January 10, 2019, Published in MediatorsBeyondBorders.org


As we continue to witness the ripple effect of the impact of our work, we invite you to welcome another year of peacebuilding by joining us in a conversation on “Resisting Oppression Through Nonviolence” by Mel Duncan, Nadine Bloch, and Daryn Cambridge on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, at 2 PM Eastern Time.


Mel Duncan is a co-founder and current Director of Advocacy and Outreach for Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), a world leader in unarmed civilian protection (UCP). NP’s nonviolent civilian protectors provide direct protection to civilians caught in violent conflict and work with local groups to prevent further violence in a variety of conflict areas including South Sudan, Iraq, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.  Mel has represented NP at the United Nations where the group has been granted Consultative Status. Recent UN global reviews, as well as Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions, have cited and recommended unarmed civilian protection. He is currently focusing on identifying and validating UCP good practices. The American Friends Service Committee nominated Nonviolent Peaceforce for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.  In 2018, Nonviolent Peaceforce received the Luxembourg Peace Prize.

Nadine Bloch is currently the Training Director for Beautiful Trouble. As an innovative artist, nonviolent action practitioner, political organizer, direct-action trainer, and a puppetista, she combines the principles and strategies of people power with creative use of the arts in cultural resistance and public protest. Her work has been featured nationally and locally, in newspapers like The Washington Post and magazines from Ms. to Time. She is a contributor to the books Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution (2012, O/R Press), Beautiful RisingCreative Resistance from the Global South (2017, O/R Press) and We Are Many, Reflections on Movement Strategy from Occupation to Liberation (2012, AK Press).  She is the author of a Special Report Education & Training in Nonviolent Resistance (2016, US Institutes of Peace.) Check out her column on the blog WagingNonviolence, “The Arts of Protest.”

Beautiful Trouble is a global network of artist-activists empowering social movements to creatively respond to injustice in ways that open up new possibilities. It believes in people power and the game-changing role that art, mischief, joy, and humor can play in the struggle for a better world. 

Daryn Cambridge is an educational creative, producer and facilitator who has cultivated his career in the fields of peacebuilding, civics education and engagement, nonviolent action, community organizing, and international education. Daryn currently serves as the Professional Development Portfolio Manager for the EPIC project at Training Resources Group, Inc. – an organizational development and training consulting firm that helps people create positive change in the world.

In his role with the EPIC project, Daryn designs, facilitates, and supports a range of educational events and products for USAID’s Office of Education, all 45 mission countries, and the larger global education sector. Prior to joining TRG, Daryn worked for a number of organizations – The United States Institute of Peace, the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, Common Cause, the Democracy Matters Institute, the Close Up Foundation, and the Student Conservation Association.

He is also an adjunct professor at American University where he has taught courses on Education for International Development, Peace Pedagogy, and Nonviolent Action. He serves on the board of One Common Unity – a DC-based non-profit that works with young people to break cycles of violence and build compassionate, healthy communities through the transformative power of music, arts, and peace education. He also serves on the board of the Democracy Matters Institute.