By Delman Kareem | Head of PR and Fundraising
The Jiyan Foundation, in partnership with Wings of Hope Germany, recently concluded a series of impactful workshops designed to empower young people to become active agents of healing and reconciliation within their communities. These workshops, conducted with members of the Youth Network for Peace and Dialogue, focused on crucial skills and knowledge related to leadership, combating discrimination, and understanding the power of collective memory.
This initiative consisted of three distinct workshops:
Youth Leadership: This workshop provided participants with practical tools for effective community activism, communication, and collaboration. They explored their strengths and learnt how to work together with the Youth Network to drive positive change.
Fighting Racism and Stereotypes: This crucial workshop equipped participants with the skills to identify and combat racism and stereotypes within their societies. Participants learnt to recognise instances of discrimination, understand their societal impacts, and explore strategies to protect those affected.
Common Remembering: This final workshop focused on the critical role of collective memory in reconciliation and community rebuilding. It explored the concept of remembering, examined existing approaches to remembering past events and atrocities in Kurdistan-Iraq, and aimed to develop inclusive frameworks for remembrance.
The "Common Remembering" workshop, held in Sulaymaniyah starting on December 26th, brought together 29 participants (13 male, 16 female) from diverse locations within the Youth Network.
The three-day workshop covered a range of key topics, including:
Memory paths
Documentation and management of memory storage
Employing and dealing with memory preservation documentation
Managing and using memory in reconciliation, trust-building, achieving justice, and fairness
Workshop Highlights:
Day 1: Focused on introducing the program, the objectives of the Youth Network, and the foundations of memory documentation in post-conflict phases. Discussions and practical applications emphasise the role of documenting memory in achieving justice.
Day 2: Explored the process of preserving and documenting memory in post-conflict contexts. Participants examined practical steps for building a foundation for shared memory and mechanisms for addressing the past and discussed commemorative practices and building memorials.
Day 3: Provided advanced applications on managing and employing memory preservation in reconciliation, trust-building, and achieving justice. A "World Café" exercise focused on shared memory's role in peace and community stability programs, forgiveness and apology initiatives, and redress for victims, particularly women.
Participant Feedback:
The workshop received positive feedback from participants. Halwa, a Yazidi member from Sinjar, appreciated the workshop's focus on addressing past suffering and preserving memory, highlighting the enriching experience of interacting with participants from diverse backgrounds, including Syria. Shero, a Syrian Muslim participant, praised the training method and insights on managing shared memory. Sadiq, another Yazidi member from Sinjar, described the experience as developing their ideas and providing tools for effective application. Maryana, a Christian member from Alqosh, emphasised the importance of clear skills and careful recording of testimonies in documenting the past.
Many participants expressed a strong desire to continue learning and applying these insights within their communities, recognising the value of shared memories in fostering healing and reconciliation.
Challenges and lessons learnt:
Participation: Ensuring full participation remained a challenge due to participants' work, study, or family obligations.
Time Constraints: The complex and sensitive nature of "Common Remembering" required more time for thorough exploration. Participants and trainers suggested extending the workshop duration or conducting follow-up sessions.
A key lesson I learnt was the importance of ongoing communication and support from trainers and the project team to sustain participant motivation and enable them to continue learning and applying these concepts.
Despite the challenges, the workshop proved to be a success, providing participants with foundational knowledge and practical tools for documenting and preserving memory. The Jiyan Foundation, in partnership with Wings of Hope Germany, is committed to continuing its support for these young leaders as they work to build more peaceful and inclusive communities. All participants received certificates of participation.
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