This training provides an opportunity for participants to be involved in healthy and honest political debate about the issues that they want to discuss. It is an opportunity to express opinions and listen to those of others in a controlled, but challenging environment. The workshop and handout examples that follow give an idea of the kind of community relations training that has been used successfully with students in the past. These workshops can be used, with assistance, with groups of students as an introduction to community relations work. Some of the words written will be negative and some positive.
Stereotypes are often the first words that come to mind.
The issues which make people uncomfortable relating to Northern Ireland. To help participants to clarify, for themselves, differences in definitions and ways of distinguishing between them. Write up the five words below and ask them, in pairs, to give their own definitions. Then go through the definitions given by the group and allow a discussion. Make it clear that these definitions are not unchallengable but are to give the general idea of what the issues are about.