PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Cultural Diversity and Conflict Management course curriculum was developed in response to what global leaders of the Sisters of St. Joseph described as their most pressing concern: helping new Sisters incorporate into communities that are rapidly becoming more ethnically and culturally diverse. The goal of this initial program was to educate formators and newer members to mediate conflict, live nonviolently, and foster communities of peace, respect and reconciling love. The program was developed so that it can be easily replicated by other religious congregations and/or some non-profit groups.

Over a ten-day period in October 2015, the global St. Joseph Design Team, consisting of nine sisters from four continents with project director Sr. Griselda Martínez Morales (Lyon, Mexico) and two Avila University consultants: Ken Parsons, Ph.D. and Carol Coburn, Ph.D., worked to create a teaching curriculum on "Cultural Diversity and Conflict Management."

This Design Team members created the goals, objectives and essential elements of the program designing the curriculum, researched content sources, studied and debated pedagogical strategies, and ultimately two or three sisters from the Design Team team-taught the ten-day curriculum to approximately 125 sisters in five separate workshops at the Centre International St. Joseph in Le Puy, France between 2016-2018. They based the curriculum and methodology of the program on three essential elements: 1) Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Resolution; 2) Critical Engagement with Difference; and 3) Role of Empathy for Understanding and Right Relations needed to work within a diverse community.

Strategies and methods included, but were not limited to, readings, real-world case studies, experiential learning, discussions (face-to-face and online), role-playing, journaling/reflections, collaborative projects, listening circles, videos, performance activities, personal narratives, and study/thought questions. The curricular template is not meant to be a one-size-fits-all document, but a guide to developing personalized curriculum. These sisters were trained in the curriculum and pedagogical skills necessary to return to their own countries and cultures to teach an additional 75 sisters and laypersons the concepts and strategies of this peacebuilding educational program.

The success of the Cultural Diversity and Conflict Management workshops demonstrated successful outcomes, in both quantitative and qualitative assessment measures, providing a road map for future research and program development, particularly for religious congregations of women operating in a global milieu. In a world overwhelmed by conflict, locally and globally, women religious are in a unique position to reach a variety of constituencies including members of their own congregations and lay people to whom and with whom they minister. Ultimately, the program would touch the lives of approximately 3,000 people.