The origins of the Institute began in 2013, with an effort by several people to explore purchasing a Benedictine Abbey in Northeastern South Dakota. The idea was to use it as a training center for nonviolence. People could reside and work there on the land, in the greenhouse, in the bakery, in teaching and mentoring those who came for training; or just have a place for rest and renewal from an activist lifestyle. The Abbey was sold before a solid proposal and financial plan could be developed.

That led to some serious conversations and exploration between Clark Hanjian and Carl Kline, Institute co-founders. They were friends who had been together in India and had worked together to host a National Nonviolence Conference in the early 80's. Their conversations and work led to the development of the first two week Institute training program. It was held in the Paha Sapa (Black Hills) of South Dakota, at Placerville Retreat Center, in August of 2015.

Much of the development of the mission statement and core ideas were written by Clark. He was also instrumental in researching potential funding sources and doing the technical work. Carl focused on implementation, questions of faculty and resource persons and recruiting the first group of participants. A group of some forty plus gathered that first year from some six nations. 

After a successful experience that first August in the Black Hills, participants from Mexico were interested in hosting a training in their country too. So in June of 2016, another 40-50 people gathered at Tosepan Kali in Cuetzalan in the state of Puebla. After this truly amazing gathering, it was determined that Mexico would hold another training in June of 2017 and yearly trainings are now held at a training center in rural Mexico, specifically designated as an SI training center.

Shortly after the first Mexico program, there was a request for a shorter term workshop on nonviolence from a former Mexican participant. It was offered. Then one of those participants wanted one in his community. So a second was offered. Then a third was requested and offered followed by a fourth.

This Mexican workshop experience convinced our International Coordinating Committee that perhaps we could be offering weekend workshops, preparing people for our longer more intensive training programs. This is one of the options we have begun offering as the Satyagraha Institute, wherever it is requested. We will still emphasize our original intention of bringing people together for a longer and more intense time frame.

A second Hills gathering was held in 2016 with some forty participants from some six nations. It was a little shorter (nine days) instead of two weeks, to accommodate schedules of faculty and participants. The third Paha Sapa (Black Hills) training program was held on August 4-13, 2017 and the fourth August 5-14 in 2018.

This program in the USA has become our home base, usually with diverse, international participation. In 2018 we had representation from five countries and four native nations.

Although planning was in place for 2020, with two U.S. programs on the calendar, along with plans in Mexico and Africa, the pandemic made it impossible for face to face gatherings. For two years we went virtual until August of 2021, when we successfully brought together some twenty past participants to plan for the future.

The Institute is growing and developing organically. The best example of this is our training program in Nigeria. Started by a Nigerian participant in the 2016 Paha Sapa (Black Hills) program, Christopher Ehidiamen, Christopher accepted the responsibility of taking the Institute to his home and inviting other Nigerians to join him. In May of 2017, some thirty persons from Nigeria and at least two other African countries gathered together in Lagos for a six day training, our first in Africa.

That first Nigerian program was followed by a second in 2018 with more than 500 applicants for 24 places. Interested persons from a dozen countries other than Nigeria were represented in the applicants. This interest and a second training in Ghana in 2018 convinced the Institute to develop a Training for Trainers (T4T) in 2019. This training drew several participants from a number of countries in Africa to be present in Ghana March 4-9 for our first T4T. They took the training back to their home countries.

Another option the Institute has been offering is a four month immersion experience in India through the Gujarat Vidyapith, the University Gandhi founded. They offer internationals a four month program with half the time focused on Gandhian theory and the other half in the field in Gandhian institutions throughout the country. Two Institute participants were in this program from October 2016 to January 2017. One of them is now the director of the Institute, Andrea Palomo Robles. Some of our associates in Africa have also participated in this program at the Vidyapith. 

Fernando Ferrara, our faculty member from Mexico, has been especially diligent at enabling new programs. Besides the numerous trainings he has enabled in Mexico, he has been instrumental in making African programs possible. We look forward to additional work with contacts in Rwanda, the DRC and Ethiopia. In addition, Andrea is exploring new possibilities in Europe, Palestine and new sites in the U.S. 

On April 1, 2022, I stepped down as the SI coordinator and Andrea stepped up. In 2022 she is anticipating a training in The Gambia in August; two short term trainings in Mexico in September; recruiting participants for the Vidyapith program that begins in October; and a training in Senegal in January.

Like the pebble thrown in the pond, we intend to make nonviolent ripples in the global sea of violence. As each new satyagrahi goes home with new knowledge, better skills, a deeper spiritual grounding and a web of extended relationships, we expect a wave to begin emerging. That's the vision! 

The hope is to allow the Institute specifics to emerge from the experience and energy of its committed members. We hope to be a living and breathing organism, not an institution. We will depend on our participants to keep dropping pebbles, maybe some stones, and rely on Gandhi's underlying reality of Truth as God to help us move into the future. 

Carl Kline
Revised July 2022