Dialogue for Peaceful Change—UPDATE

Nineteen leaders from Christian laity centers around the world convened in Northern Ireland in early May, 2006, to learn about conflict. They returned to their countries and communities inspired—energized by the idea that conflict is natural and that conflicting parties can overcome division through a mutually empowering process.

The leaders, all of whom are engaged in social change efforts, learned the process of mediative dialogue. The two-year-old international project emphasizes practical skills that help people in conflict agree on how they can live and work together without violence.

Plans are now underway for DPC training at NARDA centers in North America in 2007. “We’re starting with existing regional networks of Christian laity centers,” says Rich Watson, Vesper Society’s DPC project director. “We imagine the networks being a springboard as trained facilitators are inspired to share the model with others.”

Representatives from NARDA/ONA participating in the recent training in No. Ireland were:

Tim Selbo, Phoenix Arizona
Paul Campbell, Spirit in the Desert, Arizona
Tim McMurtry Howlett, Five Oaks, Ontario
Abigail Slinger, Five Oaks, Ontario
Rebecca Metcalfe, Canada (currently volunteering at Corrymeela)
Stephen Law, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
Rich Watson, Vesper Society, California

“People were deeply impacted by the process and the content,” says Watson who was one of eight leaders certified as trainers the first week in May. They, in turn, taught the mediative method to 19 new facilitators the following week. “To a person,” Watson says, “the participants were asking, ‘How can I adapt this to my own situation?’”

View a short web movie about DPC (Windows Media 6.3 MB)| Visit the Vesper website

 

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