Nonviolence in Action:
Peacekeeping & De-Escalation Skills for Protests & Events
Saturday, October 19th
9:30am – 12:30pm
In-person only
Location will be provided to participants upon registration
As we move into what is sure to be a tumultuous presidential election season, we are reflecting on the importance of community safety. To us, community safety means the ability to join together in joy and celebration, in grief and loss, in confusion and anger in a space where we aren’t consumed by fear of hatred or violent retaliation.
It’s times like these that we could all use a refresher on nonviolent deescalation skills or, perhaps, challenge ourselves to take that initial step towards developing these skills for the first time. Which is why…. (Cue the music!)
*pretend there’s hype inspirational music*
We are holding another peacekeeping workshop this fall! Join us on Saturday, October 19th from 9:30am – 12:30pm (location will be provided upon registration) for Nonviolence in Action: Peacekeeping and Deescalation Skills for Protests and Events.
This is a great workshop on nonviolent de-escalation skills for event planners, organizers, protesters, and folks thinking of volunteering as peacekeepers for any social justice cause! Come learn how trained peacekeepers can help create a successful event for social justice and peace. We’ll cover nonviolence principles and guidelines, techniques to defuse and de-escalate potentially volatile situations, and how we organize our volunteer team of PJALS Peacekeepers. And, we’ll practice so we are more likely to use these new skills in real life!
Does participating in the training mean I commit to being a PJALS Peacekeeper? Successfully completing this training makes you eligible to join PJALS’ Peacekeeper Team, but there is NO obligation.
Who are the PJALS Peacekeepers? You may recognize our Peacekeepers by the bright orange vests they wear! You will see them at Spokane Pride handing out rainbow stickers and bubbles or standing at crosswalks to ensure protestors can continue a march safely. Wherever you spot them, their goal is to ensure a safe event for our people.
Our peacekeepers are taught how to identify different types of potential and active threats from counterprotestors or agitated onlookers. They then learn how to use nonviolent deescelation skills to keep the focus on the demonstration and not on the opposition. These are all skills that serve to protect our right to self- and political expression, hold public officials accountable, share in collective joy and collective grief, and everything in between.
They are NOT unbiased 3rd parties! They are present to SUPPORT protestors and event participants. This means that we only provide peacekeeper support to events that are aligned with our values – including justice, equity, and anti-oppression.
Learn more about our Peacekeepers