Dialogue for Peace: Practicing Nonviolent Communication in Everyday Leadership

Panipokhari, 25th February - The Rotary Club of Kathmandu Height organized an interactive session titled “Dialogue for Peace: Practicing Nonviolent Communication in Everyday Leadership” at Bhanubhakta Memorial School on Wednesday, aiming to equip young students with practical tools for conflict transformation and ethical leadership.
This session brought together 35 students from Grades 11 and 12 of Bhanubhakta Memorial College. The session focused on promoting dialogue-based leadership and nonviolent communication (NVC) as essential components of peacebuilding in everyday life.
The event featured two distinguished speakers: Anjula Joshi, educator and scholar in Conflict and Peace Studies at Tribhuvan University, and Sagar Khadka, Peace Practitioner and Peace Builder Officer at the Global Peace Foundation. Addressing the participants, the speakers emphasized that conflict is not limited to war zones but is present in classrooms, communities, workplaces, and even on social media. They highlighted that many conflicts escalate not because of major differences but due to poor communication, ego-driven reactions, and a lack of meaningful dialogue.
Drawing inspiration from the principles of former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, the session delivered the importance of integrity, respect for truth, empathetic listening, and protecting the dignity of others while standing firm in one’s values.
Participants were introduced to the distinction between debate and dialogue with debate seeking to win arguments, and dialogue seeking to understand perspectives. A core component of the session was the introduction to Nonviolent Communication, a four-step framework involving observation without judgment, expressing feelings, identifying needs, and making respectful requests.
The program adopted an interactive and experiential approach. Students engaged in pair activities where they identified common reactive conflict statements and transformed them into dialogue-based responses using the NVC model. Selected groups presented their reflections, fostering a collective learning environment.
The program followed an interactive format. During the activity segment, the current President and Past President of the Rotary Club of Kathmandu Heights actively participated alongside the students. They joined group and pair exercises, working with students to transform reactive and blame-oriented statements into constructive, dialogue-based responses using the NVC model. Selected groups later shared their reflections, creating a collaborative learning environment. The expected outcomes of the session include improved conflict management skills among students, strengthened ethical leadership mindsets, and a positive contribution to a peaceful campus culture.
Through such initiatives, the Rotary Club of Kathmandu Height continues its commitment to nurturing responsible youth leadership and promoting sustainable peace within the community.