Old info, just for fun...
March 10/08
DRAFT: Joy Intensive NVC Camp
L'aura Joy

Grant proposal
I am passionate about NVC, and I'm passionate about sharing NVC with Auroville. I would like to organize a 3-week Intensive NVC Camp in Auroville, and I would like to find funds to finance the project. I am open to discussion and ideas on the matter.

What is Nonviolent Communication?
(from www.cnvc.org)
Imagine connecting with the human spirit, in each person, in any situation.
Imagine interacting with others in a way that allows everyone's needs to be equally valued.
Imagine creating organizations and life-serving systems responsive to our needs and the needs of our environment.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) helps connect us with what is alive in ourselves and in others moment-to-moment, with what we or others could do to make life more wonderful, and with an awareness of what gets in the way of natural giving and receiving.
NVC language strengthens our ability to inspire compassion from others and respond compassionately to others and ourselves.
NVC guides us to reframe how we express ourselves, how we hear others and resolve conflicts by focusing our consciousness on what we are observing, feeling, needing, and requesting.

Possible dates
Mon, Dec 22 - Sun, Jan 11 or
Mon, Dec 29 - Sun, Jan 18

Basic idea
I am proposing to organize a 3-week Intensive NVC Camp in Auroville in December 08 - January 09. I am inviting several certified NVC trainers and supporters (presently 9 in total, plus 4 Aurovilians) to come and share their passion and skills. These trainers will offer different NVC-related workshops, ranging from Basic to Intermediate NVC courses, and including topics such as mediation, relationships, teens, and cross-cultural relations. I imagine the schedule will look much like a market-place, with several offerings happening at once, and popular or overbooked courses could be repeated. This will be a public event, in that Aurovilians and guests will be able to take part in as few or as many courses as they wish.

Possible "guest attraction"
From my understanding and experience, the worldwide NVC community is dedicated to sharing and growing together, and they often travel many thousands of kilometers to keep their own practice alive. I imagine this event, which I plan to advertise worldwide, will attract many guests to Auroville specifically for this purpose. Again my understanding is that these guests would be the kind who would be genuinely interested (and probably amazed) by Auroville, its ideals and the reality of where we are today.

College Guest House
I am offering College GH as the main venue for this event (although I believe we will need a few more meeting spaces). I am offering to host the trainers free of charge, which would include simple accommodation and meals. Depending on the number of trainers coming, and/or the number of trainers who are comfortable with this style of accommodation, other guests taking part in the event could also stay in the guest house (approx 18 beds, in close proximity).

Living in community
My family, Jason, Isa, Adam, and I would like to live in community with the guests living in the guest house. I'm offering for us to interact informally over meal-times, to share cooking duties, practice yoga and meditation together, and build or create a project together (eg: an artistic mural).

Finances
Guest House
The guest house usually makes Rs.1 lakh between December 20 and January 20, and this income is what keeps the guest house running and maintained out of guest season. I would like to "make" this money, yet not off the trainers.

My "maintenance"
I am volunteering to organize this event, but I would very much appreciate financial support in return for my efforts. I believe organizing an event such as this will take many, many hours of my time (as it has already).

Trainer pay
In my communication with the trainers I'm inviting, I have explained Auroville's economic situation briefly, and so they understand that they will not necessarily make money off the workshops in Auroville. I am offering, however, to compensate to some degree with free accommodation and meals at College GH (and some may be more comfortable in "fancier" guest houses, which would also cost more). I would like very much to be able to offer trainers more than their bare minimal living expenses while they are here. Ideally, I would like to help the trainers pay towards their airfare or other travel-related expenses, as well as offer some token of appreciation that they can use at their discretion.

Special case: Jeyanthy Siva
There is one particular trainer, Jeyanthy Siva, from Sri Lanka, who would be unable to attend unless all of her expenses are paid for. She cannot afford to do this type of work outside of her country on a volunteer basis, as all her volunteering energy is spent in her home country. I would value this trainer's participation and insight into Auroville's cultural relations, as she is experienced working with cross-cultural issues, and she is a Tamil speaker.

Equipment and supplies
I would like to have support materials, such as giraffe and jackal (significant in NVC) puppets, and ears (head-bands). There are several NVC books that I would like to have available during this event, but only one of them is available in Indian print. The Indian print is Rs.75, whereas the other books in US print range between $15-30.
Other supplies would include whiteboards, easels and markers; poster paper and colour pens; mats and cushions; tea cans and cups; kitchen supplies (plates, pots, etc).

Fees
I suppose the guests attending these workshops would pay the standard AV workshop contribution of Rs.1200 per course.
And I also suppose that if any guests stay in College GH during this time (if there is space), they will pay for their accommodation expenses.

Related expense: training for Jason and I, plus airfare
This is an expense that is not directly related to the NVC Camp, but it is definitely a part of the bigger NVC picture in our lives and in AV. We have applied for a scholarship to go to an International Intensive Training (IIT) in New Mexico, USA, from June 8-17, 2008. We will hear back from the scholarship committee 5-7 weeks before the start date. We also need to raise funds for our airfare. As Jason is the primary guardian of his two children, we have decided that we will not go the US unless we can all fly (4 tickets) together.
Jason and I plan to become NVC certified trainers, and attending an IIT is one step towards this goal. NVC's founder, Marshall Rosenberg, leads these IITs, and as he is not getting any younger, it is unsure how much longer he will continue to offer these trainings.
Our goal is to also invite Marshall Rosenberg to AV one day!