Recent Trainings

2020-21

Restorative Practices in Schools Work

During the Covid years, most work has been through Greater Falls Community Justice Center with John and Lauren MacArthur doing school trainings on restorative practices and harm repair in schools around Windham County, Vermont: Marlboro and Green Street Elementary Schools, Kurn Hattin Homes, Bellows Falls High and Middle Schools.

Parenting with Respect Courses

During Covid, John and JR Layne have run seven Parenting with Respect courses for fathers, in conjunction with the VT Department on Children and Families, with 56 participants.

2019

Conflict Analysis, Conflict and Identity, Sing Our Sides
(CONTACT - Contact Transformation Across Cultures) 

This series of training sessions for the CONTACT program at S I T included using theater activities to study conflict analysis, a focus on conflict and identity, including assessing different styles of addressing conflict. The final session applied the Sing Our Sides group songwriting activity during which participants wrote a song about gender roles and intolerance, addressing the oppression of women around the world.

Civil Dialogue Training
Pan African Youth Leaders Training, Statehouse, Montpelier, VT. April, 2019.

MarlboroCollege students assisted John in running this dialogue training for high school students and their teachers from Uganda, Tanzania, Liberia, and Namibia. Participants learned about differing styles of dealing with conflict, some communication skills and did some dialogue about the impact of uncivil discourse in their countries, and the potential for civil dialogue in their communities and schools.

Communication Across Conflict Workshop
Compass School, Westminster, VT. March, 2019.

Our inservice training with John was excellent. John is super experienced and fluidly leads the group from one activity and concept to the next (and all without notes!). John had a perfect balance of lightheartedness and focus to bring everyone into the conversation and to then extend thinking ever deeper into the issues we were wrestling with around communication in a time of divisiveness. John models "best practice" to engage everyone else to model quality collaboration

Rick Gordon
Principal, Compass School

Communication and Conflict Workshop
Sandglass Theatre, Putney, VT. February, 2019.

Sandglass Theater’s production of Babylon: Journeys of Refugees has been touring in the Northeast US since October 2017.  Through community dialogues and post-performance audience talk-backs, it became clear that the cast needed to have training in Conflict Transformation and Resolution.  John Ungerleider came to our theater for a series of one-day workshops, that challenged the cast to understand the spectrum of possible responses to almost any issue, and to develop our capacities to listen to those responses in order to move toward inclusive and respectful dialogues. 

Our multi-racial and multi-ethnic cast had it’s own communication challenges, so we were, in this way, a microcosm for the work we were doing in our performances and community workshops on tour.  John’s warmth and humor made him immediately welcomed by our group, which quickly recognized his expertise and sympathetic authority. He created a space that was both safe and dynamic, in which we could explore ourselves and our relationships to our fellow cast members. 

Through this work with John, we often surprised ourselves and saw some of our own patterns in how we respond to others.  This work was exciting and thought-provoking.  It has led to an ongoing process of deepening our listening and understanding our own roles in how a dialogue develops.

For Sandglass Theater, John Ungerleider remains a vital resource whom we hope and expect to continue working with.  Ensemble Theater is a collaborative process and John’s work with us has enhanced that process.  Most of all, it has helped prepare us to carry that process of listening into our public work, and enable us to facilitate more fruitful conversations around challenging issues.

Eric Bass
Founder & Artistic Director, Sandglass Theater

2018

Leadership Styles; Organizing Social Justice in Schools; Being an Ally
OVX Youth Leadership Prevention Summit, Lake Morey, VT. October, 2018.

Hello John, Mary, Fadia, Fabio, and Ashley,
Thank you for attending and facilitating the workshops for the 2018 OVX Youth Leadership Summit. A quick glance at the evaluations showed that the students really enjoyed your sing-along sessions, how interactive the workshops were, and also just hearing the personal stories in the Ally workshop. They definitely want more time in the workshops to continue the conversations! We at the Health Department truly appreciate your time, passion and style with the workshops. We will certainly keep your team in mind with future youth conferences.  

Naa Aku Addo, MPA
Tobacco Control and Prevention Program Specialist
Vermont Department of Health|Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Building an Inclusive Community
Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, PA. September, 2018.

"All the sessions we had with you were terrific.  I’m glad the kids responded so well to you, and I hope we can catch the enthusiasm for continuing an in-house program of some sort. Your trip here was definitely a memorable event for all concerned and I hope this is a relationship that will last."

