“ICNC has led the way in the 21st century in the systematic study and global teaching of the dynamics, effective strategies and best practices of civil resistance movements. We believe that the velocity with which this knowledge of civil resistance has encircled the world over the last decade is largely attributable to their original work. Without their efforts, this vital global front in the expansion of peace, not only among nations but within them, would not have come into existence in such an organized and sustained way.”

– Excerpt from the 2014 nomination of ICNC for the Nobel Peace Prize, submitted by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Lech Walesa and seven other signers¹

 

The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) is a leading global organization advancing the study and practice of nonviolent civil resistance to achieve rights, freedom and justice around the world.

Our programs, achievements and impact reflect our ongoing dedication to using social science insights and lessons from practitioners to improve outcomes for civil resistance movements worldwide.

Since our founding in 2002, we have:

• Led over 90 in-depth educational programs that have cumulatively attracted thousands of activists, scholars, journalists, and members the NGO and policy community from over 100 countries.
• Advanced the field of civil resistance by supporting research on critical topics, including the development of the largest dedicated data set of nonviolent campaigns in the world, which led to the award winning 2011 book Why Civil Resistance Works.
  

  Why Civil Resistance Works by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan. Columbia University Press. 2011.

• Supported the creation and distribution of new educational materials (including films, books, and translations) on civil resistance for practitioners.
• Developed a website that serves as a clearinghouse of information on civil resistance, with a massive Resource Library of free or nominally-priced resources in over 70 different languages and dialects.
• Developed international networks of practitioners and scholars dedicated to the field of civil resistance.
• Bridged the scholarly-practitioner divide by elevating critical research and new ideas through ICNC Press, ICNC’s blog, and public events.
  

  Transforming women around civil resistance and nonviolent activism in India. Source: Learning Initiative Network fellow Arnab Chakraborty, 2016.

• Engaged in pioneering funding and grantmaking (through our Learning Initiatives Network and Activist Education Grants) with activists, organizers, and grassroots educators to spread knowledge of civil resistance in their communities.
• Spoken at hundreds of independent events, conferences, and universities about the power, potential, applications and latest research findings in the field of civil resistance.
• Hosted regular free webinars on new developments, research, and practices in civil resistance.
• Provided commentary and analysis to news media around the world

A growing body of evidence points to the critical role that a movement’s skills and strategic choices play in enabling it to overcome adverse conditions, seize opportunities, and win human rights.

Therefore, we aim to provide activists with access to relevant knowledge, mentorship, educational opportunities, and sometimes funding to support development of their skills, including those related to organizing, coalition building, communications, strategic planning, and tactical execution.

We also aim to share information and best practices in supporting movements with external allies in the policy and NGO sectors so that they can play their roles more effectively. We further engage with the scholarly community to ensure that their work is relevant to practitioners, and that their research findings reach those who need them.

Our approach is based on this three-step theory of change:

For 17 years this model has guided our work, and our qualitative and quantitative results show the impact.

Years of feedback and reporting from ICNC program alumni and grantees show that:

• New organizations and civil resistance campaigns for human rights have emerged directly out of ICNC programs and grant support.
• Long-term collaborations and solidarity networks have emerged between participants who met and learned together at ICNC events.
• ICNC’s educational programs and content are unique in the NGO sector and highly useful to grassroots activists and their allies. For example, ICNC program participant and grantee Ketakandriana Rafitoson (who is now Executive Director for Transparency International’s Madagascar office) recently remarked that:

• As a result of ICNC’s programs and grants, participants report that they are:
  • More engaged in movement organizing and civil resistance.
  • Applying what they learned in their fields of practice.
  • Teaching this knowledge to others.

Hundreds of written evaluations by program participants, grantees, and collaborators point to our impact, a sample of which we’ve shared below the testimonials section.

You can also see summaries of projects by participants in our Learning Initiatives Network program, as well as work we’ve supported through our Activist Education Grant program.

Our work has further been recognized by experts. For example, US Civil Rights Movement leader Reverend Dr. James Lawson (who organized the 1960 Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, trained thousands of people over the last six decades, and recently won the Congressional Gold Medal) referred to ICNC’s work as follows in 2013:

This is an agency that I guess I have often wished for to happen. It has done more to disseminate and propagate and spread the word about the emergence of nonviolent struggle, nonviolent action, civil resistance, and the like than any other agency in the last 100 years.… [I]t has done more for the work of getting people to recognize their own options to the present world, that there are options for how we fight and how we resist wrong and to show forth the fact that these options are not written in empty dreams but written in the concrete work of millions, if not billions, of people across the last 120 years….

