Signature Workshops and Keynotes - Testimonials

“I have participated in hundreds of conversations and mediations around the world, in the Middle East, USA, Europe, and other places. I have never seen anything like this!” - Participant

"Here's to finding more bright spots, even during challenging times.” -  Panelist

"I just wanted to say thank you for facilitating such a warm and loving workshop that we desperately needed on our campus. I believe the strategies of care you shared with us will truly make a difference on our campus and in our classrooms. And thank you for sharing more of your own story with us throughout the day. I hope we have more occasion to connect this year. I won’t be able to do the mindfulness training as it’s Passover that second week and my whole family will be here but I know it will be wonderful for our faculty and I will look forward to supporting other events and initiatives on our campus!!... -  Rachel, Faculty

"Over the course of my career, I have participated in many trainings. None have had the impact of this campus-wide event. The facilitation was flawless and I truly felt like we were building something important and meaningful. I am grateful for the time spent in community with my UW Tacoma colleagues and inspired by the steadfast work of Dr. Ndura and her team. - Staff 

"I am attending the faculty webinar today and wanted to express my thanks for your comments about the challenges you are facing as an emerging signer. I do not think I can express in words how meaningful your comments were to me, as I, too, feel like I cannot keep up despite my best efforts right now. Thank you for reminding everyone that we are working so hard and anyone who is an emerging signer is feeling all these changes as both a student AND a faculty/staff member. 

Thank you! Thank you.” - Stephanie, Faculty  

“Attending this training helped me learn about struggles my colleagues face that I'm not even aware of and that I never experience.” - Staff

“The Mindful Facilitation Training gave me multiple opportunities to deeply reflect on my communication style and has caused me to establish a practice of considering the necessity of what I may choose to say and whether (or not) saying it is even an appropriate choice.” - Staff

“Dr. Ndura, 

Thank you! Thank you for being a driving force behind this week's Diversity workshop. I didn't know what to expect heading into it. I will be honest, I was naive at first that this would be just another diversity workshop with a few speakers and no engagement/interaction. Boy was I wrong. I was so touched and moved by everyone that took the time to share their stories and to be able to have the time to listen to them. 

We all have our issues and challenges at work but it was helpful to learn there are others in the same boat. Or others facing major obstacles and we had no idea or frankly we didn't take the time to learn about their issues. I think a lot of us had to see that firsthand. I was shaken by some of the stories and even cried when asked by my partner about what I leave at the door. I was also saddened to learn of the challenges and hatred you have faced here. There is no room for that here or anywhere. 

I am encouraged that this is the beginning of big cultural changes for this campus. I hope these lessons will be shared with more of our faculty, staff, and most importantly the students. We all play a role in making this positive change and creating a brave space for all. I want to be part of this change and solution. 

Kudos to you, your staff and planning committee. Thanks also go out to President Cordano and the Board of Trustees for supporting this.” - Participant

“Dear Dr. Ndura, 

My name is Christopher ---. I am a UNR graduate and a former student of your multicultural education course. Now I am a Walden University student and I am working on a PhD in Business Management, with an emphasis on Leadership. We are currently studying multicultural leadership and I had a great idea -- what could I learn from an expert in the field? 

You will be proud to know I am still assigning multicultural research assignments to my mathematics students. As a part-time instructor in Winnemucca, Nevada this throws the students off, but serves to enrich the classroom and the community. In the few business courses that I have taught, it also serves to inform leadership styles and hopefully achieves the goal of altering their mental models. I am proud of your accomplishments and feel our exchanges were some of the best I received at UNR. UNR should have capitalized on your skills and kept you on the staff, but I see you have established yourself elsewhere and are thriving… Thank you for all your years of teaching…” 

- Christopher UNR Alumnus 

“Do No Harm—This is also a value of nursing. I love the term you introduced: Ubuntu- which also applies to Nursing as well. I like to ask students about this at the end of a shift: Why do I do what I do? What impact did I have today? Thank you for stressing this reflective activity. Love the concept of the interdependence basket! Thank you.” 

- Participant

“As a woman who was raised in an environment of privilege—White, Southern, educated—I know now at this stage of my life it is so important to speak from a place of truth, justice & care for others. Thank you for reminding me of these important conversations that need to happen on campus. The importance of finding the resources to support these conversations is critical. Elavie, so glad you’re here with us right now.” 

- GMU President’s Council Member

“Thank you so much for coming and being with us today. I connect very much with your statement that I recall as something like “I am not me without you,” or the notion that we are each shaped by the presence of the other. I will be in touch to chat about how we can work together on these issues.” 

