FROM THE ASSESSOR, Frank Gaschler

[EN] I met Miha at the IIT in the Czech Republic in 2016. We had loose contact until she became my Certification Candidate in 2020. Miha was a participant in my multiplier training for the Giraffe Dream and shortly before her assessment at the IIT in Romania. She translated our book on Nonviolent Communication with children into Romanian and is now a local ambassador for the Giraffe Dream.

I celebrate Miha's big heart and her connection to children. She founded a kindergarten in Timisoara and told me a lot about her ways and challenges to stay connected with the children and parents especially in COVID times. For me, she is someone who not only talks about social change, but also implements it directly and can probably give many kindergartens and parents access to non-violent communication in Romania and maybe even beyond in the future. I am so grateful that we share a common dream and I am happy about every further step on every way to save children.

My special thanks go to Ian Peatey as co-assessor, to Mona for setting up the Romanian network and supporting the referral and then to Robyn for providing us with a wonderful setting to conduct a unique assessment. For me, my role as an assessor for the CNVC has finally come to an end. I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful place, a more unifying community and more touching moments. Thank you!

[DE] Ich habe Miha 2016 auf dem IIT in der tschechischen Republik kennen gelernt. Wir hatten losen Kontakt, bis sie dann 2020 meine Kandidatin wurde. Miha war Teilnehmerin in meiner Multiplikatoren Ausbildung für den Giraffentraum und kurz vor ihrem Assessment auf dem IIT in Rumänien. Sie übersetzte unser Buch über gewaltfreie kommunikation mit Kindern ins rumänischen und ist nun eine Botschafterin für den Giraffentraum vor Ort.

Ich feiere Miha's großes Herz und ihre Verbindung zu Kindern. Sie gründete in Timisoara einen Kindergarten und erzählte mir viel über ihre wege und Herausforderungen, mit den Kindern und Eltern vor allem in COVID Zeiten in Verbindung zu bleiben. Für mich ist sie jemand, die nicht nur über Social Change redet, sondern ihn auch direkt umsetzt und in Zukunft wohl vielen Kindergarten und Eltern Zugang zur gewaltfreien Kommunikation in Rumänien und vielleicht doch darüber hinaus geben kann. Ich bin so dankbar, dass wir eine gemeinsamen Traum teilen und freu mich über jeden weiteren Schritt auf jeden Weg Kinder zu retten.

Mein besonderer Dank geht an Ian als Co-Assessor, an Mona, die das rumänischen Netzwerk aufgebaut hat und die Empfehlung unterstützt und dann Robyn, die uns einen wunderbaren Rahmen zur Verfügung gestellt hat, ein wohl einzigartiges Assessment durchzuführen. Für mich endet jetzt endgültig meine Rolle als Assessor für das CNVC. Ich hätte mir keinen schöneren Ort, keine verbindendere Gemeinschaft und keine berührende Momente dafür vorstellen können. Danke!

[RO] Am cunoscut-o pe Miha la IIT din Republica Cehă în 2016. Am avut un contact lejer până când ea a devenit candidata mea în 2020. Miha a participat la formarea mea de multiplicator pentru Visul Girafei și cu puțin timp înainte de evaluarea ei la IIT din România. Ea a tradus cartea noastră despre comunicarea non-violentă cu copiii în limba română și este acum un ambasador local pentru Visul Girafei.

Sărbătoresc inima mare a lui Miha și legătura ei cu copiii. Ea a înființat o grădiniță în Timișoara și mi-a povestit multe despre modalitățile și provocările ei de a rămâne conectată cu copiii și părinții, mai ales în vremuri de COVID. Pentru mine, ea este cineva care nu doar vorbește despre schimbarea socială, ci o și implementează direct și poate, probabil, să ofere multor grădinițe și părinți acces la comunicarea non-violentă în România și poate chiar dincolo de ea în viitor. Sunt atât de recunoscătoare că împărtășim un vis comun și sunt fericită pentru fiecare pas în plus pe fiecare cale de a salva copiii.

Mulțumirile mele speciale se îndreaptă către Ian, în calitate de co-evaluator, către Mona pentru crearea rețelei din România și pentru susținerea trimiterii și apoi către Robyn pentru că ne-a oferit un cadru minunat pentru a efectua o evaluare unică. Pentru mine, rolul meu de evaluator pentru CNVC a ajuns în sfârșit la final. Nu mi-aș fi putut imagina un loc mai frumos, o comunitate mai unificatoare și momente mai emoționante. Vă mulțumesc!

