Abstract
In this workshop we motivate participants to think about and experience resistance, with the goal of them forming a more positive attitude towards resistance and viewing it as a very important aspect of NVR.

Resistance in our perspective is not only saying NO to something or someone. Resistance can also be seen as a YES in favor of something or someone. For example, setting a boundary and say: “We will not accept you shouting at us”, is in fact a NO to the shouting. However, it also means a YES to more than one thing. It’s a YES to I know and I feel that I have the strength to resist, so I say YES to myself, and secondly I say YES to that other person by setting a boundary in order to strengthen the relationship. It’s a YES to the WE. Looking at it in this way can make it easier to resist.

We know from experience that many people who work with nonviolent resistance seem to be particularly attracted to the first two aspects of NVR and may even be a bit hesitant to use the R.

Erica Chenoweth has done a wonderful job collecting evidence to demonstrate why NVR is more effective than VR (violent resistance). She has gathered a lot of information on what it takes to apply NVR effectively. To be effective we need a plan, people, courage and a diversity of tools.

In this workshop we will therefor inform you on how to be a successful resister and to overcome any reluctance to use the R in NVR ? We are going show you how to make the R bigger.