The Giraffe Center Bangladesh (GCB), which promotes non-violent communication (NVC) for peacemaking and social changes, organized a training on "needs-based mediation for conflict resolution" on Friday.
Individuals from different professional backgrounds attended the day-long training session conducted by Roufun Naher, an assistant professor of educational and counselling psychology at Dhaka University.
Roufun Naher is also a facilitator and practitioner of NVC in Bangladesh.
She established the Giraffe Center Bangladesh on World Mental Day on October 10, 2021, during the pandemic to give empathy-based mental health support to the common people.
NVC, also known as compassionate communication, is a life-changing approach developed by Marshall Rosenberg in the 1960s. Giraffe is the symbol of NVC.
“NVC is a way of expressing ourselves and listening to others with empathy, honesty, and respect,” Roufun Naher said.
“The ultimate goal is to foster understanding and connection between individuals by focusing on needs, feelings, and observations rather than judgments or blame.”
For this reason, NVC is regarded as an effective tool to resolve conflicts, improve relationships and promote effective communication.
“Conflict is part of our life. We cannot avoid conflicts all the time. Unresolved conflicts can lead to dangerous consequences. In traditional mediation, one party wins over another. It's a punitive tool that means the violence still exists. But NVC mediation is different. In NVC mediation, both the parties can express themselves honestly, and openly. They hear each other and come to an agreement that meets both the needs of both parties. That's a win-win position. As both parties are satisfied, they are no longer enemies," Roufun Naher told Dhaka Tribune.
“In NVC mediation, the mediator creates a safe environment where both parties heal through an authentic dialogue. They heal because their needs to express and to be heard become fulfilled,” she said.
The Giraffe Center brings people from different economic backgrounds under mental health services.
The center offers NVC-based counseling, training and research.