Steven Ris
History and Social Sciences Dept. Chair

Dialogue and Communication Styles
Pan African Youth Leaders Training, Statehouse, Montpelier, VT. August, 2018

“After we debriefed about our time in Montpelier, it seemed like the students really enjoyed their time.  The activity which analyzed decision making between yourself, your friends, and your family helped the students realize how they interact with themselves and others.  The students were very engaged and I think that can be attributed to their active participation in the activities.  Again, thank you so much.”

James Gunger, PAYLP Director
Vermont Council on World Affairs

Overcoming Challenges to Dialogue in Our Communities
Iraq Youth Leaders Exchange Program, Statehouse, Montpelier, VT. August, 2018

Conflict, Identity and Transformation
ALI: Andi Leadership Institute – Global Women Leaders, Washington DC, August 2018

 “Thank you for your insightful workshops, discussions, and expertise.  I appreciate the genuine passion in the work you do and your willingness to have meaningful conversations with us.”

Krisha  - ALI participant

“Thank you for not only being a teacher, but for also being a listener and a mentor.”

Laura  - ALI participant

Dialogue Facilitation Youth Programs Staff Training
June 2018

Experiential Conflict Analysis, Conflict Transformation Across Cultures
(CONTACT) 

“John Ungerleider’s innovative approach to training in peace and conflict is legendary among students at the School for International Training. He seamlessly combines experiential modalities, such as movement and music, with an introduction to theories of conflict and change in a way that is compelling, memorable, and impactful.  In June 2018 for instance, John joined thirty five students from around the world in a three-week workshop on intercultural understanding and conflict transformation at SIT”s annual CONTACT Peacebuilding Program (of which John is a co-founder). John led a session titled An Introduction to Conflict Analysis using Agosto Boal’s ‘Popular Theater’ Group Sculptures where participants visualized conflicts of interest by building and then debriefing ‘living sculptures’ that captured the essence of the conflict’s underlying structural and socio-psychological roots. Students then rebuilt the sculpture in order to convey the changes that are needed to transform the conflict in a positive direction. John’s session was one of the first of the workshop and was fundamental to building inter-group trust and communication.  Moreover, during the remaining days of the workshop participants regularly recalled that first exercise as a touchstone for their learning.  It was a key moment. I’ve been in this field for twenty-five years and I was blown away by John’s work that day.  The ease with which he communicates, the breadth of his intellect, and the accessibility of his educational approach combine to make him a unique and gifted trainer.“

Dr. Bruce W. Dayton - Executive Director
CONTACT Peacebuilding Program

Dialogue Across Difference
PAX Program, Brandeis University

"John visited the Brandeis class, "Inner Peace Outer Peace" in February, 2018. He led a wonderful workshop in the theory and mechanics of youth dialogue facilitation. It's a skill that everyone in the class wanted to have."

Dr. Peter Gould, Course Instructor

Leadership Styles; Organizing Social Justice in Schools; Being an Ally
OVX Youth Leadership Prevention Summit, Lake Morey, VT. October, 2018.

Hello John, Mary, Fadia, Fabio, and Ashley,
Thank you for attending and facilitating the workshops for the 2018 OVX Youth Leadership Summit. A quick glance at the evaluations showed that the students really enjoyed your sing-along sessions, how interactive the workshops were, and also just hearing the personal stories in the Ally workshop. They definitely want more time in the workshops to continue the conversations! We at the Health Department truly appreciate your time, passion and style with the workshops. We will certainly keep your team in mind with future youth conferences.  

Naa Aku Addo, MPA
Tobacco Control and Prevention Program Specialist
Vermont Department of Health|Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Building an Inclusive Community
Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, PA. September, 2018.

"All the sessions we had with you were terrific.  I’m glad the kids responded so well to you, and I hope we can catch the enthusiasm for continuing an in-house program of some sort. Your trip here was definitely a memorable event for all concerned and I hope this is a relationship that will last."

Steven Ris
Wyoming Seminary 
History and Social Sciences Dept. Chair

Dialogue and Communication Styles
Pan African Youth Leaders Training, Statehouse, Montpelier, VT. August, 2018

“After we debriefed about our time in Montpelier, it seemed like the students really enjoyed their time.  The activity which analyzed decision making between yourself, your friends, and your family helped the students realize how they interact with themselves and others.  The students were very engaged and I think that can be attributed to their active participation in the activities.  Again, thank you so much.”