- GMU Staff 

“I got the opportunity to welcome Dr. Elavie Ndura and work with her in the professional development seminars she organized in 2006 and 2007 for more than 1000 teachers from many Burundian schools. Her seminars have always been very well organized and filled with very useful information that our educators need very much. Many educators who have participated in her seminars often ask me to invite her back so that they can be inspired again in ways to improve their teaching. I realized that she helped much our teachers and since that time, our teachers work better than they used to do, and the students succeed better than they did in former times.” 

- Father Jean, Education Supervisor

“She has a wealth of knowledge about peace education and has many practical experiences that help contextualize her many profound and provocative ideas around peacebuilding. What I find amazing about Dr. Ndura is her ability to do so many things well. Her presence is always felt particularly when things are done well. You will always get a sense that her stamp was on a successful project. It is simply the faith, diligence, and concentration that I’ve watched her dedicate to a task. I watched in awe as she brought together complex programs and presentations, facilitated and reduced conflict, mentored and guided those who would benefit from it.” - Andre

“Dr. Ndura was instrumental in my transformation as a person, student, and educator during my years as a student at George Mason University. She helped me understand how my life experiences, assumptions, and privilege impacted the relationships I had with my students, their families, my colleagues, and how I saw the world around me. As a result of the educational experiences, conversations, and reflections I had with Dr. Ndura, I was able to establish more genuine relationships with people who were, in some way, different from me. She helped me discover and appreciate the humanity in all people and the view of the world from their eyes, which I continue to use anytime I am in the position to make decisions in my classroom, school, or community.” 

- Stanley, GMU Alumnus

“Wow…this workshop really hit a place in me I was reluctant to investigate, and still am reluctant to investigate. I was raised in a dual-parent household in a wonderful neighborhood and was provided with everything I ever needed, and in many cases, things I simply wanted. I went to a school with little diversity. Although my neighborhood has changed a lot since then, I still struggle with seeing other perspectives, culturally speaking. I am eager to grow and become more open-minded in this area…” 

- Kate,  George Mason University

“One such statement that really impacted me personally was during our Cohort discussion with Elavie. I asked her how racism had affected her daily life. She shared with me and our Cohort that she goes to bed thinking about it every night and she wakes up each morning with it being the first thing on her mind and encounters it each day in her interactions with others. She has her entire life. That night, I had difficulty sleeping thinking about ways in which I had always rested easily without fear for my life, without worry for my children’s and family’s safety each day, without being turned away because I had a different pigment to my skin or a different surname or because I was uneducated. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since! As I said before, I wouldn’t change a thing about upbringing and my life before. But having this new knowledge and learning more about it every day, I am filled with a list of unending questions as to my role now as an educator, a parent, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a classmate, a teammate, a friend and a member of the human race.”  

- Nicole,  George Mason University

“Over the course of the semester, I have learned many things. I remember the thoughts and opinions that I had coming into this class and how different I feel and think as I am leaving the class. I know that one of the major areas that I have changed in is my understanding of culture, race, and ethnicity. I have begun to understand that minorities do have more challenges than I have previously thought and that there really is a thing as “White Privilege’. As I watched the different videos throughout the semester, I gained an understanding and appreciation for the trials that the different groups have had to endure. Also, the class discussions have opened my eyes to the realities that occur in society. I now can truly appreciate these groups and have empathy for them and the challenges that they have had to endure. I hope that the information that I have gained through this class will continue to help me in the future. I know that the process of change must begin with the individual, and I hope that I can be a catalyst to help the change to progress. As educators, we have so much influence on future generations, and it is important that we recognize this huge responsibility in order to have an impact on the future. Thank you for the time that you spent in helping me to gain the knowledge to change my beliefs and desires for the future.” - Participant 

“An overwhelmingly transformative experience that allowed me a journey into my past, my world, and my role as an educator. I am grateful this course is offered, and feel privileged to have had the course conducted by Dr. Ndura.” - Participant 

“There has been so much I have learned in this class but the most important things are one: To treat everyone with respect and to be comfortable to ask of them about themselves. I’m shy and this class taught me that if I’m going to be open and learn, I have to ask…I know now my best way of learning is by asking and sharing. I have also taken a lot from being aware of people’s diversity. Everyone has culture, a different culture and I need to respect that and show them they are special and unique. This is especially true for students. This class has taught me to celebrate diversity and share each other’s culture with one another. Hopefully, if we all teach one another we won’t have ignorance, we won’t have hate or discrimination. I believe much of this exists because people are afraid of what they don’t know or have experienced.” - Participant