SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

A Public Health Approach to Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment
​We are at a critical stage in better understanding, effectively addressing and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and greater community. Building Peaceful Community offers workshops and consultation to workplaces interested in learning about and implementing tailored prevention strategies. By adding these ideas and approaches to complement more traditional HR and legal-based harassment policy and training strategies, participants will gain and be better able to implement visions, tools and new opportunities for preventing workplace sexual harassment, for all of us, now. Read more.

Workshops on Refreshing Your Workplace

Customized 3-4 hour facilitated discussions to help your workgroup better understand one another's strengths and work more effectively toward common goals. For a flyer describing workshops, click here.

Recent Refreshing Your Workplace workshops have been provided to the following organizations: Campfire Minnesota, Child Care Aware, Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul, HIRED, Minnesota Communities Caring for Children/Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits 2017 Annual Conference,  PRISM, and Walden University School of Nursing Field Education.
PictureTo read feedback from a recent Refreshing Your Workshop participant discussion, click on the discussion summary above.
From recent participants
  • "We can't do our jobs if we're not aligned." 
  • "I learned about who and what we are as humans."​
  • "One of the greatest dangers to an organization is not understanding what you are agreeing to and why. Healthy work environments allow and encourage questions."
  • "Dissmell is rejection before sampling. It is a normal survival skill and it causes dangerous bias. Don't get mad at humans who do it - they're programmed to."
  • "The importance of interest and enjoyment. That is not a priority at my job, and not seen as a good way to use funds/staff time, but we need to find ways to increase interest and enjoyment for the employees in our organization." 
Interested in learning more? 
Click here to contact Building Peaceful Community today.

Men Breaking Free

Men Breaking Free is a ground breaking Restorative Justice approach to working with men who have been arrested for attempting to purchase sex from another human being. Men Breaking Free is a unique approach that helps men to fully understand the cycles of pain resulting from sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, while simultaneously offering them the possibility of empathy and healing and growth for themselves, their families, and the people they love.

Men Breaking Free was developed in 2018 through a partnership between Breaking Free, a Saint Paul-based agency that works with women and children who have been trafficked and harmed by the commercial sex industry, and Building Peaceful Community. Between June 2018 and May 2019, over 100 men who had been arrested for trying to purchase sex from another human being have participated in Men Breaking Free workshops. The results have been striking:
  • We have learned that most all of these men had little or no understanding of the realities of sex trafficking prior to participating in the workshop.
  • We have seen men truly moved by what they learn in Men Breaking Free workshops, with many  genuinely wishing and acting to make amends to people who have been hurt by their previous actions, including by becoming presenters and mentors for men at subsequent Men Breaking Free workshops.
  • We have learned that most all of these men have their own stories of isolation, hurt and pain in their lives.
  • We have learned that most all of these men have the same needs in their lives as all of us: for genuine connection and trusting relationships; meaning and purpose through work and family; and people they can call on and count on in dark times of life.

Men Breaking Free workshops are held the third Saturday of each month with men ordered by the court to attend. Contact Donald Gault for more information.

Read more on the Breaking Free web breakingfree.net and in the following Thomson Reuters article printed in the Times of India: 'Change the men', say U.S. fighters against sex trafficking.
Photograph of Donald Gault consulting in the offices of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball
Don Gault confers with Major League Baseball.
"When Major League Baseball turned to Sand Creek for help to proactively prevent and address domestic abuse, sexual assault and child abuse issues among sports professionals and their families, I turned to an expert in the field who I have long admired for direction and consulting help. Don Gault has invested nearly 30 years of his career in prevention of violence in families and communities. He understands the full dynamics of this issue and strives to support  all involved so that they can heal and restore their lives. I highly recommend Don Gault  and his wisdom to employers, employees, and their families." -- Gretchen M. Stein, PhD, CEAP, president and CEO, Sand Creek Group