In 2016 Reverend Lawson went on to refer to ICNC’s work as “the most critical work in my own country and in western civilization, period.”

More recently, Ivan Marovic, an expert trainer and co-founder of the Otpor! (“Resistance!”) movement in Serbia that ousted dictator Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 stated that:

Quantitative evaluations strongly reinforce what we’ve been told by ICNC program alumni, grantees and collaborators. Program data consistently shows that increased knowledge of civil resistance leads to:

• Greater engagement in civil resistance.
• Increased likelihood to share that knowledge with others.
• Application of that knowledge in activism.

We also find that when groups learn about civil resistance together, it leads to increased collaboration in activism, organizing, and teaching afterwards.

As one example, below are key evaluation findings from ICNC’s 2018 six-week online course “People Power: The Study of Strategic Nonviolent Resistance,” which engages 50-60 people from around the world.

 

1. Respondents reported significant gains in effectiveness at planning and engaging in civil resistance.

• 94 percent reported that their skills at planning civil resistance campaigns had improved after taking ICNC’s course.
• 94 percent said that they were more effective in achieving their goals in civil resistance campaigns or trainings after taking ICNC’s course.
• 86 percent reported that the civil resistance actions in which they participated after ICNC’s course were more effective than before the course.

 

2. Respondents reported greater involvement in civil resistance campaigns, as well as writing, teaching, and researching about civil resistance.

• 56 percent of respondents said ICNC’s course was very influential on their subsequent decision to join a civil resistance campaign.
• 62 percent of respondents said that they became more active in leading or planning a civil resistance campaign after taking ICNC’s course.
• 62 percent of respondents said they became more active in writing, teaching and researching about civil resistance after taking ICNC’s course.

 

3. Respondents reported that they were directly applying knowledge introduced in the course and referring back to it after the course.

• After the course:
  • 75 percent of respondents said they had applied knowledge from the course in planning civil resistance campaigns.
  • 75 percent of respondents said they had applied knowledge from the course in training or teaching about civil resistance.
  • 62 percent of respondents said they had applied knowledge from the course in writing about civil resistance.
  • 56 percent of respondents said they had applied knowledge from the course when engaging directly in nonviolent actions.
• 100 percent of respondents said they had returned to ICNC’s e-classroom to refer back to course materials at least 1-5 times since the course ended, with 50 percent reporting that they had done so 6-10 times.
• Six strategic planning tools were introduced during the course. After the course, at least 56 percent of respondents said they were applying each of these tools more often than before the course.

 

4. Respondents reported that they were more interested in learning about civil resistance after the course, and a significant number reported that three months after the course, they found the course content even more valuable than immediately after the course ended.

• 94 percent said that after the course, they were more interested in learning about civil resistance.
• 44 percent of respondents said that three months after ICNC’s course ended, they found the course content even more valuable than immediately after the course had ended.

 

5. Respondents (who come from countries all over the world) reported that they kept in touch with each other after the course.

• 44 percent of respondents said they had communicated with at least one other course participant about civil resistance 1-5 times since the course ended.
• 12 percent reported 6-10 communications since the course ended.
• 19 percent reported over 21 communications since the course ended.

More quantitative evaluation results from ICNC past online courses can be found here.

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These findings reflect other quantitative evaluation data that we’ve received. For example, the results after ICNC’s 2018 week-long regional institute on civil resistance in Quito, Ecuador, yield similar conclusions, and were published in two peer-reviewed academic journals, which can be found here:

“A Catalyst for Action: Training and Education as Networking Platforms for Peace Projects” (pre-publication copy)
by Jeffrey Pugh. Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, September 2019.

“Weaving Transnational Activist Networks: Balancing International and Bottom-up Capacity-building Strategies for Nonviolent Action in Latin America”
by Jeffrey Pugh, Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies, June 2018.

A sampling of testimonials from participants in various ICNC educational and grant programs are below. Please note that participants come from all over the world, and may natively speak different styles of English or speak English as a second language.

• Participants in Past ICNC Online Courses
• Participants in ICNC’s Regional Institutes in Ecuador, Nepal, and Ukraine
• ICNC Curriculum Fellows (for either university, professional or high school courses)
• Doctoral & Junior Faculty Research Fellows
• Participants in ICNC Academic Seminars
• Participants in the James Lawson Institute

 

Participants in Past ICNC Online Courses:

It is an excellent course, it transformed my thinking and mindset about nonviolent action, civil resistance and the role of violence in the pursuit of social justice and change. It exposed me to relevant theories, methods and cases which I will continue to use to enrich my research and practice. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to take this course, and I recommend it to anyone who cares about a more just, peaceful and corruption-free world and wants to learn effective and powerful nonviolent tactics and strategies for achieving these.

