Foundations of NVC

About NVC:

Relationships - with friends, family, partners, everyone - are so important to all of us, but they can be so hard to do well. Join us for a weekend learning and practising new ways to navigate the challenges of communicating authentically with the important people in our lives.

We’ve all had times when we tried to express what’s important to us and it didn’t go the way we hoped… or when we kept quiet but wished we knew how to speak up. We’ve all been in situations where we really don't get other people’s motivations and we can't make sense of their behaviour. Or we wish they understood us better!

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) provides us with tools and skills that help us make more authentic, meaningful connections, understand different perspectives, and communicate honestly and clearly about what matters most to us.

Event Details:

This weekend will provide an introduction to all the basic components of NVC so you can start putting it into practice at home (or work) as well as providing plenty of insights to help you navigate the particular communication challenges you face in your own life.

We work with a mixture of theory and practice, so you can straightaway see how NVC can be useful in real-life, and you’ll get the chance to work with some real-life examples.

The event will run from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm each day.
Refreshments will be provided at break times. We will take an hour break for lunch - participants have the option to bring a packed lunch, or to have lunch in a local cafe.

The workshop takes place in Cloughjordan Ecovillage in Tipperary. This is on the train line from Dublin and Limerick, so it's accessible by public transport from most parts of Ireland.

B&B or hostel accommodation is available locally.

A tour of the Ecovillage can be provided on request.

Is this the right event for you?

If you're new to NVC, or perhaps you've read a book, listened to a podcast, or attended a short workshop (a couple of hours), then absolutely. This event is for you.

If you’re hesitating because you're already familiar with NVC and you're concerned it might be too basic, then do still come along, as there will be something for all levels of experience - we think of NVC as a lifelong journey, so there's always more to learn and practice!

For those who've already completed a foundation weekend or the equivalent, we're also offering an intermediate level training 'Deepening and Integrating NVC' on the 12th and 13th October (Eventbrite page here, Facebook event page here)

Both courses run regularly, more dates to be announced soon for the new year.

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For more information about this or other events, or for any questions, please email intraconnecting@gmail.com

Pay what you can afford!
We don't want anyone to miss this opportunity for financial reasons, so we're offering a sliding scale from €80-160 for a full weekend workshop.

For full transparency: €120 per person would cover our running costs - we hope some people will be willing to pay more to support those who would struggle to pay the full amount.

If the minimum recommended contribution is still not accessible for you, please get in touch to discuss bursary, concessions, or other gift economy offerings.

How to book:

You can register your interest by filling in our registration form here

To also secure your place at the training, please either pay your full donation of €80-€160, or pay a deposit of €40 (the remaining contribution can be paid at the event).

Payment can be made either here on Eventbrite, or by bank transfer (see booking form for details).

About the trainers:

Mel White and Aaron Bailey consider NVC to be a foundational aspect of their relationship. As a couple who live and practise NVC on a day-to-day basis, they are able to offer a unique perspective on the benefits and challenges of integrating NVC into daily life, and provide insight into some of the common pitfalls. They are also both residents of Cloughjordan Ecovillage, where decisions are made by consensus of the whole community, and so they are able to share from their lived experience of trying to understand different perspectives and take all needs into account, while managing the inevitable conflicts that arise. Both are registered with the international Centre for NonViolent Communication (CNVC), and they work with assessors from the UK and the Netherlands.

Mel first encountered NVC around 20 years ago, when she stumbled upon Marshall Rosenberg's book in a charity shop. Reading it had a huge impact on her, and changed the way she perceived relationships. She later began training in NVC, and hasn't looked back since! Mel is also an award-winning spoken word poet and a visual artist, and a trained facilitator of Restorative Circles. Mel is constantly trying to find a balance between the things that are important to her, including connection and authenticity, autonomy and collaboration, creativity, lifelong learning, and creating a culture that aspires to meet the needs of all within planetary boundaries.

Aaron came across NVC when he was 18 years old and remembers how visceral it was: 'to my younger, and fairly open, mind it felt right, like I had found one of the puzzle pieces to my life - something that would take time to explore and integrate, but something that was making more sense of the other things'. Interested in people-dynamics, system-change, and conflict, he sought out mediation, Restorative Circles, and NVC training in Ireland and abroad. Aaron also practises nonviolence through martial arts, and has been active in the environmental movement in Ireland through peaceful civil disobedience.

For both Mel and Aaron, NVC helps bring clarity, authenticity, and empathy to this shared human experience. They would like to share these skills with anyone else willing to explore their communication and listening patterns, and inner worlds full of feelings, needs, and desires for more fulfilling lives. With the escalating levels of conflict, violence, polarisation, and disharmony in the world they feel called to offer these spaces where we can learn to embody compassionate states of consciousness, and practice skills that support us to nurture each other and thrive.