At
a time of rising turmoil and polarization - a time that calls for
new thinking, new vision, new understanding, and new ways of relating
in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.
Common
Bond Instituteinvites you to join in supporting international efforts advancing
the consciousness of peace and healing by raising the capacity of
the individual in society to compassionately transform conflict
in their daily lives.
Common
Bond Institute
(CBI) is a U.S. based Non-Governmental Organization
that grew out of one of the first Soviet-American non-government human
service exchanges initiated in 1982. CBI organizes and sponsors conflict
transformation conferences, professional training programs, and relief
efforts internationally, and provides needs assessment and resource
development, networking and coordination support to assist newly emerging
human service and civil society organizations in developing societies.
Our Mission
Cultivating the fundamental elements of a consciousness
of peace, and local capacity building, are seen as natural,
effective antidotes to small group radical extremism and large group
despair, as well as to hardship and suffering in the human condition.
To this end, enabling each society to effectively resolve and transform
conflicts, satisfy core human needs within their communities, and construct
effective, holistic mechanisms for self determination, self esteem,
and fundamental human dignity and worth that can strengthen current
and future generations is the purpose of our work.
CBI is grounded in the application of humanistic
psychology's principles in it's commitment to capacity building at both
the grass roots and social institutional level. It's focus is on increasing
skills and services, exploration of human relationship dynamics, and
expanding public dialogue and awareness of critical issues.
Our Style and Commitment
By design, our efforts are fundamentally collaborative
for a larger impact. CBI works to actively form strategic alliances
with organizations, groups, and individuals dedicated to nurturing global
relationships as a whole in creating and promoting an authentic world
culture of peace. We maintain an expanding global network of partner
groups and organizations that cooperate in pulling the requisite pieces
together to create and operate programs, while minimizing the drain
on individual group resources.
Intentional Community: Essentially all
of our efforts, and particularly conferences, are designed to be living
laboratories for participating in deep, authentic community as a common
ground of reference for exploring core themes and integrating formal
learning. Creating an atmosphere of trust where individuals can engage
in genuine, compassionate dialogue across stereotypes and fear-based
beliefs is meant to promote carrying such a space into daily life to
nurture a common wisdom, common sense of belonging, and common bond.
The character of our programs offers a microcosm
of the larger, diverse, global community for a first hand experience
of moving beyond artificial barriers and blind spots to the reality
of what is both possible and practical. This purposeful use of intentional
community is a central element of our work. It assumes the basic drive/need
for integration through inter-connectedness and belonging that can be
nurtured to develop conscious intent toward harmony and peace in our
relationships.
Please
join us for any of our programs by contacting
CBI
Visit Common Bond Institute on Facebook
Current Conferences:
Registration is Open to All
5th
Annual International Conference on
"Engaging The OTHER": The
Power of Compassion
(ETO)
November
19-21, 2010 Sonoma
State University,
San Francisco Bay Area
(Rohnert Park),
Calif. USA Co-sponsored by:
Common Bond Institute (CBI), International
Humanistic Psychology Association
(IHPA) Sonoma
State University, A
Partner and
Official Event of
the
"Charter for Compassion" * and
the
Parliament of World Religions On-Site
Video Interviews and Proceedings At a time when polarization is the culprit, a multidisciplinary,
multicultural conference examining concepts of "The OTHER"
from a universal, cross-cultural perspective to promote a wider public
dialogue about compassion and images of "Us and Them." Over
55 presenters and visionaries - including conservatives and liberals
from across the social-political spectrum, and hundreds of concerned
individuals addresses the roots of fear-based belief systems, negative
stereotypes, polarization,
enemy images, scapegoating, as well as how
to move past artificial barriers of misunderstanding and distrust
to cultivate compassion and capacity for appreciation of diversity,
reconciliation, and peace, and apply results to the current state
of world relationships. It is held in conjunction with an edited book
project of the same name addressing psycho-social concepts of "The
Other" in a cross-cultural forum. The ETO Conference, like the
edited book, is an integrated collaboration to examine this fundamentally
subjective phenomenon with an inclusive, multicultural eye.
Registration
is Open to All ~
Call For Proposals ~
A
Partner and Official Event of
the Charter For Compassion
and the
Parliament of World
Religions
June
11-13, 2010
~
Dearborn, Michigan USA
An international
forum promoting an inclusive,
Inter-religious and
Intra-religious dialogue to explore the challenges of Extremism, Intolerance,
Scapegoating, and Islamophobia, and the promise of Reason, Understanding,
Compassion, and Cultural Harmony
16th
International Conference on Conflict Resolution (ICR) (dates and full details to be
posted in the near future) An international conference established in 1992,
the ICR Conference is a major international event open to all
participants globally. This multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary
conference has received support over the years from the President's
of the US, Russia, and Governor of St. Petersburg, and is endorsed
by over 100 organizations internationally. It brings together hundreds
of presenters and participants from around the world for skills
training in conflict resolution and for exploration of the essential
elements of conflict, transformation, and healing. It maintains
an extensive international network and each year promotes active
cooperation and collaboration on various projects between participants
and organizations represented. The ICR Conference also serves as
a major networking and recruiting source for our training projects.