– Dr. Sokfa John
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of KwaZulu-Natal
South Africa

This is more than just a course, it is an experience that awakens one’s consciousness to the boundless influence that nonviolent resistance can exert. It empowers you to impact your world. It is possible!

– Olabode Olanusi
Chief Operating Officer, Elizbod Global Resources Limited
Nigeria

This was a rich, hugely insightful course that combined research findings, practical experience and tools for nonviolent resistance. The mix of materials and formats, and the interactive engagement of participants and facilitators alike, made it a motivating and insightful experience to be part of. Highly recommended to activists, peacebuilders, and change makers anywhere on the engagement spectrum!

– Jenny Aulin
Civil Society Program Manager, Inclusive Peace & Transition Initiative
Switzerland and the United Kingdom

This course gave me profound conceptual and theoretical knowledge about civil resistance. I learned about how the success of nonviolent movements is much larger than violent ones, which I never imagined it would be.

– Abdi S. Omar
MA Student, Religion in Peace and Conflict, Uppsala University
Sweden and Ethiopia

I benefited immensely from this course because it taught me about civil resistance, a body of knowledge and practice that has shaped the history of the world we live in but is missing from our school history textbooks. The course moderators and the discussion forums were fantastic! They made the study material more relevant, interesting and meaningful.

– Chintan Girish Modi
Consultant, Education for Peace Initiative
India

This course that ICNC has put together bridges the gap between theory and action. If you are serious about waging nonviolent civil resistance, this course allows you to meet and work with others, providing essential concepts and historical evidence of the successful use of nonviolent resistance.

– Pete D. Ackerman
Activist, Society of Friends PBMM
United States

This was my first online course. I was skeptical at first. But it ended up being the best decision I have ever made. I have not, in a long time, gained so much knowledge like I did while taking this course. Thank you ICNC.

– Job Mwaura
Next Generation Fellow, Social Science Research Council
South Africa

When I started the course I thought I knew the basics of Civic Resistance; I knew about Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Solidarity. But I was not aware of the global magnitude and impact of the Civic Resistance. This course opened my eyes to the enormous possibilities for achieving success if a good strategy is applied, there is a continuous development of tactics and a constant evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of any campaign.

– Marlene Moleon
Media Consultant, Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba
United States

Through this course on nonviolent civil resistance: the length, breadth and depth of my knowledge and skills on the subject matter was honed. I am now poised towards leading a more willing, confident, and justifiable approach in redressing societal injustices, which I was hitherto, oblivious or passive about. The lessons were very interactive and enriching, especially having hobnobbed with a diverse network of like-minds across the globe.

– George C. Neba
Founding President, Afro-Real Initiative
Cameroon

This course was a mind opening delight for me. It totally changed my view and understanding of non-violent conflict … – tactically, strategically, emotionally, and in other dimensions. Highly recommended to any activist.

– Michael Staindl
Climate Activist, Lighter Footprints
Australia

This course is perfect for students, activists, journalists and lifelong learners of strategic nonviolent civil resistance. It is a course that transcends time and space, as people power participants from around the world discover in-depth knowledge on nonviolent movements and engage with people from across the globe! The reading material, video lectures and webinars given are excellent. Plus, the discussion boards provided fruitful debate, dialogue and exchange of opinions and views. Overall, I highly recommend this beneficial learning opportunity and I am thankful to ICNC.

– Reela Khalifa
PhD Candidate, Division of Global Affairs, Rutgers University
United States

At this historic moment, the need for informed and committed nonviolence civil resistance has never been greater. This course provided the theoretical and practical content that activists and educators need to face the challenges of dictatorship, climate change, racism, and many others. I’ve never had a learning experience that allowed me to interact with so many people around the world who are deeply engaged in the work of liberation.

– Dr. Meta Mendel-Reyes
Associate Professor of Peace and Social Justice and General Studies, Berea College
United States

To be immersed and guided with fellow activists and academics from around the world through this portal of learning about non-violent civil resistance movements created a needed global conversation and forum for further interventions, creativity, and hope. That hope for people-powered culture shifts grounded in research, histories and strategies is just what this activist needed as we together demand more equality and justice in our communities.

