Intro to section
Planning and facilitating nonviolence training requires a range of tasks, which should be shared by a number of people.
First of all, the campaign organizers need to be aware of when training is needed. Does the group need training in strategic campaign development or gender sensitivity? Is training needed to prepare a new group of people to participate in nonviolent actions, or an experienced group to achieve new skills? Do affinity groups need training in group process?
Once a decision is made to have a training, trainers need to be found. As stated in the “Introduction to Nonviolence Training”, if trainers are not available, create a team of co-facilitators to do the training. This section has check lists to help organize, plan and faciliate trainings.
Organizers and trainers need to talk with each other before working on their own tasks. Lack of clarity and assumptions made on the part of trainers or organizers can result in an ineffective training. If the trainers are part of the group, they need to be clear about their role as trainers. A training can be an important opportunity to test plans, to find weaknesses in the group, to bring more people into the process. A trainer must be open to those roles. While understanding the context, the group, the campaign, the action scenario, etc. better than an outside facilitator, it can be a challenge for a trainer deeply involved in the work to step into a different role. This clarification of roles should help in that process.
“Nonviolent Campaigns” and “Organizing for Effective Nonviolent Actions” sections include information that can also help trainers and organizers understand what they need to do and what they may need to train for.