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Peacemaker Resources: Workshops, Community Gathering & a Groundbreaking

Katie Carter and Linsey McMurrin

"We're all about communication, compassion, and connection...it's putting the value of the other individual and the relationship that we have with them at the center. It's more so about building community- building a sense of trust, honoring another person and their good intentions even when conflict may arise. I think of, even our daily interactions- say in a in a grocery store or between a parent and child- really it's getting at the root of the issue, seeking out what that need might be that needs to be fulfilled and figuring out healthy ways to communicate that." - Linsey McMurrin on Restorative Communication

Peacemaker Resourcesof Bemidji offers tools for building peace that lead to respectful relationships and healthier individuals families and communities. Started as a pilot program in one Bemidji school about 20 years ago,  now peacemaker trainings are making an impact across Minnesota in schools, businesses, organizations and personal relationships. 

In collaboration with the Department of Education, PeacemakerResources is offering a number of workshops next week that are open to anyone who works with youth - whether you're in the education field or not. Actually, these workshops could be beneficial to anyone who works with people or interacts with people - so, pretty much everyone! In Bemidji, August 13th thru 16th,  three workshops, or circles, will be offered.  One  is all about community building, setting the stage for restorative practices, another is dedicated to repairing harm and the third is dedicated to restorative communication strategies.  In Red Lake, August 14th, a workshop focused on trauma sensitivity in schools will be offered.  

This Friday, August 9th, Peacemaker Resources invites the public the groundbreaking of the new Headwaters Peace Center in Bemidji at 11:30 at 1833 Mikrantip Road SW off of 5th street, near the Bemidji High School. 

Also Friday, from 4-7pm the public is invited to their Mawanji'idim Building Community event.  Free food and opportunities for connection will happen, rain or shine at Diamond Point Park in Bemidji.

In this Area Voices segment, Linsey McMurrin discusses the power of restorative practices, the effects of trauma on individuals and gives advice on how we can all do a little better while interacting with people.  

Space is still available in all of the above workshops.  To register, go to peacemakerresources.org or call 218-444-8048. 

"One of the things we're really realizing about the impact of trauma is that it compromises our ability to engage with others by replacing patterns of connection with patterns of protection. And that makes it really difficult to build a relationship...think about that idea of walls going upwhen we feel threatened ...with those most impacted by trauma, those walls go up quickly and they serve a purpose... For prefer protection. But what we really want to do is build skills, build that sense of safety and trust...that are necessary to be able to navigate everywhere in our world in times when we're not being threatened but where it may seem like that..." - Linsey McMurrin on the effects of trauma

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.