– Sabrina Artel
Founder/Producer, Trailer Talk
United States

The ICNC course was fascinating because it gave me a positive experience on how conflicts arise and how it can be solved using nonviolent means. The course enabled me to understand the dynamics of civil resistance and how applying nonviolent means can contribute to a peaceful world. I am now equipped with thorough knowledge of how to take nonviolent action to resist oppression. I am so grateful to the ICNC team for affording me this opportunity to learn and I would recommend the course to friends and colleagues and will take the campaign further by applying knowledge gained in my professional endeavors.

– Kate Duru
Program Officer, Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative
Nigeria

I recommend this course to all the people who dedicate themselves to activism from civil society. The content studied in it is enriching and illuminates the actions of CSOs and individuals. Whether you are dedicated to human rights, strengthening democracy, gender, corruption, the environment or another area, non-violent civil resistance is available to generate positive changes in your community.

– Marta Gaba
Director of International Relations, Transparencia Electoral
Argentina

I was given huge opportunity to better understand civil resistance in all its dimensions. This course has invested me with the skills on how to plan a successful campaign, even in a very repression state. I learned how to be powerful without using weapons or any kind of violence. In simple words, I learned how to resist in different ways and push through to change.

– Mbongo Ali
Human Rights Activist, Via-Volonté
Burundi

Before this course, my perception about civic resistance in the form of protests, strikes, and boycotts was negative. This was due to media portrayal of non-violent resistance by people as an illegitimate means of opposing the legitimate government. But this course has transformed my mind about non-violent civil movements. Now, I believe people in a country have rights to participate in nonviolent protests, strikes and boycotts if they feel they are being marginalized and suppressed by the violent regime.

– Qamar Jafri
PhD Candidate, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT
Pakistan and Australia

ICNC offers a great and valuable course about civil resistance. They didn’t skimp on the quantity and quality of the information they offered. It is really a great job they are doing in favor of humanity. They are helping everyday people wake up and fight battles for their own rights and freedoms. It is a beautiful job that deserves all my support and respect.

– Alba Purroy
National Coordinator, Creemos Alianza Ciudadana
Venezuela

 

Participants in ICNC’s Regional Institutes in Ecuador, Nepal, and Ukraine:

 

The regional institute on the study and practice of the strategic nonviolent action empowers activists and leaders to carry out in a better war and more effectively the citizen actions that they want to undertake. It provides movements with a very useful strategic perspective and a very useful analysis of power that enable such movements to more effectively develop actions in order to achieve their goals.

– Hasler Iglesias
Secretary General, CEEBI
Venezuela

I came here as a dry sponge and now I return home as a sponge full of experiences and motivated to replicate and apply this knowledge in my daily life and in my community. With a huge “thank you” I return home to tell my community about this great experience.

– Jumandy Licuy
Blogger
Ecuador

From the academic point of view, the institute was absolutely excellent; from the personal point of view, it was unforgettable. The human quality, the openness to dialogue and the richness of the experiences that all of the facilitators and participants contributed, made this institute one of the nourishing and enriching experiences that I ever had.

– Ángel Zambrano
Social Communicator, Laboratorio Ciudadano de Noviolencia
Venezuela

It was a beautiful and enriching experience that enabled me to exchange thoughts with other activists who share the same nonviolent philosophy. Institutes like this contribute to the establishment of strategic alliances to achieve goals related to citizenship-building and citizens’ engagement.

– Beatriz González
Vice President, ASOVEPRIMA
Venezuela

It was a privilege to participate in the 2019 Asian Action Institute. The training curriculum demonstrated a great balance of theory and practice, and provided valuable insights into grassroots level civil resistance movements and their effectiveness. This was also a wonderful opportunity to meet activists, scholars, practitioners, lawyers, and peace ambassadors from various countries and build long-lasting relationships. Hopefully this network will lead to some amazing collaborations and meaningful work in the future.

– Rukmini Banerjee
President, HasNa, Inc.
India and United States

The Asian Action Institute was a nourishing space for me because it brought together theoretical inputs from scholars, skill-building sessions with trainers as well as first-hand interactions with activists and movement builders. I also learnt a lot from my peers who are doing important, courageous work in difficult circumstances.

– Chintan Girish Modi
Consultant, Education for Peace Initiative
India

This program was a unique experience for me. Everything taught there had given a very different perspective to my self thought. I see a lot of dynamic and positive building bridges of thoughts and action through such type of short and rigorous programs among the enlightened minds.

