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.
Who We Are and What We Do
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 actively provides networking and coordination
support to assist newly emerging human service and civil society organizations
in developing countries.
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 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
Current Conferences: ~2009
Conference Just Completed ~
Watch
for details on Fall
2010
5th
ETO Conference
An
"Official Pre-Parliament Event"
of the
2009 Parliament of World Religions
March
13-15 , 2009 Oakland
University ~ Rochester, 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 90 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 Upcoming
International Conference
Watch for details
on a new 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 and HARMONY Institute, in cooperation
with the International Humanistic Psychology Association and 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 2009.
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 Common
Bond Institute's
following projects - some in their early stages of organization
and some currently being put into action - please visit our page on
Additional Efforts.
"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.
Children's Trauma Treatment Center. A
project to create the 1st children's trauma treatment center in Nablus,
West Bank.
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.
Expanding our Website as a vehicle
for networking, exploratory dialogue, collaboration, education, follow-up
to training, and virtual community. (Among the features included will
be the Journal of Conflict Transformation, an E-newsletter, topical
E-dialogues, E-working groups, a resource library, clinical consultation
seminars for trainees, etc).
Establishing and developing locally based
Professional Schools and Practical Training Programs In Human Services
How You Can Be Involved in Volunteering or Interning
We invite you to contact us if you are interested in contributing
your time, energy,
and talents to assist our international efforts, and in doing
so:
Create new possibilities for conflict transformation, prevention
and healing in this pivotal time,
Form unique relationships with individuals and organizations throughout
the world, and
Gain invaluable professional and personal experiences along the
way
Who We Are and What We Do
Peace