Once your registration and payment are received, additional course materials will be sent to you.  During the training, snacks and beverages are provided.  Lunch is on your own.  If you have questions, please contact Dr. Minter at STAR.Mpls@gmail.com or 612-377-4660 for details.

Cancellation Policy: Refunds, less a $30 administrative fee, will be given if written cancellation is received from the registrant by May 20, 2012.  No tuition refund is offered after May 20, 2012.  Transfer of tuition to another STAR training in Minnesota is granted if written request is received by June 6, 2012.  Refunds or transfers are not available for no-shows.  

STAR Training Course
Objectives and Guidelines

Welcome to STAR!  We are delighted that you are interested in joining us to interact, learn, and grow together.  During many STAR trainings, participants come from different countries and from various parts of the United States. We will represent different political leanings, cultural practices, religious traditions and understandings of spirituality and spiritual practices.  STAR itself is a program of the Practice Institute, a part of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University.  Mennonites are an historic peace (Christian) church denomination which is neither Catholic nor Protestant. Despite this origin, STAR is not a religious program and warmly welcomes people of all backgrounds.

As you can imagine, this rich diversity makes a dynamic learning environment as we explore issues of trauma, security, justice and peacebuilding and relate it to our own contexts.  In order to create an optimal learning environment, please take time to read the following understandings about the week, beginning with the course objectives.  

1.    STAR course objectives

By the end of the STAR training, you will have:

·         Distinguished between various types of  trauma and responses to trauma (both positive and negative) and relate it to your  individual, community, and societal history

·         Examined the links between unhealed trauma and cycles of victimhood and violence and described how you have seen these cycles operate in your own situation 

·         Studied the trauma healing model used at STAR, analyzed it in light of your experiences, and identified ways to integrate it into your current work 

·         Examined or practiced ways to build resilience and accompany individuals and groups on the healing journey through identifying personal and systemic interventions and rituals

 2. STAR recognizes that trauma affects body, mind, and spirit and addresses all of these aspects.

Trauma hits us where we are most vulnerable and makes chaos out of the order of our lives.  Healing processes need to address body, mind and spirit.  As human beings, it is normal for those coming from a spiritual tradition to seek comfort and reassurance from their faith at such times or to address deep questions of meaning.  All of us are aware of the religious tensions that exist in our world today.  Your STAR group will likely be a microcosm of this world and we see it as a rich opportunity to build bridges of understanding. 
 

3.  STAR is conducted as a multi-cultural, multi-faith gathering.

This is different than conducting the sessions as an interfaith or intercultural seminar (see definitions below.)  It means each of person is given the safety and space to interact with the content of STAR freely using the language of his/her own culture and faith tradition or spiritual practice.  We ask that you exercise respect and sensitivity in this and at all times, speak only for yourself.

We have also found that, given the diversity of people who come to STAR, many issues, both individual and structural, could be used as case studies of trauma and the resulting cycles of victimhood, oppression, and violence.  Because of the complexity, long history, and emotional intensity of such issues, getting centered on any one could result in diversion from the primary objectives for the week and jeopardize the learning atmosphere for others.  

Therefore, for the emotional safety of the group, we ask that STAR not be used as a platform for the promotion of a particular theological, ideological, or political issue.

4. STAR is an educational event. 

Many STAR participants have found the week to be therapeutic, but STAR is not designed to be therapy.  The experiential exercises are to illustrate ways of working in communities affected by trauma.  The academic input is educational in nature.  Neither should be used as diagnostic or professional treatment tools.  Any concerns you might have about psychological issues should be discussed with a qualified mental health professional. If you have questions about this during the week, please discuss them with STAR staff. 

Following from these understandings, we offer the following guidelines for the week:  

·         See the week as an opportunity to stretch and grow, owning that many of us have much to learn about other people’s cultures and faith

 ·         Speak for yourself rather than being prescriptive for the group

 ·         Share who you are, but refrain from theological, cultural and philosophical debates
        and proselytizing

·         Use the “ouch, then educate” principle if someone says something that offends or hurts us (e.g. “Ouch, making that generalization about Africans, Muslims, etc. reinforces tired, outdated stereotypes. In fact……)

·         Assume that no one in the group is out to deliberately hurt or degrade our faith or our people

·         Tell personal stories to illustrate why you feel a certain way about something controversial rather that making general statements or pronouncements

·         Ask rather than make statements about another’s culture or faith

        (e.g. “I understand that Hindus     Am I correct?”  “Is it true that in the US you …?”)

Again, a warm welcome to STAR!  Please feel free to consult with STAR facilitators and staff with concerns or questions any time.  We look forward to a good week together.

 For our out-of-town participants, hotels are available in downtown Minneapolis.