May 2005, I cycled with George Butler across the Carpathian mountains in Romainia to attended a 5 day training course “From Gandhi to Modern Social and Political Movements: Preparing for Nonviolent Actions in Practice” (trainer - Jorgen Johansen). The programme took place in Cluj-Napoca Romania.
Drawing upon the inspiration and lessons learned from people’s movements and struggles around the world over the past 50 years from People’s Power movement in the Philippines to the non-violent revolutions in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and the overthrow of political apartheid in South Africa to the Living Democracy Movement in India, the Assembly of the Poor in Thailand, the Landless Movement in Brazil, and the World Social Forum Preparing for Nonviolent Actions in Practice brought together social justice and human rights activists, social workers and organisers, and peace organisations and movements from across Europe and internationally.
Aimed at creating a space for sharing of experiences and developing skills and methods for practice, at learning from the legacy of non-violent political and social movements from all continents, and at weaving together a European-wide network of committed social activists and non-violent practitioners, the programme is an important step in the work to create a global Nonviolent Peaceforce
www.transcend.org TRANSCEND-Network for Peace and Development
www.patrir.ro PATRIR-Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania
www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org Nonviolent Peace Force