L-R) Katie Carter, Chelsea Ottman Rac & Linsey McMurrin

“We want to cultivate communication, compassion and connection… We provide professional development in a variety of different ways to organizations, to agencies, to schools in the area. We really focus on helping people understand the impact of adverse childhood experiences…how historical trauma and intergenerational adversity impact us all and really help to build healthy, empowered, thriving communities thru this work.” – Linsey McMurrin discussing the work of Peacemaker Resources 

Peacemaker Resources and Dr. Anton Treuer will co-facilitate the Healing Toolbox workshop tomorrow in Bemidji.  Structured to connect the dots of adversity, intergenerational trauma and epigenetics while developing strategies for empathetic listening, effective communication and resilience, the workshops goals are to inspire awareness and ultimately build stronger bridges in our communities.  

Chelsea Ottman Rac and Linsey McMurrin from Peacemaker Resources discussed the workshop and skills for having courageous conversations as well as the  impact the  work of Peacemaker Resources is having on schoolkids and adults in Bemidji, Kelliher, Cass Lake and beyond.     

“…‘I’m going to have this conversation and change this person’s mind!’ That’s an unrealistic goal… build some trust, build some connections so you can continue forming that relationship and hopefully continue with those conversations with that person… To be able to listen to the other person, you also need to check yourself and make sure you are calm, make sure that you are open, make sure that you are coming at the conversation not with judgement but with curiosity, wanting to understand more, wanting to maintain that openness.  So, first, just checking in with yourself, finding ways to calm yourself down, to center so that you can really be open to listening as well as speaking in a thoughtful way.” – Chelsea Ottman Rac on relating to others in conversations

Katie Carter started at Northern Community Radio in 2008 as Managing Editor of the station's grant-funded, online news experiment Northern Community Internet. She returned for a second stint in 2016-23. She produced Area Voices showcasing the arts, culture, and history stories of northern Minnesota.