An Evening of Peacebuilding
with Michael Nagler
As we face a multitude of issues that are negatively impacting the health of our communities,
many of us are asking:
What Can I / We Do?
In response, The Compassionate Communities Healthcare Movement and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights are partnering to host a coordinated series of interactive workshops focused on nonviolent, grassroots movements in September, October and November of 2025.
Throughout history, nonviolent movements created and developed at a community level have been integral in enhancing the health of communities. We will come together to expand our understanding of this powerful approach, engage in practices that enable us to develop our capacities for this work, and organize, as described by Martin Luther King, “a beloved community” of practitioners of nonviolence.
In the third workshop in our 3 part series, we will explore ways to integrate the work of nonviolence in our communities.
We will welcome Michael Nagler, Professor Emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley and Co-Founder of one of the first Peace and Conflict Studies Programs in the United States. In 1981, Michael also co-founded the Metta Center for Nonviolence, where he continues to dedicate his life to the values of nonviolence and spiritual discovery.
Among many achievements, his commitment to these principles earned him the Jamnalal Bajaj International Award in 2007 for “Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India.”
He is the co-host of Nonviolence Radio, a popular radio show and podcast focused on exploring nonviolence. He has authored numerous articles and influential books, including The Search for a Nonviolent Future, The Nonviolence Handbook, and The Third Harmony. In 2020 he directed and produced an award-winning documentary on nonviolence, also titled The Third Harmony.
Michael’s invitation:
Where does the power of nonviolence come from?
Gandhi and other major practitioners claim -- and modern science bears them out -- that nonviolence is rooted in human nature. Of course, our modern culture here in the West leaves us no clue how this can be possible; but science (as mentioned), history, and the testimony of many who have used it, famous or otherwise, not only insist it's true but explain how.
I will try to give a fair overview of this inspiring finding and share resources to aid our further study -- and practice -- of what Gandhi called "the greatest power mankind has been endowed with." Which is our heritage.
To Join Us: please click this link for tickets
Series Supporters: Ada County Medical Society
Idaho Physician Well-Being Action Collaborative
St. Luke’s
Schedule:
5:15pm: Doors Open
5:30-6pm: Optional guided tours of Anne Frank Memorial & Wassmuth Center
5:30 - 6:15pm: Community Dinner (Open Table)
5:15 - 6:30 pm: Music by Joseph Young (Native American flutes)
6:15 -6:30pm: Opening
6:30 - 8:15pm: Workshop
8:15- 8:30pm: Closing Circle
Cost:
In-person attendance: $35 (includes keynote, dinner, music and tours) - limited to 50 guests
Online viewing: $10 (includes interactive chats) - Zoom starts at 6:15pm
scholarships: available for a limited number of participants
donations to support scholarships and our series are truly appreciated!
During our series, each time we come together, we will enjoy a healthy dinner, share our stories and insights, and consider individual and collective opportunities for meaningful action. Local artists, musicians, poets and other community members will help us create a nourishing space so we can begin to heal ourselves and our community and move forward together. .