The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2026

I am now accepting submissions for The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2026.  

 

With the state of the world the way it is, The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence has never been more needed.  So please submit your blog post.  

 

 

We can make a difference.  It's down to you and me.  It's down to us.  Together, we can change the world.  

 

Go here for the guidelines.  

 

Then dm me here to submit your blog post.  

 

The deadline is the 15th of September 2026.  

 

The annual Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence is held by bestselling author Zhana.  It is open to everyone.  

 

I look forward to hearing from you.  

 

Go here to connect with me on Goodreads.  

 

Go here to connect with me on Substack.  

 

Please share this with anyone who can benefit from it.  

15-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Murder

A 15-year-old boy has become the fifth person to be charged with the murder of 17-year-old Yeray Sanchez-Morales, who died after he was fatally stabbed outside MacDonald’s on the Old Kent Road in Southeast London.  

 

Go here for more.  

I can remember being 15, but I don't remember anybody killing anybody.  What is going on in this world?  

 

There is a lot of bad news these days, but the good news is, we can change things.  One way we can change things is through The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.  See also:  Terrible Things.  

 

Parents can make a huge difference.  This terrible youth violence is PREVENTABLE.  Go here for my free Worksheet for Parents.    

 

I'll be posting more about how parents can make a difference.  

 

What do you think about this terrible youth violence?  And what are your biggest parenting issues?  Please post below.  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2025. 

 

 Please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

 

 

 

 

What Is Life Like Inside an ICE Detention Center?

I have been readiing disturbing reports about life inside ICE detention centers.  

 

Terrible things are happening, but you can make a difference.  Scroll down for more.  

 

ICE agents swoop in and detain people without warning. Those detained are shackled and repeatedly moved from one facility to another without explanation, sometimes being moved across state lines on multiple occasions.  

Their belongings are taken from them. They are denied food for their specialist diets. They have inadequate water supplied to them. They are denied their prescription meds.  There are gaps in mdntal health care and suicide prevention.   Some are separated from their children. They are denied space in which to pray.

They are often living in filthy conditions, in freezing cold cells with open toilets. They live under constant fluorescent lights 24 hours a day. Some are not given soap or toothbrushes. Some have no mattresses or bedding. Some women are denied sanitary products. 

 

Detainees report physical humiliation and violence.  

 

Nobody discusses the detainees’ cases with them or explains anything to them. They are required to wear uniforms as if in prison.

They do not have criminal records.

And these facilities are run for profit.

This doctoral student shares her experience of being detained in an ICE prison. 

 

How we can all support immigrants. 

 

This woman from New Zealand was detained with her six-year-old. 

 

This Canadian woman was detained. 

 

A judge condemned what he called “inhumane and horrifying conditions”.

ICE documents reveal plan to double immigrant detention space this year.  

 

We must speak out against injustice and inequality.  

 

We must speak up for justice.  We must speak up for peace.  We must speak up for human dignity.  We must speak up for justice.  We must speak up for kindness.  

Please, please add your voice.  Please share your thoughts and feelings with The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2025.  The deadline is the 15th of September.  We look forward to hearing from you!  

See also:  

More from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2025 

 

Terrible Things Are Happening right in our own communities, and across the world.  But there are rays of hope.  And you can help.  

Go here for my review of Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg.  

Please share this in your networks as widely as possible.  And please comment below.  Thanks.  

 

 

 

Freedom of Speech? Really?

According to sources including the Guardian, 100,000 or more Israelis are protesting against Netanyahu’s plans to extend the war in Gaza.

 

Meanwhile, here in the UK, more than 500 people have been arrested for silently holding up placards supporting Palestine Action, a “proscribed group”, during a peaceful protest in central London.

 

Again according to the Guardian, as well as the BBC, Channel 4 and other sources, more than 450 people were arrested in central London on Saturday at the largest demonstration relating to Palestine Action since the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation. On Saturday night, police said that as of 9pm, over 450 people had been arrested for showing support for Palestine Action. There were a further eight arrests for other offences including five assaults on officers.

 

People in this country love to talk about freedom of speech, but it is clearly a myth.  

 

Go here for what Marshall Rosenberg, the author of Nonviolent Communication, did while working with people in Israel and Palestine.  

 

Go here for The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2025.  You can make a difference.  Please add your voice.  Go here to submit your blog post.  The deadline is the 15th of September.  

 

How do you feel about Palestine Action becoming a proscribed group?  How do you feel about the arrests?  Please leave your comments below.  