From Mihaela:

I started my journey with NVC in 2009 when I first took part in a workshop with Éva Rambala in Timisoara, Romania. In the same year my daughter was born and I felt NVC so close to my heart that I immediately embraced it in my personal life. Being a teacher and working with children, parent and other teacher I found NVC so useful and practical in connecting with people around me.

Since my first encounter with NVC I’ve been to several workshops, conferences and 2 IITs and each step built my knowledge and living this great communication through NVC helping me be part of the Romanian community and reaching out to share it with others. In 2016 I met my Assessor, Frank Gaschler who was working in kindergartens in Germany and was also a trainer. For me then a new world opened up seeing the social change that I can also bring in my community working with children and spreading NVC.

Since 2017, I own my own kindergarten in Timisoara where from the beginning the principles of NVC were valued and put into practice. Since 2021 with the help of my Assessor, Frank Gaschler and my mentor, Ian Peatey I worked more on my personal development having in mind my certification. This year, in July, after the 2024 Romanian IIT I had my Assessment which was a celebration of everything I’ve become, learned and at the same time an acknowledgement of the path I still choose to follow in the future by improving my skills and my personal growth.

During the assessment, I had the opportunity to speak honestly, listen emphatically, practice different skills, get feedback from my Assessors, my colleagues and the community through activities and workshops that I’ve held. It is impossible to describe into words the intensity and the growth that had happened during my Assessment, the acceptance and the connection throughout that time.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Jim Manske

Working with each candidate always enriches me in some way, and working with Maria has been deeply moving. I first met Maria on our first visit to Japan about 10 years ago when she hosted us for an NVC workshop in Sapporo. My first impressions include her warmth, her big smile, her eagerness to learn, and her willingness to carry the language burden as her English was vastly superior to my teeny-tiny ability to speak Japanese.

A few years went by, and when she invited me to be her Assessor, I eagerly said yes. I imagined the day that has now come when Maria would be the first Certified Trainer in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. I remain impressed by all of those original first impressions, as well as Maria’s facilitation skills, her mastery of Nonviolent Communication, and her willingness to support the Japanese NVC community through helping with organizing and translation work. Maria has also supported other candidates with little or no access to English to deepen their skills and integration of NVC.

The highlight of our journey was reuniting in person at last year’s Bali IIT. How sweet for me to be with her, Tomomi, Miki, and Yuko as we lived in community in that magical place. We navigated a conflict by “living the process” together. When we both went home, we continued her pre-assessment and assessment phases, and I celebrate that I can now whole-heartedly recommend Maria as the first Certified Trainer in Hokkaido!

From Mari:

Nonviolent Communication has given me many gifts in my life. It has kept me connected to my needs and given me the energy to get back up again in the midst of life's great setbacks. Above all, it has supported me through partnership difficulties, parenting challenges, and the loss of loved ones. It has also inspired me to remain “human” and not lose myself in the competitive and monopolistic world of business.

During the certification process, I had been practicing with community members of Japan and my Assessor that through learning, teaching, and living NVC consciousness, I will embody it myself to create the world I want to see. I have resolved unfinished conflicts and practiced NVC in difficult situations. This experience has given me hope and courage to share NVC with the world.

from the Assessor, Stephanie Bachmann Mattei

I am thrilled to present Amy Qiang (originally from China - living in Washington State - USA) to our network as a newly Certified Trainer! Amy and I met through the Parent Peer Leadership Training in 2020 and have been learning and growing together ever since. Amy has many strengths. At the core, we both agree that her greatest strength is an awareness of her personal power that she has been cultivating with humility and mindfulness.

Even when something unexpected arises (and we all know that this happens quite often in life….) Amy trusts herself and her capacity to stay or return to her center, to her ‘root’, like Amy likes to call it. Amy finds her strength in pausing, checking in with herself, listening deeply to her own experience and from there consciously choosing to step into her vulnerability and share of herself from a place of humility and honesty. Her trust in her own groundedness and discernment empowers her to also continue to nourish an awareness of interpersonal dynamics and systemic patterns linked to how we have been conditioned to use power and a strong commitment to modeling a collaborative use of power.

from amy:

I discovered NVC in 2019 when I was struggling with parenting two teenagers. Conditioned by a strong belief that I should be invisible in relationships led me into a devastated, helpless, and powerless situation at that time.

When I first experienced and expressed that I have needs, I cried with heart opening. It happened in a practice group in VIT 2020, where I experienced care, trust, and support. Then I knew I wanted to be a trainer, to build this community to support people so they have awareness and skills to connect with their needs to make a difference in their lives. The certification journey, for me, is a pathway of liberation, finding my essential self and home. Supported by the existing community and building a new community of Mandarin speakers is an experience of self-growth and self-empowerment.

