Portugal·16 - 20 November 2026
The Restorative Classroom
A 5-day course in conflict transformation, intercultural mediation, and facilitation under pressure.
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Overview
Conflict is not a problem to be solved. It is a signal — of difference, of unmet needs, of structures that no longer serve. For facilitators, educators, and community practitioners, staying present in the heat of conflict — without fleeing, forcing, or losing the relationship — is one of the most transformative professional skills there is. Sitting in the Fire is a 5-day structured learning mobility course in Porto, Portugal, guided learning across five days (five hours a day) — for professionals in adult education, youth work, mediation, and community settings who encounter conflict in their practice. It develops competence across four interconnected dimensions: Understanding Conflict, Intercultural Dimensions, Facilitation Under Pressure, and Restorative & Transformative Practice — drawing on Arnold Mindell's Process Work, Dominic Barter's Restorative Circles, Nonviolent Communication, intercultural mediation, and somatic practice. The programme develops both individual, embodied capacity and transferable methodology participants apply directly in their organisations — designing conflict-engagement processes, facilitating difficult conversations, and rebuilding trust after rupture. It responds to a documented organisational need: unmanaged conflict drives disengagement, turnover, and breakdown in teams and communities. The methodology is grounded in non-formal education and experiential learning — consistent with Erasmus+ quality standards for learning mobility activities. Every concept is practised, not just explained; participants work with real cases from their own practice, supported by structured reflection and peer feedback, culminating in an individual transfer plan. The course is delivered by Inesto (SRL SB / APS), holder of Erasmus+ accreditation in the field of Adult Education (KA1 – Learning Mobility of Individuals). It is open to staff participants from Erasmus+ accredited sending organisations, as well as to self-funded participants. No prior mediation training is required; genuine professional experience with groups is expected.
Highlights
Understanding Conflict
The three elements of every conflict — Difference, Combustibility, and Power — and its many types, from interpersonal to structural to intergenerational. Reframing conflict as a signal and a teacher in professional practice.
The Body in Conflict
What happens in your nervous system when conflict arises — and the difference between reactivity and response. Somatic awareness of your own activation patterns, and working with conflict energy rather than suppressing it.
Intercultural Dimensions
How culture, power, and identity shape conflict — and whose conflict gets centred in facilitated spaces. Tools from the WIM (Workplace Intercultural Mediators) methodology for diverse professional contexts.
Restorative & Transformative Practice
Restorative Circles (Dominic Barter), Nonviolent Communication, and Theory U — practical methods for moving a group from debate to generative dialogue and for designing post-conflict repair.
Facilitation Under Pressure
Process Work (Arnold Mindell): when and how to intervene — naming, holding, stepping back. Live facilitation practice on real conflict scenarios, with structured peer feedback. This is the heart of the course.
Integration & Transfer
Post-conflict repair — rebuilding trust and connection after rupture. Designing your own conflict-transformation practice and an individual plan for transferring the learning into your organisation or community.
Hosts
Vinicius Ramos
Vinicius Ramos is a Brazilian-Portuguese intercultural mediator, senior trainer and Erasmus+ project designer with over 10 years of experience at the intersection of non-formal education, community development and participatory methodology. He holds a Master's in Education and has designed and facilitated learning experiences across Europe; his conflict-transformation approach draws on Arnold Mindell's Process Work, Dominic Barter's Restorative Circles, Nonviolent Communication and intercultural mediation.
"Creating freedom, community, and viable relationships has its price. It costs time and courage to learn how to sit in the fire of diversity." - Arnold Mindell
Schedule
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Course Objectives
Describe the three elements of conflict (Difference, Combustibility, Power) and distinguish interpersonal, structural, cultural and intergenerational conflict.
Demonstrate somatic awareness of personal activation and reactivity patterns during conflict.
Apply intercultural analysis to how culture, power and identity shape conflict in diverse groups.
Apply restorative and transformative methods (Restorative Circles, Nonviolent Communication, Theory U) to real cases.
Engage with Process Work to work with conflict as a living process in the group field.
Demonstrate facilitation under pressure through live practice with structured peer feedback.
Design a post-conflict repair process for their organisation or community.
Engage in structured intercultural peer exchange with participants from diverse European contexts.
Produce an individual transfer plan applying conflict-transformation practice in their sending organisation.