 

 

 

 

The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2025

The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2025

 

 

The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2025 wants your blog.  With so much war and conflict going on in the world today, we see these horrendous images every day on our TV screens.  In Gaza, in Ukraine, in Russia, in Sudan, in Rwanda and Congo, in Haiti - people are being bombed.  Children are dying.  People are starving.  

 

 

Starving people are being shot at while trying to access food.  

 

We can put an end to this.  We need to learn the skills of nonviolence and Nonviolent Communication (NVC).  Peace can begin at an interpersonal level.  Interpersonal meaning you and me.  Together, we can make a difference.  Every time we work towards peace, be it inner work or work with others, we are contributing to the energy of peace on the planet and in the universe.  

 

We must put an end to this violence.  And we can.  

 

Your blog can be a written blog, an audio blog, a vlog, a poem, or any other way you want to express yourself.   

 

Share your thoughts, share your words.  Share your experiences.  

 

Contact me here and leave your contact details if you would like to submit your blog post.  It can be a written blog, an audio blog, a vlog, a poem - whatever way you want to express yourself.  

 

I look forward to hearing from you.  

 

Go here to learn more about NVC.   

 

Please share/comment.  Thanks.  

Connect with me on Goodreads.  

Connect with me on Authors' Den.  

15-Year-Old Girl Stabbed to Death in Croydon

Once again, I kicked off the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence with a terrible, tragic, violent and preventable death of a young person, this time in Croydon, South London.  

 

TRIGGER WARNING:  VIOLENCE  

15-year-old Elianne Andam was stabbed on a crowded bus on her way to school, apparently by a 17-year-old boy when her friend rejected flowers he was offering her.  Elianne tried to intervene in their argument. 

We talked about this recently on my Success Strategies radio show.  Go here for more info and to listen.  

 

As I write this, I have just learned of a 16-year-old boy being murdered in Luton. 

 

We don't have to keep reading these stories.  We don't have to keep seeing them on TV.  We can change this situation. Empathy can prevent us from having to hear about this and read about it.  Empathy can prevent the senseless, needless death of another young person.  

 

As I have said previously, I think of NVC primarily as a preventative process.  A lot of violence can be prevented by use of empathy.  And violent situations can be transformed through the use of empathy. 

 

Many parents, probably most, are very caring, hardworking people.  They may be tired, they may be stressed, but they still do their best to find time to connect with their children.  But sometimes, something is missed.  

 

I have no idea what caused this situation.  Sometimes, it's a family pattern.  Sometimes, it's a lack of self-esteem.  Almost certainly, it's a lack of communication somewhere.  And now a young man is in custody.  And another young woman lies dead.  Another grieving family.  Another horrible, preventable killing.  

 

For more about how parents can use NVC and empathy to improve their connections with their children, download Affirmations for Parents today.  

Go here to download it from Amazon.com 

Go here to download it from Amazon.co.uk

Go here for more about Nonviolent Communiction.  

And go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2023.  

Nonviolence Starts with Parenting with Peace

Naimah Latif, the Executive producer of my Success Strategies show on The Female Solution,  has posted this video, "Nonviolence Starts with Parenting with Peace",  People all over the world are learning Nonviolent Communication (NVC), which is based on empathy.  

 

Naimah has given us a lot to think about, in terms of parenting with peace.  As usual, I am very inspired by her vision.  What effect does it have on the world when parents use violent actions and/or words?  And what effect will it have when parents learn the skills of NVC?  

 

We are all aware of the conflicts raging on a global scale right now.  How can we learn to resolve conflicts using empathy rather than violence?  

What changes will the next generation be able to put into effect to transform the world?  

 

Would you like to learn more about NVC and empathy?  If so, go here.  Plus download my Kindle ebook Affirmations for Parents if you want to learn more about how to use NVC with children.  I will earn a litle money if you buy from my link.  

 

Go here to download it from Amazon.com 

 

Go here to download it from Amazon.co.uk

 

Please share this post with your networks and please leave your comments below.  Thanks.  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2023.  

 

 

Your Experiences Are So Important

Peace Circles

Your experiences of empathy, nonviolence and/or violence are so important. They are vital. People want to read, and hear, about your experiences because we can relate to them and feel inspired by them.

If you have witnessed violence - and everyone has at some point in our lives - we will connect with your experience from the heart.

If you are recovering from violence, many people around the world share your concerns and will be inspired by your vulnerability, your courage and your healing process.

 

If you are helping others to recover from violence, through writing or teaching or through other means, people will be touched and inspired by your message.

