Nurturing a Culture of Conflict Transformation

Institutionalising Listening and Problem Solving Skills in Schools in Lebanon

Summary

This project is part of a long-term vision to build, institutionalise and promote listening and problem solving skills across the school system in Lebanon.

SFCG aims to provide children and youth with tools for constructive, non-violent engagement and negotiation, laying the groundwork for a successful transformation to a society in which individuals and groups address grievances in peaceful, constructive ways. 

During the months of June till September 2009, SFCG trainers trained a total of 110 teachers in 7 schools across Lebanon. The trainings have proven to be a success with teachers and principals alike feeling inspired by the content of the training and have been implementing their new learnt skills in the classroom ensuring a more exciting and effective learning experience.

Quotes from teachers after the training:

“Days I may never forget.... days that left a big mark in my life”

"This workshop deserves our trust"

“Every hour in this workshop has value, every action has a new goal in my life, and after the training I will try my best to be someone different”

Background

In April 2009, SFCG held a "training of trainers"  where practitioners who have a background in conflict resolution, education and mediation received further training in collaborative education and peer mediation from Ms. Valerie Dovey, an internationally recognised leader in conflict resolution training. Bearing in mind that every country and culture is unique, the practitioners were given the chance to bring to Ms. Dovey their ideas about teaching these skills in the Lebanese context and together have produced resources and materials that can be used within the Lebanese context.

These practitioners will now pass on their skill-set to school teachers and administrators, who can then apply these practical teaching techniques in their schools and classrooms.

Quotes from the trainers on the Cyprus training:

“This workshop is an excellent resource of information for me. The facilitator was an inspiration of peace building. It was rich and various. And it was practical not only theoretical”

“This was an enlightening experience to me both personally and professionally. Professionally I was exposed to new resources and approaches which I found very interesting and productive. On a personal level, I reflected a lot on my perspective to relations and human respect and left with intentions for some change”

“The fun was major in the process. The diversity of contributions and the levels of contributions gave us various levels of view points. I was in constant zooming in and out on the material. I know this is valid since I learned A LOT from material I'm already familiar with.”

Support

This project is undertaken in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Forum for Development Culture and Dialogue (FDCD), Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies (LCPS), Hariri Foundation, and the Arab Group for Christian Muslim Dialogue (AGCMD). It is funded in its initial year by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

SFCG Lebanon has received funding for this project for the coming two years (2010-2011) from the Danish and Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

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