– Sandhya Rani
Student, Jawaharlal Nehru University
India

Although I had read and learned quite a lot about nonviolence in my work as an activist, the course was facilitated by experts and practitioners of activism. The way they communicated and the interaction in work groups with activists from all over Latin America helped me to understand how I can improve my work as an activist and identify where my movement needs to improve. For me, the permeability between academics and activists in practice is important, and this program combined both, but in a very concrete manner. Thanks for the knowledge and the solidarity network that I gained through this program!

– Anonymous, Latin American Regional Institute (Ecuador), 2019

An excellent course that allows you to get acquainted with many types of nonviolent protest, to prioritize civilian nonviolent actions. Get new contacts to improve communication skills, inter-regional and inter-country communication. To get acquainted directly with the organizers of many large actions that were successful in changing the life around them in a nonviolent way.

– Anonymous, Eastern European Regional Institute (Ukraine), 2018

In my opinion, such courses need to be introduced into the state educational system. These are the principles from which any activity of any profession should begin, not just activism.

– Anonymous, Eastern European Regional Institute (Ukraine), 2018

This is a stunning and unique course that unites international participants and gives experience, new knowledge and emotions. Thank you for this opportunity to be here and feel part of the changing society.

– Anonymous, Eastern European Regional Institute (Ukraine), 2018

It was an excellent seminar for getting new and structuring existing knowledge in the field of nonviolent civil resistance. It was also a great opportunity for networking with participants from different countries. I recommend to participate in it!

– Anonymous, Eastern European Regional Institute (Ukraine), 2018.

The Institute provides many important knowledge and skills and this is a fantastic opportunity to exchange international experience.

– Anonymous, Eastern European Regional Institute (Ukraine), 2018.

I think the Action Institute in Kyiv was beautifully executed. We moved smoothly from theory to practice and the speakers, facilitators, organizers and participants encouraged and maintained a lovely and engaging discussion. It was a very safe and productive space to learn collectively.

– Anonymous, Eastern European Regional Institute (Ukraine), 2018.

 

ICNC Curriculum Fellows (for either university, professional or high school courses):

 

Being an ICNC high school curriculum fellow was a learning experience for me. It made me realize how planning, mobilization, and alternatives to violence were the missing links many of my students were looking for. There is so much work to do and I was inspired to start working with other activists around me as well. Thank you ICNC for believing in my work!

– Gcina Makoba
Community Researcher, Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal
South Africa

ICNC fellowship has reminded of my role and responsibilities as a global citizen and an activist. At present, I am supporting the indigenous youth of Bangladesh to initiate grassroots movements in order to realise their human rights. I thank ICNC for this initiative and I hope that many academics and social justice advocates will be supported and inspired by the curriculum fellowship in future.

– Dr. Hasan Mahbub
Faculty, Child Studies and Community Services, Centennial College
Canada and Bangladesh

The ICNC Fellowship was a great experience for me as an educator and as a social scientist. In recent years, students on my campus had asked me about courses on the history and politics of mass civil resistance. Sadly, no course existed. Thus when I discovered the ICNC Fellowship opportunity, it inspired me to design a course on the dynamics nonviolent movements at the group, national, and global level — a course that would help students make sense of the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, and so on. However, it was the engagement and feedback I received from ICNC that was the most valuable aspect of the Fellowship. They not only provided resources and put me in touch with potential speakers, they also helped me with issues like effective course design and assessment.

– Dr. Jacob Mundy
Assistant Professor, Peace and Conflict Studies, Colgate University
United States

Just getting the Curriculum Fellowship was excellent for raising the profile of our nonviolence teaching. It was featured internally in the University wide news and on the media site, and has been included on our promotional material and contributed to the higher profile of peace studies more generally.

– Dr. Rachel Julian
Senior Lecturer in Peace Studies, Leeds Beckett University
United Kingdom

The Curriculum Fellowship of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict had a significant impact on my professional development. It helped me envision and implement a model of teaching that brings the educational environment closer to real-world experiences, events, and global political change. The vast array of resources of the Center offered ample opportunities for in-depth exploration, case study research, peer collaboration, and learning that allowed my students to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the study of nonviolent struggle for rights, conflict transformation, and good governance. I was able to enhance the experiential component of my teaching and introduced pedagogical improvements that fostered student creativity, participation, and critical thinking in understanding competing conceptions of representative government, people power, and justice in the global system.

