From Marshall Rosenberg’s 1999 visit to the first IIT Colombia in 2026

In 1999, Marshall Rosenberg visited Bogotá, Colombia, accompanied by Alan Seid and his son Brett. The visit was coordinated with Jorge Rubio, the first certified Nonviolent Communication trainer in the country.

During 10 days, he worked with different sectors of society: a foundation of Catholic priests supporting street-connected children, students in schools and universities, as well as representatives from institutional spheres, including an army general, ombudspeople, human rights lawyers, and members of Congress. A mediation with gang members had also been planned, but it ultimately did not take place.

Today, 27 years after what appears to have been his only visit to Colombia, the first International Intensive Training in Nonviolent Communication (IIT) will be held in Santandercito, Cundinamarca.

IITs were created by Marshall in 1994 and, through the Center for Nonviolent Communication, have been held in different parts of the world to bring together people committed to learning, practicing, and living Nonviolent Communication.

Nonviolent Communication, also known as the language of life, offers something deeply transformative: recognizing that the way we speak shapes the way we live. In a country like Colombia, where violence has been part of its history and, often, its everyday reality, this is no small matter.

We have normalized ways of communicating that disconnect, hurt, or divide, without noticing that our words can also become spaces for connection, dignity, and care. If language creates reality, then transforming how we communicate is also a way of transforming the country.

In an election year, this training is a concrete invitation: to learn how to hold disagreement without losing our humanity, to transform conflicts without denying them, and to engage in conversations where difference and respect can coexist.

This IIT will take place from October 30 to November 8, 2026, and seeks not only to share Nonviolent Communication, but also to honor the wisdom, culture, and experience of Colombia in the ongoing work of building peace.

The information about Marshall’s 1999 visit is based on a conversation I had with Alan Seid on April 23, 2026, in which he shared his memories of that trip. If others have additional information, it would be invaluable to continue reconstructing this collective history. We know, for example, that a Colombian woman played a key role in coordinating meetings and interviews during that visit.

The photograph shared by Alan was taken at the Gimnasio Moderno in Bogotá.

More information about IIT Colombia 2026:

https://www.cnvc.org/es/learn/iit/2026-10-30-iit-colombia

Claudia Sanchez

Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication

Co-organizer, IIT Colombia 2026