Creative Response to Conflict has long been considered a leader in the field of conflict resolution education and has been praised by many, including Thomas Lickona in Educating for Character, who called CRC “the best character education program” he has found.
Founded in 1972 by the New York Quaker Project on Community Conflict, and initially known as Children’s Creative Response to Conflict, the organization developed a practical and theoretical framework for teaching nonviolence through character and social skills development, using an innovative experiential approach and incorporating multiple learning modalities.
Between 1978 and 1992, CRC was a program of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), an interfaith peace organization. In 1992, the organization incorporated as Creative Response to Conflict, Inc., and received 501(c)(3) status.
Besides its headquarters in Suffern, NY and satellite offices in Manhattan, NY and Spring Valley, NY, CRC has affiliates throughout the United States, Europe, and South and Central America. CRC materials have been translated into languages including Arabic, French, German, Nepali, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Welsh.
CRC designs and facilitates workshops and programs on social skills and conflict resolution for seniors, families, parents, young people, and those who work with youth from all racial, ethnic, class, ability, gender, sexual orientation, and language backgrounds. CRC’s organizational mission is to achieve a nonviolent and just world by helping people learn to resolve conflict through cooperation, communication, affirmation, bias awareness, creative responses to bullying, creative problem-solving skills, mediation, and restorative practices.