If you are sharing practical nonviolent methods, your work can help others all over the world. We can end the culture of violence, help grow the culture of empathy and spread the culture of peace.

The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence is a collective effort. You can be a part of it. And I extend an enormous “Thank You” to all of the bloggers who have contributed to our first 10 years.

Please share your experience with the Blogging Carnival of Nonviolence 2023. Your blog post can be:

• a written blog; 
• a vlog;
• an audio blog or podcast;
• a poem; or
• any other form you choose to use.

Go to our Facebook page to contact us and submit your blog post.

The 2023 blog posts will appear here.

Go here for the guidelines.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Please share this with your networks and please comment below.  Thanks!  

5 Simple Tips to Help You Have a Real Conversation with a Teen

Photo by Allen Taylor at Unsplash

I was so happy to see this article, because it espouses a lot of the same values that we work from in Nonviolent Communication (NVC). 

 

Many times, parents have told me that their teenagers  are upset, and when I asked them, “What need does s/he have that’s not been met?”, the parent has said, “Nothing”.  It amazes me sometimes that parents are  so unaware of their teenagers’ needs. 

 

When we are upset or angry, this means that one or more of our needs have not been met. The parent often has an agenda and is not taking the child’s needs into account. NVC tells us we have physical, emotional and social needs – a wide range of needs, some of which are not going to be met in certain situations. 

 

Children may, sometimes, be a little easier to deal with when they are younger, but when they reach adolescence, they are starting to assert their independence, and parents can find this challenging. 

 

Empathy is the basis of NVC, and empathy is more about listening than talking. If parents listen to their teens, rather than just talking to them, it’s possible that they can reach an agreement which will meet everyone’s needs. 

 

Go here to read this article on 5 Simple Tips to Help You Have a Real Conversation with a Teen, then please post your responses below – how do you feel about this article? Does it reflect your experience as a teen, or as a parent? 

 

Please share this with your networks. 

 

Go here for some NVC resources, including my Kindle ebook Affirmations for Parents, which specifically describes how to use NVC with children and teens.  

 

Go here for more from the BloggingCarnival for Nonviolence 2022.

Why Are Our Children Killing Each Other?

Why Are Our Children Killing Each Other? 

We have discussed this several times on my show and we discussed it again this month.  What do you think?  Please respond with your thoughts and positve suggestions.  I am looking for practical solutions.  And if you are a blogger, please submit your post.  Details of the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence are below.  

Go here for my most recent show:  How to Deal with Troubled Teens. 

Go here for the previous show:  How Can We Improve Young People's Mental Health? 

How Can We Create a Peaceful World?  This is a question we continue to ask on my monthly Success Strategies radio show on The Female Solution Worldwide TV and Radio Networ.  I have listed some of the broadcasts below, along with links to The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence and the Global Peace Summit.  

Go here for The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2021.  We look forward to receiving your blog posts!  

Nonviolent Communication with Zelda Speaks 

Readings from The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence

The Global Peace Summit December 2020 

 

Ceri and Zhana Discuss NVC

I am so glad Ceri Buckmaster is now a Certified Trainer in NVC (Nonviolent Communication).  She has supported me so much with issues in my life and also supported my practice of NVC.  Ceri has so many skills in terms of connecting with empathy towards ourselves and others.  So I was very interested in holding this conversation.  

Often, we don't want to contact, or communicate with, the parts of ourselves which are in pain or distress.  We also talked about our different conditioning as Black woman and a white woman, and how our feelings and needs are conditioned by race.   

If you want to learn more about NVC and cultivating self-empathy, have a listen.  

Go here for details about Ceri's next NVC Foundation Training.  

Go here for details about Ceri's Self-Empathy Training.  

Plus go here to listen to Ceri, other bloggers and myself read blogs from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence. 

This conversation was recorded about six weeks ago.  I also mention a forthcoming discussion of the representation of Black people/people of African heritage on British TV currently.  I have some serious questions about why there is so much programming about the Black experience on UK TV now, in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, which was watched all over the world.  (This is not just about the programming during October, which is Black History Month in the UK).  You can listen to this discussion here:  "What's Haunting YOU?".   

Please share this with your networks and please leave your comments below.  Thanks.  

How Positive Affirmations Change My Mindset on the Really Hard Mom Days

How Positive Affirmations Change My Mindset on the Really Hard Mom Days  

I really like this blog post because it shows how difficult parenting can be at times, and also shows how self-empathy dan help us to connect with others, including children.

