From Former Participants in Ahimsa Center Insitutes
During my 14 years working in education the best teacher-development program I attended is the one hosted by the Ahimsa Center. I attended the Center's program on Nonviolence and Social Change in 2005. The high level of scholarship provided by the presenters is incredibly engaging. We dove headfirst into the content and then wrestled thoughtfully with how to turn the riches we mined there into meaningful K-12 curriculum. The Ahimsa Center K-12 teacher education training provided me with an incredible educational opportunity that elevated the standard I have for my own curriculum and pedagogy. This program not only enriched and enlivened my curriculum, it also inspired me and changed my life.
-- Susanna Barkataki, Teacher, Learning Works! Charter School, Pasadena, CA
The 2007 Ahimsa Center institute on Gandhi, Nonviolence, and 21 st Curriculum was a life-changing experience. It was academically rigorous, intellectually challenging, constructive, collegial, and personally inspiring. I continue to find ways to incorporate what I learned into my work, both on a content level and from a personal perspective. I am constantly reflecting on my experience at the institute and remain so very grateful for the opportunity provided by the Ahimsa Center at Cal Poly Pomona.
--Elizabeth Benskin, Educator for School and Teacher Programs, Freer & Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C
I had the great fortune to participate in the Ahimsa Center Institute on Nonviolence and Social Change. It changed my teaching as well as my personal outlook of the world. Like the shifting of a worldview that comes with foreign travel, this experience expanded my thoughts in a way that generated a completely new paradigm of learning and teaching. Challenged to develop curriculum that approached history from a new perspective, I delved deeply into the standards and found historical parallels which astonished me. I continue to use the iMovie I developed and the play I wrote, as well as the full curriculum in my fifth grade classroom. In addition, the Institute launched my new “technology leadership” role and set me on the path to a Master’s Degree in Multicultural Education.
--Teresa Burke, Teacher, Howe Avenue Elementary, Sacramento, CA
Upon completion of my first year teaching middle school special education in the South Bronx, I came to the institute disheartened by the violence that my students embodied -- not only on the schoolyard, but also through the language they used towards each other in the classroom. Beyond offering their empathy, other participants wholeheartedly worked with me to devise solutions that I was able to implement the following year. I returned to New York rejuvenated by the wisdom and friendships I garnered during my productive participation in the 2007 summer institute.
--Sheri Halpern, 2006 Teach For America Corps Member, NY
The summer institute at the Ahimsa Center gave me the space and inspiration to develop creative lessons on nonviolence--a thread of learning that all children need in this age of global crisis. I would recommend the Institute to any educator who is committed to quality education and social justice work
--Michael Irwin, Teacher and Arts Academy Coordinator, Chapel Hill High School, NC
Participating in the 2007 Ahimsa Center Summer Institute was a life changing experience for me. I came away with a greater understanding of Gandhi, his mission, and his influence. Being with 40 like-minded educators from across the country was energizing and my involvement in this Institute left me with a renewed sense of hope. I highly recommend participation in this experience.
--Dennis A. Larsen, Teacher, Washington Junior High School, Manitowoc, WI
I found the Ahimsa Summer Institute to be profoundly enriching and transformative, both professionally and personally. Not only was it an opportunity to delve much more deeply into Gandhi’s life, experiences and philosophies, but the insights I gained provided a paradigm shift in exploring ways to deal with conflict and oppression. The residential portion also resulted in the formation of some very meaningful and lasting friendships. Overwhelmingly the Institute was indeed a life-changing experience!”
--Carol Lukens, Teacher, Wasau School District, WI
The Ahimsa Summer Institute of 2007 helped me gain a more complete understanding of Gandhi “the man” rather than “the myth,” thus I appreciate his work more deeply. In creating lesson plans for the institute, I developed the idea of using satyagraha as a template to assist in resolving other political conflicts in the world. The lessons are quite learner-centered and user friendly, providing for meaningful exploration of possibilities. But I believe the most important truth I brought away from the Institute was the concept of Ahimsa, which offers an approach that is based on Peace as a way of life, not merely a response to violence. I feel very blessed to have been a part of this noble effort.
--Patty Raspino, Teacher, Samuel Clemens High School, Schertz, TX
The 2005 Ahimsa Summer institute on Nonviolence and Social Change reassured me that simple and positive actions can make a world of difference in our everyday lives. As an educator, I try to show my students that complicating your thinking with negative thoughts will bring about unwanted and predictable outcomes. We need to reintroduce values in our education system and the summer institute provided plenty of resources to make this change possible.
--Johnny D. Reyes, Math and AVID Teacher, Lakeside High Schoo, Lake Elsinore, CA
Participating in the 2007 Ahimsa Center summer institute on Gandhi was an incredible experience that significantly impacted my philosophy and practice in education. The program is extremely well organized, features world renown guest speakers, is completely paid for, and earns you graduate credits. In addition, you collaborate with a group of lifelong, passionate and dedicated teachers.
--Vikas Srivastava, Teacher, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, CA
You could not ask for a more academically grounded or inspirational seminar on peace and nonviolence education. The collegial support and community building that came from my experience in the 2007 Institute on Gandhi, Nonviolence and Twentifirst Century Curriculum is unequaled in all the workshops, seminars, or institutes I have been a part of. You do not want to miss out on this opportunity.
--Rich Updegrove, Social Studies Teacher, Community of Peace Academy, St. Paul, MN