The Watertown Kingian Nonviolence Coordinating Committee announced a new community training course on “Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation.”
The 16-hour course will be held on two Saturdays, August 19 and 26, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the Community Room of the Watertown Police Department, 552 Main Street. The course is co-sponsored by World in Watertown with support from the Watertown Police Department, and has been made possible by a significant grant from the Watertown Community Foundation.
The Kingian Nonviolence Coordinating Committee is excited to share this fun and interactive curriculum with the community. It was co-authored by Dr. Bernard LaFayette and David Jehnsen to teach how Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy and methodology can be applied to present-day conflicts, both personal and societal. The course will be taught by youth and faculty trainers from the Watertown Public Schools, as well as officers from the Watertown Police Department.
The Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Resolution community course is offered free of charge, and is open to all Watertown residents. Students and parents are especially invited to apply. Space is limited, so anyone interested in attending is encouraged to register early by visiting the Watertown Public Schools website (www.watertown.k12.ma.us).
This course is an outgrowth of interest and activities in Watertown over the past two years focusing on Dr. King’s principles of conflict reconciliation. Preceding this course:
Murals and rap songs, created by Middle School students, have been included in Unity Breakfast programs.
Watertown teachers, students, and police officers have been trained and certified to teach the principles of Kingian nonviolence.
Middle School students have taught elementary school students how to use these principles in resolving conflicts.
The Middle School has begun offering full semester courses in Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation.
30 community residents completed an introductory course on Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation last winter.
All these activities have drawn significant attention, with the Watertown Tab, Boston Globe and Watertown News profiling them in full-length news articles.
Teachers, Students & Police Team Up to Teach Nonviolence to Watertown Staff