Authored by Yuliia Duleba, Peace intern

Dialogue and understanding of conflict are key ingredients when it comes to navigating complex conflict and change well. The peace Center for Dialogue and Conflict Transformation hosted the first module of a two-part training of facilitators in “Dialogue for Peaceful Change” (DPC) on November 16th and 23rd.  LCC students had an opportunity to learn about understanding conflict and transformative change through various peacebuilding concepts and tools. The first module of DPC was facilitated by DPC Trainer Naomi Enns, assisted by the peace program coordinator Ieva Rūkė and Douglas Enns. This training is particularly valuable for LCC students who live in a multicultural community striving for non-violent communication and understanding of conflict in a broader perspective.

The intense training included learning about social dynamics of conflict, cultural context of conflict, and navigating the human response to a conflict. These models help us to understand the root of the problem, and, thus, lead to better navigation through it. A Kurdish sophomore student in International Relations and Development, Avdal Khudeeda Haydar, commented afterwards that the “DPC training helped [him] to understand conflicts and how to play a crucial role in resolving them”. Additionally, the opportunity for participants to engage in multiple discussions and activities furthered understanding of the tensions that might arise during regular communication. Thus, the training aimed to give tools for participants to deal with tensions in their relationships and communities.

Providing an extensive amount of information and offering safe space for reflection and tools help LCC students to practice conflict understanding in daily life. A Lithuanian junior IRD student Vilius Višinskis notes that “Various theories and exercises during the training helped not only to evaluate the participants, but also to train them to become conflict mediators”. The second module of DPC in Navigating Conflict and Change training of facilitators includes further training in empathic communication and mediative dialogue will take place on January 30- Feb 2,2025.  The second module of training offers participants an even broader set of tools for conflict mediation and transformative change.