James Gunger, PAYLP Director
Vermont Council on World Affairs

Overcoming Challenges to Dialogue in Our Communities
Iraq Youth Leaders Exchange Program, Statehouse, Montpelier, VT. August, 2018

Conflict, Identity and Transformation
ALI: Andi Leadership Institute – Global Women Leaders, Washington DC, August 2018

 “Thank you for your insightful workshops, discussions, and expertise.  I appreciate the genuine passion in the work you do and your willingness to have meaningful conversations with us.”

Krisha  - ALI participant

“Thank you for not only being a teacher, but for also being a listener and a mentor.”

Laura  - ALI participant

Dialogue Facilitation Youth Programs Staff Training
June 2018

Experiential Conflict Analysis, Conflict Transformation Across Cultures
(CONTACT) 

“John Ungerleider’s innovative approach to training in peace and conflict is legendary among students at the School for International Training. He seamlessly combines experiential modalities, such as movement and music, with an introduction to theories of conflict and change in a way that is compelling, memorable, and impactful.  In June 2018 for instance, John joined thirty five students from around the world in a three-week workshop on intercultural understanding and conflict transformation at SIT”s annual CONTACT Peacebuilding Program (of which John is a co-founder). John led a session titled An Introduction to Conflict Analysis using Agosto Boal’s ‘Popular Theater’ Group Sculptures where participants visualized conflicts of interest by building and then debriefing ‘living sculptures’ that captured the essence of the conflict’s underlying structural and socio-psychological roots. Students then rebuilt the sculpture in order to convey the changes that are needed to transform the conflict in a positive direction. John’s session was one of the first of the workshop and was fundamental to building inter-group trust and communication.  Moreover, during the remaining days of the workshop participants regularly recalled that first exercise as a touchstone for their learning.  It was a key moment. I’ve been in this field for twenty-five years and I was blown away by John’s work that day.  The ease with which he communicates, the breadth of his intellect, and the accessibility of his educational approach combine to make him a unique and gifted trainer.“

Dr. Bruce W. Dayton - Executive Director
CONTACT Peacebuilding Program

Dialogue Across Difference
PAX Program, Brandeis University

"John visited the Brandeis class, "Inner Peace Outer Peace" in February, 2018. He led a wonderful workshop in the theory and mechanics of youth dialogue facilitation. It's a skill that everyone in the class wanted to have."

Dr. Peter Gould, Course Instructor

2017

Dialogue Facilitation
Iraq Youth Leaders Exchange (IYLEP) Staff Training

Conflict Resolution
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute of the University of Vermont

Effective Training for Youth Leadership
Kids4peace, Jerusalem.

“Thank you for your insight, guidance, and enthusiasm throughout the Kids4Peace seminars last week. The conversations and activities you led certainly assisted our processes as staff. Many staff have been reading the dialogue facilitation booklets you left us and have found them to be especially pertinent. 

At last week's Thursday youth meeting, some staff decided to repeat an activity you had taught them - the impact of the seminar is already showing! Thank you for sharing your valuable experience with us, and for empowering our staff to have fruitful discussion, to develop their skills, and to consider their roles at Kids4Peace as influential.”

Sarah Stone – Program Director, Kids4Peace

Conflict and Identity
SIT Graduate Institute, Fall, 2017

"The word “teaching” feels lacking when I think on my experience as one of John’s students because he does so much more than simply transmit his academic knowledge to his students. When I think of John’s teaching, the words educator and trainer come to mind simultaneously with teacher. His teaching is about his students’ growth and ability to act on that growth as they understand and experience his knowledge. His teaching is also about relationships and creativity, especially artistic and musical creativity. In short, John creates a space for his students to learn from his own knowledge and experiences by engaging his students in body, mind, and soul."

Mary Beth Moyer
Former SIT Graduate Student & YPLP Staff Member

2016 and Earlier

Highlights:

Negotiation, Mediation & Dialogue
China-ASEAN Peace Workshop, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China 

Advanced Conflict Resolution Training
AMIDEAST Cyprus American Scholarship Program (CASP) - 1996-2013

Designing for Empowerment
EIL Federation, Ireland.

Armenian-Azerbaijani Retreat
Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, Rep. of Georgia

Youth Leadership Training of Trainers
Kitgum, Uganda