After four years of practicing, learning, healing, and integration, the most transformative part inside of me is my connection with power. By growing aware of needs, choices, interdependence, and the ability to take a pause, I am reclaiming my personal power and gradually building up my ability to connect to collective power.

I’m so grateful for my beloved Assessor, Stephanie. She demonstrated her NVC consciousness in teaching and my certification journey many times; she gave me so much support and compassion when things were extremely challenging for me. I also want to thank Assessors Susan Jennings and Susanna Warren, as well as my empathy buddies Jane Pearson, Julia, Dominic, and Xuan, who offered me support and insight in my NVC journey.

from the assessor, Stephanie Bachmann Mattei

It is with great joy and deep humility that I present to our community Rev. Dr. Michael Christie as a new Certified Trainer. Originally from Jamaica, Michael lives in Connecticut, USA. Our journey started together over four years ago. Michael approached me to begin his journey towards certification and decided to also participate in the Parent Peer Leadership Program in 2020.

Since then we have learned and grown together in our practice of NVC, honoring the many other overlaps of interest and practices that we share, such as mindfulness, basic brainscience and, last but not least, our faith. Together we have explored "hot topics" about race, power and privilege, and how to share NVC with an awareness of the dominant narrative and the cultural experiences of specific communities.

Michael has been a gift not only to me. He has gifted the entire community of candidates registered with me with his compassionate presence, in a flow of mutual giving and receiving. I know that his presence will also be a huge gift for our network. Let us celebrate Michael's stepping into this community!

from Michael:

I am thrilled to introduce myself as a newly Certified Trainer with CNVC. My journey with Nonviolent Communication (NVC) began over a decade ago when I was seeking to deepen my meditation practice as a trained Mindfulness Instructor. One of my meditation teachers recommended NVC as a powerful complement to mindfulness, and that suggestion marked the beginning of a transformative journey for me.

As a chaplain within the Department of Corrections, I felt a deep calling to equip the incarcerated with more effective communication skills—both in their interactions with others and in their inner dialogue. NVC resonated with this mission, offering a pathway for these individuals to become more resourced in their communication, fostering understanding, empathy, and connection.

In my pursuit of mastery in NVC, I had the privilege of connecting with several Assessors, but it was with Stephanie Bachmann Mattei that I felt the greatest resonance. Her 9-month PPLP program was instrumental in my development. Additionally, I was deeply enriched by Thom Bond’s 12-month Compassion Course and John Kinyon’s 9-month Mediate Your Life course, both of which expanded my understanding and application of NVC.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to train both staff and inmates in mindfulness and NVC, witnessing firsthand the profound impact these practices can have on individuals and communities. I am honored to now step into this new role as a Certified Trainer and look forward to contributing to this community, learning from each of you, and continuing this journey of growth and connection together.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Stephanie Bachmann Mattei

[EN] Claudia has shared with me many times that her certification journey has been an exploration of time, discovering how chronological time differs from a time connected to awareness of feelings and needs in the present moment. Claudia's passion is to share Nonviolent Communication with children. She brings social change to schools in Tuscany, and her creativity in producing resources for young ones has inspired Assessors, Certified Trainers, and Certification Candidates.

Our relationship has transformed over the years. By exploring power dynamics together and supporting each other through empathy and authentic self-expression, today our relationship celebrates shared power in the trust of full reciprocity. Claudia has also contributed years to the empathy circle in our community of candidates and has shared how this experience has fostered her growth in leadership and group management. I am grateful for the journey we have taken together and I celebrate Claudia’s certification!

[IT] E' con gioia che condivido che Claudia Baietta ha concluso il percorso di certificazione. Come Claudia mi ha condiviso piu' volte, il percorso di certificazione e' stato per lei un viaggio in cui si e' confrontata in relazione al tempo, scoprendo come un tempo cronologico differisce da un tempo legato ad una consapevolezza di sentimenti e bisogni nel momento presente. La passione di Claudia e' di condividere la CNV con i piccoli. Claudia porta il cambiamento sociale nelle scuole toscane e la sua creatività nel produrre risorse per i più piccoli ha ispirato noi assessors, formatori e formatrici certificate e candidati/e sul percorso.

Il nostro rapporto si e' trasformato nel corso degli anni. Esplorando insieme dinamiche di potere e appoggiandoci nell' empatia e nell' autenticita' dell'auto-espressione, il nostro rapporto oggi celebra un potere condiviso nella fiducia della piena reciprocita'. Claudia ha portato anche anni di contributo al cerchio empatia nella ns comunità di candidati/e e ha condiviso quanto questa esperienza sia stata un contributo di crescita di leadership e nella gestione di gruppi. Sono grata per il percorso fatto assieme e celebro la certificazione di Claudia!

