PLACITAS, NEW MEXICO, AUGUST 18, 2005—Suzanne Maxwell, M.P.H., president of the change-management consulting firm About Changing and member of ProcessWorks LLC is sponsoring a conference titled "The Practice of Peace" in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 21-24, 2005. The three-day conference invites adults, young people, elders and anyone with a passion for peace and justice issues to take part in an open dialogue and exploration of peace. Experiences of peace and conflict included in the conference may have roots close to home or far across the globe. They may reside within us or between neighbors and nations.

The conference itself will use the provocative Open Space Technology (OST), which is a large-group process used around the world in every venue from NGOs to corporate boardrooms. The OST process has always evoked the same response: deep democracy and an explosion of personal responsibility and passion among its participants. Bonds are often formed in OST that never break.

"Inspired by outcomes from one of the first "The Practice of Peace" Conferences held in 2003, we wanted to bring this experience into our own backyard to create the conversations and dialogue that invoke peace not only between us but also within ourselves," declares Maxwell. "How better to invite peace as a reality than to invoke it in one's own neighborhood?" "

Part of our purpose for the work we do in the world is to practice peace ourselves and help others experience peace as more than just a noun," continues Maxwell. "Practicing peace is something that can occur in the midst of differences, disagreements, even conflicts and wars. The container where peace is found is large enough to hold all these things and more. This event teaches us how to create more peace in our own lives and in the communities where we live and work."

About About Changing
Headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, About Changing is a change-management consulting firm that shepherds organizations, teams and individuals through changes that matter. Clients include Honeywell Defense Avionics, S.C. Johnson and the U.S. Dept. of Energy. The company publishes a monthly newsletter to subscribers entitled "Leading Between the Lines."

For more information about "The Practice of Peace" Conference or About Changing, please contact Suzanne Maxwell at (505) 867-3942 or suzanne@aboutchanging.com.