– Dr. Boyka Stefanova
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at San Antonio
United States and Bulgaria

 

 

Doctoral & Junior Faculty Research Fellows:

 

Through its PhD Stipend Award, ICNC had helped me expand my theoretical, analytical and empirical understanding of the civil resistance perspective especially as it informs my research on the strengthening of the climate action movement. I thank ICNC for helping me deepen this understanding through a number of books and other materials they have provided. I am also very grateful to the critical comments and suggestions I received from them as I developed my research.

– Laurence Delina
PhD Candidate, University of New South Wales
Australia

The International Center for Nonviolent Conflict PhD Fellows Program has enrichened my understanding of the nonviolent literature.  The ICNC program allowed me to expand my thesis data analysis by exploring theories and methods of nonviolent principles, strategies and practices that lead to success. It has been an awarding and enriching experience and has opened and expanded my thinking of nonviolent struggles allowing me to apply the theoretical and methodological tools of analysis to my ongoing research. Additionally, my experience has opened up new avenues for me to contribute to the literature on nonviolent resistance through constructive programs. I am excited and energized for continued engagement in the intellectual and political work on nonviolent struggles with the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict.

– Deshonay Dozier
Professor, LaGuardia Community College
United States

 

 

Participants in ICNC Academic Seminars:

 

ICNC is a great initiative, spreading awareness about non-violent civil resistance movements. These sessions should be conducted annually in all the universities. In fact they should induct activists of all the backgrounds to make peace a reality.

– Saad Malih
Pakistan

The seminar was a life changing experience that opened the door to a whole new word of tools, research and studies that can be used in several areas of my work.

– Alcira Sandoval Ruiz
UNESCO
Ecuador

This seminar is one of the most valuable I have attended in many decades. It has provided me with a whole new way of looking at conflict, its management, and transformation, and of approaching social change. I applaud ICNC’s work and enthusiastically encourage its continued development.

– Professor Jorje Zalles
University of San Francisco
Ecuador

This is an excellent, life changing event, providing empirical evidence for the efficiency of non-violent resistance over armed resistance.

– Margrit Eichler
President, Our Right to Know
Canada

ICNC performs a unique role in developing realistic strategies to encourage transitions globally for peace, human rights, and protecting the environment.

– Dr. John Bacher
Researcher, Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society
Canada

The seminar was a life-changing event that helped me to redirect my research and improve what I teach our students. Read their books and attend their next seminar to get an injection of hope and enthusiasm that will help you improve the world and your own community!

– Dr. Jose Etcheverry
Associate Professor, York University
Canada and Chile

 

James Lawson Institute

 

I have dedicated my life to the cause of race and equality in this country. One of the greatest tools I have gained in this work started within the walls of the James Lawson Institute, the focus on nonviolence and appreciation for diversity has had a life-changing affect over me. I believe that JLI is an opportunity for those who consider themselves Change Agents to gain a deeper understanding of the real work that has to be done to transform the world.

– Jerry Elias Peña
James Lawson Institute 2014 participant

 

The James Lawson Institute was an amazing experience that gave me the opportunity to learn invaluable life lessons about movement building and organizing while connecting me with a community and mentors who have supported me in countless ways.

– Katrina L. Rogers
James Lawson Institute 2014 participant

 

At the James Lawson Institute I learned how to be an Upstander as the strategic nonviolent campaign of the many rather than as the isolated act of one moral individual.  To be an Upstander is to act with moral courage to resist those who seek to demonize or diminish others based on their faith, race, gender, orientation, or birthplace.

– John Steitz
James Lawson Institute 2014 participant

¹ The 2014 nomination of ICNC for the Nobel Peace Prize was signed by:

Lech Walesa
President, Republic of Poland
1983 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Leader, Solidarność (Solidarity movement)

Thomas C. Schelling, PhD
2005 Nobel Laureate in Economics
Former President, American Economic Association

Reverend Dr. James Lawson
Leading strategist of the US Civil Rights Movement and organizer of the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins (1960)
Director of Nonviolent Education, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1960-74)

James Stavridis, PhD
Dean, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Former Supreme Allied Commander NATO (2009-2013)

Mary Elizabeth King, PhD
Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, University for Peace (UN affiliate)
Distinguished Rothermere American Institute Fellow, University of Oxford

Reverend Dr. Barney Pityana
Vice Chancellor, University South Africa (2001-2010)
Chairman, South African Human Rights Commission (1995-2001)

Jacques Semelin, PhD
Professor of Political Science and Modern History, Sciences-Po (Paris)

Larry Diamond, PhD
Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Director, Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University
Founding Co‐editor, Journal of Democracy