Nora,
People like you will always be needed in this world, because there can never be too much kindness, too much love, or too much hope for tomorrow. I am so grateful that you have been my mentor and coach at SIT. I trusted in you my hopes and fears and future dreams and you never let me down. Thank you for all my changes!
Maija Grasis, School for International Training, Vermont

 
Dear Nora,
As the year comes to a close, I would like to thank you for your insights during our cross-cultural training. Your feedback on my cultural auto-biography was an eye-opener for me! It was very helpful for me in my understanding of myself and what makes me react, now I know better how to manage my relationships and what traps to avoid… Warm regards,
Kip Souter, School for International Training, Vermont


"I found Nora Femenia, Ph.D. after searching for hours on the most complete sites containing the word "mediación" on the net, where I found www.inter-mediación.com. After that, I risked a trip from Temuco, Chile to a Seminar in Florida which would deal with basic conflict management with Nora as the trainer. Quoting from Montaner's song, "I was not let down by the result". To speak the truth, that same seminar would be a qualified as a postgraduate course here in Chile due to the amount of hours and the quality of the material provided. I feel more confident on my theoretical knowledge now. This confidence, together with a deep, and more practical experience, make me realize the value of this opportunity of learning with Nora as the trainer and coach. She was able to manage my resistance and fears and pushed me to a complete expansion of my self-confidence as a mediator! If I could continue going deeply on my knowledge of myself as a conflict solver, and if recognition of this knowledge as a postgraduate course from any university in Chile were possible, I would not even doubt in being Nora’s coachee for ever!"
Lohengri Ascencio Grez , Temuco, Chile



"I believe that the seminar on resolution of conflict organized by Nora Femenia, and by Florida International University (FIU), has been an academic activity that has let me know in full detail wide perspectives of human behavior referred to the field of conflict resolution. At a personal level, she offered each one of the participants a deep evaluation of our strengths and weaknesses as mediators, and gave us strategies to develop new skills. The theoretical level of Nora’s teaching, together with her personal magnetism, make of it something extremely interesting. I therefore believe I must recommend it to whoever is interested in developing himself as a transformative mediator."
José Zegarra Pinto
Admissions Officer, University of Civil Law - Papal Catholic University of Peru.



"I have participated in an international seminar on Conflict Resolution in Organizations which was organized by the Arbitration and Conciliation Center of the Chamber of Guayaquil. Dr. Nora Femenia was the international speaker. The teachings provided by Dr. Nora Femenia have been invaluable because they have let me know the use of conciliation in the design of programs for solving conflicts in organizations and they have helped me increase my knowledge on mediation by applying it in organizations. In my country, and particularly in the city where I live Guayaquil, conflicts in organizations have made companies reduce their level of productivity. By learning how to solve conflicts and by applying techniques on their resolution in a preventive way, I will be able to help companies so that they will be able to create programs on conflict management that will drive them to be competitive with the best of the resources, the human factor. Nora’s teaching has empowered me beyond my dreams"
Rosa Elena Jiménez Vanegas, J.D.
Mediator and Coordinator, Arbitration and Mediation Center, Chamber of Commerce of Guayaquil, Ecuador



"An excellent course where mediation and the theories that support it are approached in a wide and transparent way. The most enriching things for me were the experiences Dr. Nora shared with the group. As a psychologist, I now have a new tool for my job at psychotherapy. Thanks!!"
Psychologist María José Cupul Realpozo Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico



"The experience of having been on a seminar with a person with such an experience and capacity as a mediator as Nora Femenia has been of great use to help me deal with conflicts that appear daily between the company and the Indigenous Community of Ecuador. Given the fact of the lack of employment that exists in the area, we in our company have acted as mediators between the contractors and the indigenous community leaders by applying the knowledge and suggestions provided by Coach Nora, thus having magnificent results. Also she has provided us with reading materials that have been extremely rich and still are very useful when we are in the field. As regards to my own experience, she has helped me a great deal in my own mediation practice. The techniques that I have learnt from Nora’s training and coaching are innovative and effective, and they facilitate greatly my job of mediation among the parts.

Thanks Nora for your enthusiasm at coaching your students to learn and apply an easier way to mediate, by using the common sense which comes from your own experience, by transmitting your vast knowledge and by sharing innovative techniques with us."
Jose A. Larco R.
Coordinator of Community Relationships, Alberta Energy Company Ecuador LTD (ENCANA Ecuador), Quito- Ecuador

"Dear Dean Nirenberg,
School for International Training,
Brattleboro, Vermont

I am writing to express my appreciation of and support for Dr. Nora Femenia. Her experience in mediation and knowledge of the Conflict Transformation field makes her a true asset to those of us training to become peace builders. She really strives to build on the current curriculum and provides as many opportunities as possible to her students to connect with the field. The workshop she presented with Dr. Louise Diamond was incredible and I am greatly anticipating the upcoming mediation Seminar she has planned in addition to her normal courses. In addition, she has a genuine interest in helping us with networking. She has always made considerable efforts to be available to the students – attending all Neighborhood meetings and even participating in a career-planning event on a Friday evening.
What I consider more valuable about Dr. Femenia’s classes are her teaching style and the level of expectations she has of students. I have learned more in her courses than in any other courses in this campus. The readings she selects are always current and engaging, and she expects the students to read them and provide opinions and reflections. I realized half way into the first semester that Dr. Femenia doesn’t want to just lecture us about what she thinks; she wants us to learn to analyze and critique the readings. She selects readings that actually argue against the views she holds dear just so we will learn how to assess critically the information being produced in the field of Conflict Transformation and Peace Building. Those skills will prove to be very beneficial when conducting research and writing my capstone.
I am very aware that some students would prefer a different teaching style. However, for those of us who learn best in classes like Dr. Femenia’s, I wanted to provide a letter of support in addition to the usual course evaluation form.
Sincerely,

Jaime Tincher
Pim63-Conflict Transformation Masters Program"