Workshops

"... bringing to the fore what is often hidden...."

On the Content and Focus of IPCR Workshops

In general, IPCR workshops will provide an overview of evidence supporting the need for an IPCR Initiative [see Section 3, and many other parts of this “IPCR Workshop Primer” (“48 Different Ways of Describing The IPCR Initiative”, “The Twilight of One Era, and the Dawning of Another”, etc)], and provide an introduction to some or all of The Eight IPCR Concepts.

The Eight IPCR Concepts are:

“Community Good News Networks,” “Community Faith Mentoring Networks,” “Spiritual Friendships,” “Questionnaires That Help Build Caring Communities,” “Community Visioning Initiatives for Peace,” “Spiritually Responsible Investing,” “Ecological Sustainability,” and “IPCR Journal/Newsletters”

Specifically, IPCR workshop discussion can “branch out” using—as starting points—content from “The IPCR Workshop Primer”. Here are some examples of content from “The IPCR Workshop Primer” which can be used as starting points for workshop discussion:

1) the “Ten Point Assessment of the Most Difficult Challenges of Our Times”

2) the 10 goals in “The IPCR Mission Statement”

3) The Eight IPCR Concepts

4) the 15 Step Outline for Carrying Out a Comprehensive and Time-Intensive Community

Visioning Initiative

5) the 39 Suggestions for Preliminary Survey Questions (as Preparation for Community

Visioning Initiatives

6) the 36 Problems That May Arise (in preparing for, and implementing, Community

Visioning Initiatives

7) the 4 Step Approach to Project Development

8) the 117 Fields of Activity Which Are related to Peacebuilding, Community Revitalization,

and Ecological Sustainability

9) the 10 Examples of Humanitarian Aid Which Can Be Explored Through “Sister Community”

Relationships

10) the 48 Different Ways of Describing The IPCR Initiaive

In addition to focusing on material provided by the “The IPCR Workshop Primer”, IPCR workshop discussions can also be supplemented by other material at this IPCR website (at www.ipcri.net), by comments contributed to the IPCR Community Journal (at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipcri/), by material associated with the 117 Related Fields of Activity (see Appendix 1—Parts B and C), and by other related material accessible through the Internet, or by personal experience. There is much that can be done to generate goodwill and promote peace that has not yet been done. There is much potential which can be explored in the context of IPCR Workshop discussion.

Encouraging and Facilitating a “Constellation” of Initiatives

There are many important initiatives which are critical to overcoming the challenges of our times, but which are not quite “coming through the mist as much as they should be.” The IPCR Initiative can be very helpful in exactly these kinds of circumstances, as The Eight IPCR Concepts encourage and facilitate a “constellation” of initiatives by which the best (in the view of the participants using these processes) associated with individual spiritual formation, interfaith peacebuilding, community revitalization, ecological sustainability, etc. can bubble up to the surface, be recognized as priorities, and therefore be brought forward as appropriate recipients of peoples time, energy, and money. Many people can realize the wisdom of deliberately focusing the way they spend their time, energy, and money so that their actions have positive repercussions on the goals listed in the IPCR Mission Statement, and on many or all of the “117 related fields of activity”. As the ancient Chinese proverb states: “Many hands make much work light.”

Workshops introducing The Eight IPCR Concepts (“Community Good News Networks,” “Community Faith Mentoring Networks,” “Spiritual Friendships,” “Questionnaires That Help Build Caring Communities,” “Community Visioning Initiatives for Peace,” “Spiritually Responsible Investing,” “Ecological Sustainability,” and “IPCR Journal/Newsletters”) can be a starting point for many practical collective efforts, based and sustained at the local community and regional level, and representing contributions towards the goals listed in The IPCR Mission Statement. I am confident that applying these concepts—at the local community and regional level—will provide for each of us more and more opportunities to contribute towards such goals, more and more understanding about why we would want to contribute—and more and more opportunities to encourage and support each other in the process.

Location, Cost, Facilitators

Workshops providing an introduction to The IPCR Initiative—and to some or all of The Eight IPCR Concepts (“Community Good News Networks,” “Community Faith Mentoring Networks,” “Spiritual Friendships,” “Questionnaires That Help Build Caring Communities,” “Community Visioning Initiatives for Peace,” “Spiritually Responsible Investing,” “Ecological Sustainability,” and “IPCR Journal/Newsletters)—are now being offered in the Leesburg, Virginia area.

Facilitation services for IPCR Concept Introduction Workshops are currently offered at a rate of $75 for a 1 hour workshop, $100 for a 2 hour workshop, $150 for a 3 hour workshop, and $200 for a 4 hour workshop. (Longer workshops will have greater variety in the approach, structure, and content of the workshop experience.) The recommended number of participants for workshops is 5-15 people. [i.e. If there are 5 participants for a 2 hour workshop, the cost would be $20 for each participant; if there are 15 participants for a 3 hour workshop, the cost would be $10 for each participant.] Currently, the only person facilitating IPCR Workshops is the founder of the IPCR Initiative, Stefan Pasti. (For more information about Stefan Pasti, see “IPCR Staff” in “About the IPCR Initiative”)

The cost, suggested by The IPCR Initiative, of attending such workshops is deliberately affordable, to emphasize and encourage frequent participation. Participating in IPCR Concept Introduction Workshops at intervals—over a long period of time—will make it possible for participants to come in contact with a valuable variety of input and experiences relating not only to the IPCR concepts, but to many other efforts associated with peacebuilding, community revitalization, and ecological sustainability.

The location of IPCR Workshops will be determined according to demand-- and according to availability of public access community use buildings.

For more information, please contact:

Stefan Pasti, Founder and Outreach Coordinator

The Interfaith Peacebuilding and Community Revitalization (IPCR) Initiative

P. O Box 163 Leesburg, VA 20178 (USA)

(703) 209-2093 stefanpasti@ipcri.net

IPCR Copyright Policy

In light of the urgent need to build bridges and increase collaboration between communities of people, all of the documents, information, resources, etc. created by The IPCR Initiative are viewed as resources which ought to be made as accessible as possible to people who can make good use of them. Therefore, all such documents and information (including this document) may be reproduced without permission, and distributed in any way the user believes will be consistent with the goals listed in The IPCR Mission Statement. [Please note: Quotes, statistics, and other copyrighted material used in IPCR documents have been appropriately attributed to their copyrighted sources. Readers may thus be assured that The IPCR Initiative encourages and supports the proper referencing of copyrighted material to their copyrighted sources.]

Peacebuilding in its Most Compassionate Form

Peacebuilding in its most compassionate form is not a competitive field of activity. Viewed in this light, the most valuable forms of peacebuilding will nurture, support, and sustain the development of an infinite variety of other forms of peacebuilding, community revitalization, and ecologically sustainability initiatives. The IPCR Initiative is an effort to nurture, support, and sustain peacebuilding in its most compassionate form.

About IPCR Workshops

The Interfaith Peacebuilding and Community Revitalization (IPCR) Initative

P.O. Box 163 Leesburg, Virginia 20178 (USA)

stefanpasti@ipcri.net (703) 209-2093