The educators in our seminars were colleagues before the war, teaching in the same school districts, enjoying friendships and the privileges of life in a multiethnic country. Many have not seen each other since the war, which defined them by ethnicity and turned their kin into mortal enemies. Now they enter the dialogue room fearfully, not knowing how they will be greeted and if they will be safe. Early moments in the seminar feel tense and uncertain. The seminar provides a safe opportunity for exploration and sensitive dialogue that would likely be too difficult in a less structured environment.
Members follow guidelines designed to facilitate deep listening and introspective communication.
The facilitators create a container that builds confidence and offers psychological protection, within which participants give voice to their own needs and concerns. All our group members experienced losses from this war, often brutal and tragic losses based on their ethnic identity. Participants want to move forward, but also need to look back. To rebuild a society where ethnic hatred and violence are not acceptable requires intense exploration into past, present and future social conditions and civic structures. The work is difficult, but we believe that an absence of dialogue will more likely lead to renewed violence.