Our History

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, who called CRC "the best character education program" he has found. (Educating for Character, 1992).

Created 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 incorporating multiple learning modalities.

The organization was affiliated with the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), an international peace organization. In 1994 it incorporated as Creative Response to Conflict, Inc., and received 501(c)(3) status.

Besides the central office in Nyack, NY, CRC has affiliate branches throughout the United States, in Europe, and in South and Central America. CRC materials have been translated into languages including Serbian, Croatian, German, Russian, Spanish, and Welsh.

CRC designs and facilitates workshops and programs on social skills and conflict resolution for parents, young people, and those who work with young people from all racial, ethnic, class, ability, sexual orientation and language backgrounds. CRC's organizational mission is to achieve a nonviolent and just world by helping people learn to resolve conflict though cooperation, communication, affirmation, bias awareness, mediation, and creative problem solving.