the civitatem story
our story
we created civitatem to address problems we see repeating in sites of civil society engagement - be that organisations, collectives, or networks. we function within the master's container and are forced to use the master's tools. transformation remains a dream.
this has to change: we need more communities, not cycles of unending conflict. we need healing, not punishment. we need justice, not retribution.
civitatem was born out of acknowledging, recognizing, and committing to take action to change this reality. we see our roles as bridge-building spacefarers. we bring radical imagination alive in your spaces through our work.
in the words of gloria anzaldua, in her poem the new speakers:
“we don't want to be stars but parts of constellations”
at civitatem, we do things differently. we treat conflict as generative. we see difficult conversations as points of entry for light. we see an appetite for learning as a blank canvas. we hold space to enable, support, and walk along anyone who wants to transform their mindsets, organisations, and relationships.
though our facilitation practice, we pre-identify and address potential sites of conflict where power is enacted one way and felt another and simmering tensions go unheard. we shift these dynamics and offer resources to build collaboration and harmony
through our mediation practice, we resolve and transform conflicts as non-judgmental and fair mediators. we co-create solutions that resolve differences and heal and preserve relationships.
through our training practice, we ground communities in skills and knowledge to engage across the interpersonal-international continuum. our wide-ranging trainings reflect this spectrum.
the civitatem team
it all begins with an idea. maybe you want to have a difficult conversation. maybe you want to interrogate power. maybe you want to resolve a conflict and preserve a relationship. maybe you want to learn something new! these people are happy to help you get started.
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Founderkirthi jayakumar is a lawyer, facilitator, and mediator, working with a special focus on areas of feminist facilitation, conflict transformation, and peace mediation.
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co-founder
gita jayakumar is a mediator and energy therapy practitioner, working with a special focus on trauma release, root cause analysis, and mind-body energy work.