Metta Mentors Summer Program

The Metta Mentors program pairs students of nonviolence with local partner organizations for practical, social change work, while offering regular guidance from Metta in order to help participants learn about the principles of nonviolence and its effective application to social change work as well as daily life.

Four days a week, participants will work with a local social change organization to address specific issues such as militarism, youth empowerment, immigrant rights, etc.

Every Friday mentees will come together under the guidance of the Metta Center to participate in forums and workshops that explore how to integrate nonviolence into social change work and daily life.

For more information, please see the Metta Mentors program page.

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Educators for Nonviolence

EFNV began as a joint project of the Metta Center and the Dalai Lama Foundation. The organization comprises educators, students, and others who share this ideal and are interested in working together to make high quality curricula and other resources available to encourage the integration of the ideas and methods of nonviolence into any type of education system. Our vision is to offer educators, students, and schools alternatives to violence in all aspects of their lives.

EFNV has been in a period of incubation over the last year or so, since it’s most recent (3rd Annual) conference in the summer of 2008. In recent months, Metta has teamed with Young Spirit Foundation in an effort to update, fortify, and reignite EFNV as a potent force in nonviolence education.

For more about information, please visit the Educators for Nonviolence site.

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Nonviolence Advising and Consulting

Nonviolence is spreading throughout the world—more than fifty percent of the global population lives in a country that has experienced a major nonviolent event. Yet the science of nonviolence is often misunderstood, sometimes even by those who are engaging in nonviolent action. Through direct consulting and advising, the Metta Center is supporting the increasing number of people who find themselves in a position to offer nonviolence but have not yet learned how to use it safely and effectively in their situation. We consult with activists, educators, the media, and offer resources to anyone who anyone who wants to learn about “the greatest force at the disposal of humanity.”

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Nonviolence Resource Center

The Metta Center runs a resource center for the study and practice of nonviolence, located at our offices in Berkeley, California. The resource center features a library of nonviolence books and videos, meetings, study groups, and a variety of events for the Bay Area nonviolence community.

Ongoing programs at the resource center include:

• The Hope Tank: Weekly community discussions on nonviolence, spirituality, and social change.
• Nonviolence film and discussion series: Monthly series exploring the power of nonviolence through film.
• Events and workshops: Metta hosts talks and workshops that explore the power of nonviolence. In the past two years, speakers have included Randall Amster, Cynthia Boaz, Stephen Zunes, Adriana Castaño Roman, Mel Duncan, Elizabeth Lozano, Sami Awad,  Joanna Macy and Krishnammal Jagannathan.
• Nonviolence fellowship: Our nonviolence fellowship group serves our growing community for nonviolence across the world, starting from right here in Berkeley, California. The group meets via conference call to discuss themes and topics that deepen our understanding of nonviolence theory and practice.

Our website at www.mettacenter.org is the online counterpart to our resource center, a platform for us to share with the global community our resources for nonviolence study, including downloads of our pamphlets and study guides, a nonviolence glossary, audio and video of many of our events and discussions.

Resource Development

The Metta Center develops and makes available educational tools that provide both introductory information for those beginning to learn about nonviolence as well as analysis for those wishing to deepen their current knowledge base. We deliver these resources through multiple mechanisms, including our written publications, website, and speaking events.

• Publications: The Metta Center provides several online as well as published books, pamphlets, and study guides that provide more in-depth presentation of nonviolence and its applications. Many of these publications are written by Metta Center’s founder Professor Michael Nagler. Prof. Nagler is a respected Gandhian scholar and has taught nonviolence and meditation for over 25 years. Visit the publications section of our website for a full listing of publications, free downloads, articles, and other resources as well as information on how to order Metta Center publications.
• Glossary of Nonviolence Terms: The Metta Center is working to develop a common vocabulary for describing and understanding our world through the lens of nonviolence. As part of this effort, we are developing a web-based glossary of over 150 terms and concepts, with succinct definitions and examples of applications.
• Theory and Practice of Nonviolence Webcast: The popular University of California, Berkeley course Theory and Practice of Nonviolence (PACS 164A) is now available for viewing or audio listening via webcast. This class is an upper-division course in UC, Berkeley’s Peace and Conflict Studies program and is taught by Metta Center founder Prof. Michael Nagler. Prof. Nagler provides an introduction to the science of nonviolence, mainly as seen through the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi. He also covers a historical overview of nonviolence in the West up to the American Civil Rights movement with emphasis on the ideal of principled nonviolence and the reality of mixed or strategic nonviolence in practice, especially as applied to problems of social justice and defense.

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