From Claudia:

[EN]  In general: a journey full of learning opportunities, comprehensive and clear. Comprehensive in integrating the values of NVC, excellent for personal growth. In particular: I celebrate the relationship with my Assessor; I always felt accompanied and supported. I celebrate all the moments of growth and experience with the Certification Candidate community. I celebrate the value of feedback.

[IT] In generale: un percorso ricco di parti di apprendimento, completo e chiaro. Completo per integrare i valori della cnv, ottimo come crescita personale. In particolare: celebro la relazione con la mia assessor: mi sono sentita accompagnata e supportata sempre. Celebro tutti i momenti di crescita e di esperienza con la comunità di candidati. Celebro il valore dei feedback. Inizialmente è stata più faticosa la parte della compilazione del Dropbox, alla fine ho trovato formule personali più funzionali (esempio foto, video, disegni, poesie, scrittura libera)

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Shona Cameron

Izabela brings a wealth of experience as a trainer, group process facilitator and coach. She is able to hold these skills and modalities as separate to her Nonviolent Communication practices in a way I much admire.  She brings delight and curiosity to her own learning and growth as well as presence and clarity in her way of sharing. She continues to explore self trust in her own needs and valuing herself first. She will bring much to the Polish Nonviolent Communication community in her living NVC with lightness and depth.

From Izabela:

When I think back to my first experience with Nonviolent Communication in 2008, I remember the disbelief and shock I felt when I heard that needs existed and could be met, that there was no such thing as a bad or good feeling, but that a feeling was information that some important quality in my life was being met or crying out to be met. Since then, I have been making room for NVC in my life, attending workshops led by Certified Trainers, building community and sharing a needs-based approach, and facilitating empathy groups, workshops, and training. This way of looking at the world, where everyone's needs matter and where compassion and giving from the heart are valued, has become my guide in life.

As a result of this choice in the training and facilitation I do, I see and appreciate a profound shift in the way I work with people. I have moved from facilitating workshops as a trainer who knows this "valuable" method of communication to inviting participants to co-create a safe space for learning and development, to talk about difficult things in a way that brings us together, to inviting “power with” dynamics and being open to different responses to that invitation.

The certification process has been an inner journey for me, full of both joyful discoveries and difficult challenges. Since preparing to register as a candidate in 2020, I have seen it as a healing process in the area of my experience with the "power over" paradigm. I am very grateful to my assessor, Shona Cameron, for sharing the journey in the "power with" relation with me.

The pre-assessment will remain in my memory as one of the most nourishing developmental experiences, full of caring, deep understanding, and enriching feedback. The assessment, which took place in May-June 2024, was a valuable opportunity for me to share with the community what NVC means to me and to learn from others. During the meeting, which put me in touch with various challenges, I experienced collaboration, support, exchange, and inspiration.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Shona Cameron

Kim is deeply rooted in her community of family and friends and works as a teacher in Belgium. She has impressed me so often with her honesty and determination to grow whilst taking care to do things her way and with integrity to herself and her values. Kim shares Nonviolent Communication with children and teachers and has delighted in developing her own materials as she works long term within her school to build skills and support change.

I'm touched by the time that Kim and I spent together, as we both grew in the relationship we formed. I look forward to this continuing as she joins the international community of Certified Trainers. In her own words she is growing in 'taking care of pauses. To keep journaling! I notice I'm rushing into things, running from one job to another. I even cancelled my 'free days' after the assessment by saying yes to a mediation at a school. So I feel I need a break: a pause to take things in, to connect with myself and to celebrate things.

From Kim:

I guess this has been the most impactful and meaningful learning process in my life. For me this journey was a discovery to find what power and richness lies in (self)empathy and in connecting with my own or someone else’s needs. It brought me great awareness and kindness too, for every time I drop out of connection. It was intense; I sometimes described it to friends as 'being on the therapists sofa with yourself'. Facing core beliefs and learning edges, challenged me to keep checking, digging, getting to know myself and my patterns better and better. At the same time, all that enlarged my capacity for empathy towards others.

What I really loved about the process was that it gave me guidance, both through the clarity of the CPP as through the assistance/support of my assessor. What I maybe even loved more, was the invitation to create a peer support group. I feel so unbelievably blessed wit my peers: it has really been a journey together, sharing our ups and downs, exchanging our experiences, and exploring our feelings and needs. This togetherness feels like a gift for life. By extension this might be for the whole group of candidates I ended with as well. It amazed me how this process created bonds so profound and personal in such short notice.