What's Included
What's Included
5 days of structured learning (25 hours, 5 hours per day)
All course materials and digital resource pack
Pre-course preparation pack (reading and case preparation)
Certificate of attendance and completion
Europass Mobility document (on request)
Access to the Inesto alumni network and community of practice
What's Not Included
Accommodation
Meals
Travel to and from Porto
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Tickets
Professional Place
Open enrolment. Available to individuals and organisations. Immediate booking.
FROM$1,103.71/pp
Erasmus+ KA1 Grant-Funded Place
Reserved for staff of Erasmus+ accredited organisations. Fee set by the European Commission’s course fees unit cost (€80 per participant per day) and covered in full by a KA1 staff mobility grant. Your organisation’s OID is required at checkout. Bookings without a valid OID will be cancelled and refunded.
FROM$464.72/pp
Gallery
Trip Tips
For Erasmus+ Coordinators
Inesto is an Erasmus+ accredited receiving organisation in Adult Education (KA1 – Learning Mobility of Individuals). This course qualifies as a structured course activity under KA1 staff mobility and meets Erasmus+ quality standards (clear learning outcomes, non-formal methodology, 25 hours of structured programme, Europass Mobility on completion). We issue all documentation required for Individual Reports: Letter of Confirmation, certificate of attendance and completion, and Europass Mobility document on request. Pro-forma invoices are available for grant applications to your National Agency. (OID E10365283)
For HR & Training Managers
Unmanaged conflict is a leading driver of disengagement, sick leave, turnover, and breakdown in teams and communities. This course produces practitioners able to intervene skilfully in conflict, facilitate difficult conversations, and design post-conflict repair processes — a measurable capability directly transferable to team management, facilitation, and organisational culture.
Reviews
FAQs
Who is this course for?
This course is for facilitators, trainers, adult educators, youth workers, intercultural mediators, community practitioners, and HR or social professionals — anyone who works with groups and regularly encounters tension, disagreement, or open conflict. No prior training in mediation is required; what is needed is genuine professional experience working with groups and a willingness to engage with your own relationship to conflict.
Can my organisation use an Erasmus+ grant to fund participation?
Yes. This course is delivered by an Erasmus+ accredited organisation in Adult Education (KA1), making it eligible for staff mobility grants. Participants from accredited sending organisations can apply for funding through their National Agency to cover course fees, travel, and subsistence. We are happy to provide a pro-forma invoice and Letter of Confirmation for your application.
(OID E10365283)
How many participants does the course take?
Each cohort is limited to a maximum of 16 participants. This keeps the group small enough for genuine depth, safety, and meaningful peer learning, and ensures fidelity to the experiential, non-formal education methodology used throughout the programme.
What is included in the course fee?
The fee (€799 per participant) covers the full 5-day programme — 25 hours of guided, structured learning (five hours per day) — all course materials and a digital resource pack, a pre-course preparation pack, an official certificate of attendance and completion, and a Europass Mobility document on request. Accommodation, meals, travel to and from Porto, and personal expenses are not included.
What language is the course delivered in?
The course is delivered in English, but if required, can be delivered in Spanish or Italian. All written materials and documentation are provided in English. Participants are expected to have a working level of English sufficient for group learning and reflection.
Is prior experience in mediation or conflict work required?
No prior training in mediation or conflict resolution is required. What is required is genuine professional experience working with groups, a working level of English (B2+), and a willingness to engage with your own relationship to conflict as part of the learning.
What documentation is issued for Erasmus+ reporting?
Inesto SRL SB issues an official certificate of attendance and completion upon successful participation in the full programme. A Europass Mobility document can be provided upon request. Both documents are accepted for Erasmus+ Individual Reports and organisational quality reporting to National Agencies.
Can we book the course for a group or team?
Yes. We can organise a dedicated edition for a minimum of 12 participants from a single organisation or consortium, including customised dates and programme adaptations.
Contact us at info@inesto.it to discuss.
What is the cancellation policy?
Bookings are confirmed via our EaSOL listing; a deposit secures your place and is non-refundable. For the remaining balance: cancellations made more than 6 months before the course start date are refunded in full (less the deposit); between 6 and 3 months before, 50% of the balance is refunded; less than 3 months before, the fee is non-refundable. At any time before the start date you may instead transfer your place to a colleague or to a later edition of the same course, subject to availability, at no extra cost. Erasmus+ participants awaiting a National Agency grant decision are encouraged to contact us to discuss provisional arrangements.
Why are there two prices?
Inesto is an Erasmus+ accredited training provider (OID E10365283). Staff of accredited organisations across Europe can attend using a KA1 staff mobility grant, which covers the course fee at a rate set by the European Commission. The Professional Place is the standard rate for everyone else