I also like the way she used the affirmations, by attaching them to the bathroom mirror and saying them out loud 3x every time she saw them. I enjoy this creativity.

For more about empathy and NVC, see NVC Resources and Books about Nonviolence.

You can purchase my ebook, Affirmations for Parents, here on Amazon.com.

You can purchase my ebook, Affirmations for Parents, here on Amazon.co.uk.

Go here for more resources for parents.

Please share this with your networks and please leave your comments below. Thanks.  

 

25 Confidence-Boosting Affirmations for Your Child

 25 Confidence-Boosting Affirmations for Your Child

While I like some of these affirmations, some of them use language that can actually alienate us from children (and ourselves). Nonviolent Communication (NVC) suggests that we avoid terms like “good”, “bad”, “evil” - moralistic language. This is judgmental language which disconnects us.

Statements such as “I love your creativity”, “I love spending time with you” or “I believe in you” are statements I enjoy. In these affirmations, the parent is taking responsibility for his/her thoughts and feelings.

For more about NVC, see NVC Resources and Books about Nonviolence.

You can purchase Affirmations for Parents here on Amazon.com.

You can purchase Affirmations for Parents here on Amazon.co.uk.

Go here for more resources for parents. 

Please share this with your networks and please leave your comments below.  Thanks. 

Night of Bloodshed across London

Knife Crime

My heart sank - again - when I saw this article. Friday night was a night of violence across London when five people were stabbed, bringing the 2019 murder figures to 100 so far.  Some of the victims had wounds not considered to be life-threatening. 

Meanwhile, on Thursday night, a Halloween party in San Francisco was the scene of five killings.  Others at the party were wounded less seriously. 

Some people blame video games, and they may have a point, but there have been films for many years which have glorified violence or treated it as entertainment.  

We MUST get out of this mindset.   Human life is precious.  We must END this violence.  If you are looking for an alternative, Nonviolent Communication is a practical way to learn to communicate with EMPATHY - the opposite of violence.  

Go here for NVC resources and go here for the Blogging Carnival of Nonviolence 2019.  There IS an alternative.  It's up to you and me to step up and make a difference.  

Please share this with your networks and please comment below.  Thanks.  

 



 

Compassion for Your Addictions Holds the Key to Lasting Change

Compassion for Your Addictions

Examining our addictions can help us to get more in touch with our needs - that which connects us with life.  

Feelings and needs are at the heart of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).  Needs are what connect us with life - with our life-force energy. 

Go here for this post by NVC Certified Trainer Ceri Buckmaster:  Compassion for Your Addictions Holds the Key to Lasting Change.  

What have you learned from examining your addictions?  Please post below.  

Plus go here for Ceri Buckmaster on her work with Extinction Rebellion:  Allowing Something to Flourish:  Supporting Nonviolent Social Action!  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2019.  

Please share this with your networks and please leave your comments below.  Thanks.  


 

Allowing Something to Flourish – Supporting Nonviolent Social Action!

Extinction Rebellion Demo in London

In this post, NVC Certified Trainer Ceri Buckmaster explores her involvement in applying Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to social movements, and particularly to Extinction Rebellion.  

Extinction Rebellion were unique in that they approached NVC with a request for training and support in nonviolence and de-escalation.  Ceri talks about her own experience of involvement in organising and leading these trainings, sharing NVC skills with several hundred people. 

Go here to read this post by Ceri Buckmaster on using NVC with Extinction Rebellion.  Many thanks to Ceri and to NVC-UK.  

You can help make a difference.  Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2019.

Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

See also:  A Day in the Life of an Extinction Rebellion Protester.  

Ceri Buckmaster runs workshops and supports people and organisations in conflict through mediation and setting up systems to deal with conflict long term. 

Her sharing of NVC rests on the 4 pillars of:

• Building a culture of Consent,
• Raising awareness of power and privilege,
• Finding ways of embracing and transforming conflict and,
• Holding space for grief and mourning.

She also supports people to create more robust relationships based on transparency, openness, and mutual care. All of her work promotes self-care, care for the other, and care for ‘us’ and our environment.    

Teen dies in front of 50 classmates after 'being bullied at school'

Yet another horrible, tragic story.  And yet again, it could have been prevented.   

Teen dies in front of 50 classmates after "being bullied at school".   

The language we use about ourselves, and to ourselves, can cause a great deal of psychological and emotional damage. And when bullying takes place, hurtful words can be internalised - they become part of us. The results can be devastating and even fatal. 

