On the evening of June 22, Eric Bowers stopped in Golden to do a workshop on nonviolent communication. The presentation took place at the College of the Rockies.

Bowers is travelling through BC on The Road to Compassion. The trip will take him on a round trip journey from his home in Nelson to the Queen Charlotte Islands, where he will be stopping in communities and be speaking on nonviolent communication.

"I got started into nonviolent communication by my ex-wife and friends in my community," said Bowers. "I took to it right away."

Nonviolent communication, or compassionate communication, was originally developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. The Centre for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) was started by Dr. Rosenberg in 1985, and he still conducts workshops and trains others in the processes he developed. Bowers is a certified trainer with the CNVC.

The concept behind this type of communication is that judgements and labels can be alienating and can lead a person away from compassion and from seeing the humanness in others, stated an article released by Bowers.

"I first got into it four and-a-half years ago, when it started as a self-learning experience, as personal growth," said Bowers.

Bowers was working as a counsellor at Kaslo Community Services, but left to start the organization Sunwater with his ex-wife. He then spent time travelling and doing workshops on nonviolent communication.

"We're in the process of dissolving (Sunwater), but we'll both still be working in the sector," said Bowers.

The Road to Compassion gives Bowers a chance to combine both his passion for travelling and to do workshops on nonviolent communication.

"Part of the inspiration was to go back to the outdoors. I used to be a river guide in Golden for seven summers, and an expedition guide in the Yukon," explained Bowers.