The SCLC Kingian Nonviolence Initiative is a four-phase process that brings the philosophy and strategies of Dr. King’s movement to communities that have not previously had a purpose driven introduction to his non-violent conflict resolution strategies.
Phase I
Community Town Hall
SCLC introduces the non-violent conflict resolution strategy to 10-30 potential community partners. Organizations are encouraged to bring a contingent of at least three levels within their constituency. Upper level management, entry level and a receipt of their service and/or volunteer. This comes from the innate belief that the decision to embrace the philosophy cannot be simply a bottom up or top down decision. It must come from within an entire organization.
The Non-Violent Community Town Hall introduces these groups to SCLC leadership as well as thought and implementation leaders of the Kingian Nonviolence Training and the best practices used to introduce it to various communities across the country and how it can be brought to the local community represented at the town hall.
Phase II
Level One Training
Of the 10-30 organizations represented, SCLC will select no more than a total of 30 persons, with no more than three people coming from any individual organization or group. This group will go through twenty hours of training to obtain level one certification in Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation. They will leave the session with the tools to help implement a culture of non-violence at their respective organization.
Phase III
Level Two Training
From the 30 people who receive level I training, approximately 20 will be selected for level two training. Level Two training is a sixty hour intensive training, held at the University of Rhode Island in their Kingian Nonviolence Center. Those who complete this training will receive a train the trainer certification. This training allows them to be able to replicate the efforts of the SCLC and its team of Kingian Nonviolence Training. This truly allows the seeds of the training to take root in the community and watch it flourish year after year.
Phase IV
Tracking
The SCLC will utilize a Program Coordinator to track and monitor the progress of the Kingian Nonviolence training. The process is done through weekly calls with the participants by the trainers for their course. This is done for six months after the initial training is complete. In addition, the coordinator has surveys and feedback done via email through participants and their network to track the assessment on how the training has brought changes to their organizations. The SCLC works with each company and/or organization individually to find tangible points of progress. Typically, surveys look at the number of aggressive incidents, reported feelings of internal conflict and how often respondents felt the training helped them deal with conflict during the reporting period. This process is ongoing and can be used in various ways including helping organizations determine when an additional session may be needed.