In NVC, certain types of speech, including blaming, labelling (name-calling), judging and threatening are called "jackal speech". But we can translate the jackals into more helpful, "giraffe speech".  

Bullying in our schools is happening with shocking frequency. But we can put a stop to it.  

NVC (Nonviolent Communication) is about EMPATHY.  

Go here for NVC resources.  

See also: 9-Year Old Girl Commits Suicide after Months of Being Bullied at Her School.  

Our children are precious. They are the future. We MUST tackle this problem. And when we have the skills, we can.  

Go here for the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2019.

 

 

Empathy in a Difficult and Dangerous World

Giraffe speech helps us to connect

Empathy means to stand in another person's shoes, i.e. to see things from their perspective. 

EMPATHY is at the heart of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).  In an NVC context, empathy means to connect with feelings and needs - our own and other people's.

In order to be able to connect with someone else in an empathetic way, we first need to have empathy for ourselves.  

In NVC, empathetic speech is called "giraffe speech".  This is speech which helps us to connect with others and with our own experience. 

With all the violence and conflict all over the world, there has never been a greater need for NVC skills.  NVC helps us to connect using language - to connect with other people's needs and to express our own.

Empathy can be, and has been, used in many situations, including those involving extreme violence.

I am sure you have experienced empathy - either using it yourself or receiving it from someone else, or both.  I encourage you to blog about your experience of empathy in your home, with your family, at your workplace, or in any other situation.

Please post your blog post to the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2019.  Go here for details.

Go here to read the blogs from 2018. 

Go here for the 2019 blogs. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

Go here for short films about the basics of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).

Go here for a short film about NVC and parenting.

Enjoy these, and please share them with your networks.  Please leave your comments below.  Thanks. 

Applying Empathy to Violent Situations

Mum Looked the Other Way

Mum, 20, “looked the other way as boyfriend punched their baby to death”.  

There are SO MANY of these stories. And many more stories that don't make the headlines, of children being neglected and abused.

An incident starts with anger. The stepfather or stepmother gets triggered by something. Probably something from her past, from her own childhood.

It might trigger a past incident of her being abused, experiencing intense anger and violence from a parent or carer, or a time when she was herself intensely angry or afraid.

Something gets triggered and terrible, unthinkable and unbelievable things happen as a result.

Then we blame the abuser. He or she is “evil”, she or he is a terrible person. We point the finger of blame. But it's this anger and blame that are the root of the problem.

The truth is we all have the capacity for violence within us. We are born with it. It's part of our makeup and it's what helped us to survive in ancient times.

But these horrendous actions can be PREVENTED.

NVC (Nonviolent Communication) is based on EMPATHY.

When rage or fear is triggered in us or in others, we can process it peacefully and safely by applying empathy. That way, everybody wins.

We need to have the skills to practice NVC and there are plenty of opportunities to learn and perfect these skills.

For more about empathy, and how to develop empathetic skills, see:

NVC Resources

https://blognonviolence.weebly.com/nvc-resources.html

Books about NVC

https://blognonviolence.weebly.com/shop.html

Short Films on the Basics of Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

http://transformyourlife-zhana21.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-basics-of-nonviolent-communication_5.html

See also: Child Killed by Mother's Partner

http://transformyourlife-zhana21.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-basics-of-nonviolent-communication_5.html

Child Killed by Mother's Partner

Leeds Crown Court

This is such a terrible story.  I HATE stories like this.  And they are all too common.   

Three-year-old boy ‘punched to death by mum’s boyfriend

 

A man hit his girlfriend’s three-year-old child so hard that he died from internal injuries 36 hours later, a court has heard.  

This is what we are talking about when we talk about nonviolence and Nonviolent Communication (NVC).  We are talking about life and death. 

There are SO MANY of these stories.    I can only list a tiny fraction here.  

Mother and partner guilty of murdering two-year-old boy

Stepfather who murdered partner's two-year-old son with sickening injuries

Stepmum beat and starved girl, 10, to death before burning her body in bin

These types of incidents can be PREVENTED.  

NVC is based on EMPATHY.  And when we learn the skills of empathy, we can PREVENT these awful violent situations.   

NVC can be highly effective in reducing, resolving and PREVENTING conflicts. 

There are so many reasons why we need NVC.  Family problems and conflicts can be addressed and, in many cases, resolved using NVC.  For more about this, download Affirmations for Parents.  

Download it on Amazon.com here.  

Download it on Amazon.co.uk here.   

See also:  Are We Listening to Our Children?   

Go here for more NVC resources.