Conflict vs. Connection: A Practical Training for Young Peace-builders

Aims & objectives

The objectives of the Training Course were the following:
- To develop awareness about personal concepts and believes one has about conflict and habitual ways to react to the conflict;
- To identify effective methods that help to prevent and/or transform conflict through fostering non-violent communication;
- To gain knowledge on key concepts, such as conflict management, conflict transformation, conflict resolution, inner belief systems and non-violent communication;
- To gain tools for non-violent communication and conflict transformation;
- To exchange best practices in relation to youth work and conflict, inter-religious and cultural dialogue;
- To raise awareness of risk factors under which conflicts tend to arise;
- To facilitate networking between participants

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

Training Course “Conflict vs. Connection: A Practical Training for Young Peacebuilders" involved 36 youth workers from Armenia, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Germany Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, The course was focusing on diversity, conflict transformation and emphatic communication.

Training methods used & main activities

Through non formal education methods the participants got to know each other and were given a space to exchange experiences and forge new friendships, across any barriers that may exist. All the topics were brought to attention in the training using the 'learning by doing' methodology, where the participant became the protagonist of the learning experience, gets new insights and learning after observing and reflecting over his or hers behaviour in different exercises, games, processes and role plays offered by the trainers and gets a possibility to try out new approaches, ways of communicating and actions in a safe environment of a group setting. The participants acquired the skills and knowledge to transfer the used methods to concerned parties outside of the project.

Outcomes of the activity

With the training course we brought to the participants the idea that the transformation of the conflicts starts from us: our hearts being in war or in peace, our way of communication. When we grow in peace with ourselves, we can continue to bring the transformation to our surroundings: our interpersonal relations, the way we connect and relate to our families, friends, acquaintances, strangers, communities.
As an outcome of the training course based on the evaluations the participants:
- Gained knowledge on key concepts, such as conflict management, conflict transformation, conflict resolution, inner belief systems and non-violent
communication;
-Gained tools for non-violent communication and conflict transformation;
- Got opportunity to exchange best practices in relation to youth work and conflict, inter-religious and
cultural dialogue;

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I worked as a full time trainer for "Conflict vs. Connection: A Practical Training for Young Peace-builders" Training Course.

I worked on this training for 7 days as a full time trainer.