Helena Cornelius on behalf of the Conflict Resolution Network

Conflict Resolution Network

Based in Australia, the Conflict Resolution Network (CRN) aims to develop, teach and implement the skills of Conflict Resolution and problem-solving. They work nationally and internationally to build stronger and more unified organisations, more rewarding relationships and conflict-resolving communities with cultures of peace and social justice.

Over the years, CRN has developed a comprehensive range of teaching manuals, trained thousands of trainers and directly taught CR skills to individuals and organisations. They have facilitated the resolution of personal, organisational and community conflicts, influenced CR training in school and university curricula and brought a CR focus to many social and political issues. Their website is frequently updated and features free and low-cost training materials and inspirational articles.
See the “Training Manual for Children“ at www.crnhq.org.

The CRN has done a great deal for conflict resolution in Australia as well as internationally, and we are happy to have them as the My World 2024 Peace with Justice Award recipient.

Dr Stella Cornelius A.O., O.B.E. (dec. 2010)

Stella Cornelius was born in 1919, in the aftermath of war, to a Jewish father who had fled the pogroms of his native Russia. In her early years, the conflicts generated by World War I shook themselves out and, not resolving anything, created an atmosphere for another bloodbath.

For someone of the intelligence and sensitivity of Stella Cornelius, these influences moulded her outlook for life. Struggling through the Great Depression, then World War II, she committed herself to the ideals of conflict resolution and peace.

During her lifetime, Stella Cornelius had many achievements and accomplishments. They include:

In 1986, Stelle Cornelius, alongside her daughter, Helena, co-founded CRN.
In 1999 Stella received a Senior Australian of the Year Award and a Honorary Doctor of Letters from Macquarie University.
In 2000, the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, recognised her formally for her contribution to conflict resolution.
In 2003 she was appointed to a National Committee on Human Rights.
In 2005 she was nominated among 1000 “peace women” for the Nobel Prize.
In 2010 she was award the UN Association of Australia Peace Award.

Stella Cornelius passed away in 2010, but her memory and her example lives on through her daughter, Helena Cornelius, and the Conflict Resolution Network. She is a great example of a person who has faced adversity and came out strong in the struggle for conflict resolution.

Helena Cornelius

Conflict Resolution Network is headed by Helena Cornelius, a professional psychologist with over 30 years’ experience in this field. Her attention is always on the practical steps we can take to resolve conflict and build fair and just solutions to problems.

Her focus has been on developing and teaching these skills – at first directly, running workshops in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, England, the UN in New York and Leningrad and Moscow in Russia.

She emphasises an each-one-teach-one approach and so has written and produced training materials which support trainers teaching the skills of conflict Resolution to their participants. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications and media materials including audios, videos, and books (Everyone Can Win and The Gentle Revolution) manuals (CR Trainers Manual).

In recent years she has created CRN’s Conflict Resolution Certificate Course, and the 14 session podcast series Resolve Conflict: Everyone can win.