Transforming Psychological Trauma Into Nonviolent Power

Until risks associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have abated, all of our trainings and events will be hosted on Zoom. 
​ If you have any questions, please direct them to info@mnpeace.org.  

For details and registration links for all our upcoming trainings and events, see the Programs tab above. ​​
The Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute ("Peacebuilding") is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, nonsectarian public charity nonprofit organization transforming psychological trauma into nonviolent power with positive, productive alternatives to revenge to prepare individuals and organizations for truth-telling, conciliation, and repairing harm for healed, just relationships toward the vision of making Minnesota the peacebuilding power state for all.

Our mission is to instigate, train, and support racially, sexually, religiously, ethnically, culturally, and economically diverse individuals and organizations to become trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and restorative justice-focused, empowering communities in Minnesota, the USA, and around the world.

Coming to the Table: Cousins Presentation

What happens when a white woman, Phoebe Kilby, contacts a Black woman, Betty Kilby Balwin, saying she suspects they are connected through slavery? To find out, we invite you to attend this special pay-what-you-can Peacebuilding Coming to the Table virtual event with Betty and Phoebe as they share their journey. We will learn each woman’s dramatic story and how they came together on a path toward reconciliation. Each of them talk about their journey - from Betty’s experience desegregating her county’s only high school to Phoebe’s eventual question to Betty: “How do I begin to repair the harms?” They will share from the book they wrote together, Cousins: Connected through slavery, a Black woman and a White woman discover their past―and each other. Cousins is piercingly honest and offers examples of reparations on a personal level.  

Upcoming Trainings

STAR Training

 Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience - STAR Training is an evidence-based trauma awareness, resilience, and restorative justice training with a national and international reputation of success. STAR was developed with a $2,000,000 grant in the months following the tragic events of September 11, 2001 to transform trauma survivors into resilient community members. From its inception, STAR has encompassed a multicultural, multiracial perspective that has been
well-received
globally and locally.

STAR-Lite Training

Not enough time for the full STAR Training? No worries.  The STAR-Lite Training is a single-day evidence-based training integrating neuropsychology, trauma healing and resilience, restorative justice, nonviolent conflict transformation, and broadly defined spirituality for those who wish to learn the basics of becoming trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and restorative justice-focused within a shorter-time frame than the full STAR Training.

Introduction to Talking Circles

This 2-hour online training teaches the basic philosophy, principles, vocabulary, and practices of the Indigenous talking circle process for virtual and in-person applications. Since ancient times many Indigenous communities have utilized the talking circle process for community building, decision-making, problem-solving, and conflict transformation. It is designed for those wanting to work with others to build trust and peace within their spheres of influence. This training is for everyone: laypeople, paraprofessionals, and licensed professionals. Everyone is welcome to join us.

Introduction to Resilience for Self-Care

When terrible things happen and our peace is stolen from us, most people want to build peace into our lives and communities. Join us to learn, explore, and apply strategies to build peace into our personal and community lives with simple, free self-care practices for resilience. This training is for everyone: laypeople, paraprofessionals, and licensed professionals. Everyone is welcome to join us.

Peacebuilding Partners

Sonja Fernandez-Quiñones

"Tapping into trauma, learning about the cycles of violence, and applying the strategies to break free were all relevant not only to her work with sexual assault survivors but also to her personal life. She learned her reactions are normal and that there is a 'possibility of a life past trauma'. STAR gave her hope for herself and for other people—for communal and transgenerational healing."

Tabitha Montgomery 

"Resilience, trauma healing, and restorative justice develop deeper muscles and skills to be in relationship with one another in ways that don’t rush. 'It’s not a binary track,' Tabitha says, 'but the idea of creating an ecosystem of people and tools and systems. It’s not just investing in one system, but investing in the larger vision.' This vision builds community at the speed of trust. This is Peacebuilding."

Carolyn Yoder 

"Right now, we are living in a time of collective trauma. There is not a single person who isn’t affected by what is happening with COVID-19 and racialized trauma, which means we have all the more reason to use a community-oriented approach. It is more important than ever to have restorative justice-focused strategies to address trauma and transform conflict."



Information for...

Licensed Professionals

Peacebuilding’s trainings are designed to meet the continuing education requirement for social workers, psychologists, licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors, licensed professional clinical counselors, licensed drug and alcohol counselors, nurses, educators, and attorneys. 

Leaders & Decision Makers

Peacebuilding’s trainings provide best practices for trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and restorative justice-focused strategies for individuals, organizations, corporations, and community groups.  All of our community-based trainings are available via contract arrangement for organizations, corporations, and community groups. 

Direct Care Staff & Community Members

Peacebuilding’s trainings integrate trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and restorative justice-focused concepts and practical strategies via accessible teaching and experiential educational methods for those from all educational backgrounds.  Whether you are a high school or college graduate, licensed professional, or a graduate from the school of hard knocks, we welcome you to Peacebuilding's trainings.