Registration
is Open to All 2009
ICR Conference Proposal Form
New Proposed
International Conference
Watch for details on a new proposed international
conference
on conflict transformation and bridging the divide
to be launched in Cyprus
A collaboration between
CBI, International Humanistic Psychology Association,
Near East University, and the North
Cyprus Ministry of Education
Registration
is Open to All
International
Youth Conference on
"The Ecology of War and Peace (EWP)"
An international youth conference
established in 2004 and sponsored by CBI, HARMONY Institute, and the
International Humanistic Psychology Association in cooperation with
the Jane Goodall Institute. The EWP Conference is a youth event for
participants 14-18 years of age addressing issues of negative stereotypes,
prejudice, and the demonizing and dehumanizing of "The Other."
Working in cooperation with the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots &
Shoots Program, the theme of ecology has been integrated as a common
link all parties can resonate with as they delve into personal interactions
and, as a community, explore these relationship dynamics. Registration
is Open to All
In 2004 CBI initiated an experiment to coordinate an
integrated series of 5 international conferences in 3 countries that
shared a focus on exploring and advancing a consciousness of peace,
forgiveness, and reconciliation. While each was independent with variations
in partners, content, and goals, all events in this series were programmatically
linked to build on each other for an energetic flow and larger impact.
As a result of continuing this cooperation each year, outcomes have
emerged and coalesced synergistically, inspiring promising new collaborative
projects and partnerships, some of which CBI is directly involved
in.
Following the success of this model we have continued
the process each year, adding new conferences and inviting
other international conferences to join in maximizing the energy and
products of each event and promote an expanding network of social
activists and healers for greater mutual benefit. A major goal
is to raise the level, depth, and breadth of public awareness and
dialogue on vital issues in exploring a consciousness of peace, to
instill empowerment in the general public, and to foster proactive
networks that create practical strategies for applying
results in advancing capacity for a global culture of peace.
This model of integrated events continues through 2010.
Current Training Projects
In 1998,CBI
established the International Training Program in Conflict Transformation
as an extension of the ICR Conference. In addition to it's ongoing
purposes, the ICR Conference serves as a major networking and recruiting
source for training in this program. Currently two projects are operated
out of this program:
Catastrophic
Trauma Recovery Training (CTR)
A humanitarian relief effort established in 1998, designed
to provide intensive "training of trainers" in catastrophic
trauma recovery skills by expert teams of mental health specialists
to local professionals and relief workers in regions of conflict assisting
large civilian populations experiencing trauma from war and violence.
Some of the regions represented are Russia, the Caucuses, Middle East,
and Balkans. The project uses a comprehensive, integrated training/treatment
model (CTR) for working with large populations of catastrophic trauma
victims that is simple, standardized, repeatable, time sensitive,
easily taught, and applicable cross-culturally. Assistance is intended
for health professionals and relief workers from anywhere and is also
appropriate for treating trauma due to natural catastrophe. CTR training
teams are provided by an international consortium of professional
training organizations. This humanitarian relief effort is endorsed
and supported by NGO coordinating organizations within the regions
served. As part of the training structure, CTR trainings are also
typically attached to the ICR
Conference and conducted immediately after.
Capacity
For Peace and Democracy - Palestine A collaborative project with Al Azhar University In Gaza
and the Arab American University In Jenin - AAUJ (West Bank) in the
West Bank to establish a Center for Conflict Resolution and Human
Rights at each university, and provide a pool of visiting professors
and curriculum in Human Services (psychology, social work, health
science, education) and Civil Society (democratic studies, conflict
resolution/mediation, government, political science, economics/business).
The purpose is to help prepare
future leaders in Palestinian society and local professionals skilled
in providing critical human services to the population, all to increase
capacity for a viable, peaceful Palestinian nation. Another aspect
is creating opportunities for NGO's and community based institutions
and universities in Palestine and Israel to cooperate on issues that
promote understanding, acceptance, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
The hope is that a new international conference being organized on
"Engaging The Other" will eventually be hosted at one of
these universities, with the joint sponsorship of an Israeli University.
To date a Center for Conflict Resolution and Human Rights has been
established at Al Azhar University.
Additional Efforts Under Development
To learn more about CBI
and IHPA's following projects - some in their early stages of organization
and some currently being put into action - please visit our page on
Additional Efforts.
Expanding our Website as a vehicle
for learning, sharing knowledge, networking, dialogue, collaboration,
follow-up to training, and virtual community. (Among the features
included will be a multimedia
resource library, Journal of Conflict Transformation,
E-newsletter, topical E-dialogues, E-working groups, clinical
consultation seminars for trainees, etc).
"Engaging The Other": edited
multicultural book on "The Other"
in conjunction with the above conference.
"Engaging The Other" sensitivity
training program geared toward the lay public addressing fear-based
belief systems, negative stereotypes, and prejudice.
Joint Palestinian/Israeli Trauma Treatment
Training
Iraqi Trauma Treatment
Training
Cooperative Publishing Vehicle
for voices of reason - individuals from around the world with
important, cutting edge ideas to stimulate and contribute to the
public dialogue.
Establishing and developing locally
based Professional Schools and Practical Training Programs In
Human Services
Postal Address: 12170
South Pine Ayr Drive
Climax,
Michigan 49034 USA
Visit
Us On Facebook
Find videos, photos, samples of our conferences, etc. on Facebook
at: http://tinyurl.com/CBIonFB
or search for us on Facebook under: Common Bond
Institute
Who We Are and What We Do
Peace