Another reason that I am grateful that I went through the certification process is how it made me see how every day life is full of learning opportunities. I practiced the OFNR endlessly. It became a second nature and I feel delighted about that: it brought me so much ease and clarity. What started of as something mainly driven by professionalism, became a very personal travel, enriched by many inspiring contacts and conversations. A wonderful travel it sure was!

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Gina Lawrie

I am delighted to recommend Mira for certification on behalf of the English-speaking European Assessment Team (ESEAT). Currently living in Spain, Mira is both personally and professionally truly international, so a great fit for CNVC and already has many connections in our community. She has valuable experience in modalities I see as aligned with NVC: Sociocracy, Art of Hosting, deep ecology, yoga practices, and more, which she brings to our community. She is an experienced group facilitator, holding a group with presence, confidence, and insight into the dynamics.

Mira has grasped NVC with passion and enthusiasm, and it was a surprise to me to find that although her appreciation of it and her holding of NVC consciousness were present, some of the fundamental elements of knowledge were missing from her portfolio. I was so impressed by her openness and quick realization of how that happened, as well as her willingness to attend some foundation training and rewrite some of the theory for her portfolio. We have also committed to a couple more mentoring sessions as she wants to be sure that she can convey NVC in its pure form.

Mira has a lot of awareness about how she holds herself back, and I trust that she will make breakthroughs in her ongoing development. She is at a point of uncertainty in her life, knowing NVC is key for her, but awaiting clarity regarding the ways she will share it. I have very much enjoyed accompanying Mira on this journey and look forward to seeing her shining in our NVC community.

From Mira:

It has been a 7-year journey, and there were moments when I did not want it to end because of my deep desire to stay learning always. On this learning journey, I've learned to embrace my doubts as a voice that can guide me rather than as something that needs to be 'fixed'. I deeply cherish the friendships and relationships that emerged over the years, and I hope to be able to journey with many of you over the years to come.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Ania Mills

Elżbieta has been approaching the certification journey with inspiring persistence. She came across the challenges of language, resources, travel, health and time away from work to commit to the immersion in NVC. She first started learning NVC to support her family. Inspired by Marshalls work she continued her development attending and organising many NVC events in Poland. She then began to share it with her spiritual community. Elżbieta brings NVC to education, having many years of experience working as a teacher in school for children with special needs (she holds a PhD in pedagogy). Her passion is also to share NVC in catholic church, her spiritual community.

From elzbieta:

The longing for contact, closeness and lightness is the force that led me to seek NVC. Entering this path meant stopping, breathing, feeling the body and accepting what comes. Being. Being in the moment until there is clarity and connection with needs. This is a path of searching for my power, agency and light. Thank you to Ania Mills for inspiring me to create the first groups and to become a trainer. I also thank my mentor Christlin Rajendram, a teacher of unconditional love, simplicity, humility, peace.

from the Assessors, LAURENCE BRUSCHWEILER & LAURE GALVEZ

Arnaud has been involved in the CNV-Belgium association for years and contributes fully to its development. We appreciate his commitment, his perseverance, his ability to question himself and his humanity. We also like his sense of humor and his joie de vivre which energize his training. Arnaud particularly enjoys contributing to companies. He can rely on his own career as an entrepreneur and is keen to transmit the Cnv in families and the field of parenting. The Belgian team is delighted with his contribution.

from Arnaud:

I discovered the Nonviolent Communication process in 2007 during a 5-day workshop at the home of Thomas D'ansembourg. I was so impressed and captivated by the power of the process that I went straight to a second workshop. It was during this second session that I decided to commit to contributing to its dissemination. I first got involved in the Belgian association. First as a guest, then as secretary, treasurer, and president. I remained active in the association until 2024. In the meantime, I continued to train in workshops for the general public. I also trained in individual support through Nonviolent Communication.

Alongside all this, in 2019, I embarked on the certification journey and assisted many trainers, mainly in Belgium. This journey has brought me a lot. I was able to integrate complementary concepts from a pedagogical point of view. But above all, I was able to work on my position as a trainer, thanks to the experiments that were offered to us. I was able to observe the moments when I had more difficulties and work on them.

Receiving and giving feedback is what has been the most supportive of my evolution. I was able to reconcile myself with the notion of evaluation, which was quite traumatic for me when I was at school. I also tasted the pleasure of being in a network and of progressing with fellow travelers. I was able to connect and receive support when needed. Finally, the certification course allowed me to meet trainers who were directly trained by Marshall. It was important for me to receive teaching as close as possible to the source. Thanks to this, I hope to be able to transmit with greater accuracy.