“Give Peace a Chance”.. Few would have predicted that after more than 50 years since half a million anti-war protesters in Washington DC echoed these words in unison, they would be still as relevant as ever.. Ongoing war in Ukraine, the eruption of violent conflict in Nagorno Karabakh and subsequent exodus of more than 100 000 ethnic Armenians from their homes, and recent unprecedented escalation of Israeli – Palestinian conflict have once again demonstrated how fragile the current world order is.. And that peace is never a destination, but a journey that all of us should embark on together, if we really wish to safeguard and sustain it!
Recent “Give Peace a Chance” Study Session implemented by Roots in cooperation with the Council of Europe (COE) at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg on October 15 – 21, 2023 was one of many of our endeavors to contribute towards this journey. 27 participants from 15 European countries had the opportunity to come together in a safe space and an environment full of experiential learning, best practice sharing, peer to peer networking and fun.
While the major aim of the activity was to “develop competences and enhance the local capacities for peace in Europe via empowering the young people to act as advocates and multipliers of peace and reconciliation in their respective communities – through raising the awareness and sharing the experience and know-how of YMCA Europe and Council of Europe in peace education and conflict transformation work”, the subsequent effect and impact will undoubtedly be further reaching – all due to immediate and continued engagement from the participants; relevant program content and professional delivery by experts and facilitators; as well as very welcoming and convenient atmosphere of the Host Venue.
Let’s start with “Hard Modules”.. Vardan Hambardzumyan, the Roots Project Coordinator, took charge for exposure to Do No Harm and Reflecting on Peace Practices – as core methods and guiding principles of the Roots for so many years. Balanced sessions of theory and practice, discussions of specific project cases and continuous involvement and feedback from participants made sure that there were many useful take-aways to apply in respective settings and communities.
Presentation of Roots and COE conflict transformation work, YMCA Europe Advocacy Initiatives and opportunities offered by European Youth Foundation – with specific resources and tools employed to this end (Roots Peacework Guidebook especially considered) served as yet another platform for participants to learn more about ongoing peace building initiatives across Europe within YMCA and beyond; and to explore the ways for them to engage and become part and multipliers of these processes.
The interactive session with Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the COE Youth Department definitely added to the occasion and increased the awareness of the participants about the Council of Europe, Its history, structure and contribution towards promotion of peace, dialogue and stability on the European continent.
The display of Roots digital platforms and the human stories marking the milestones along the project route had both practical and emotional purpose: to demonstrate the impact of the Roots on those involved and to encourage the Study Session participants to be next in line… as well as to make them a part of the assessment process that Roots online resources are currently going through – there could by hardly any better chance to get more relevant and constructively critical feedback from the direct target group!
“River of Life”, “Blob Tree” & “Last Phone Call” may sound less formal of the names reserved for the training session and probably they are – but they were by no means less significant: these are the titles of those “Soft Modules” that were essential for creating the atmosphere of trust, belonging and fellowship from the very start and all the way to the finish.
All of us are back home now – in our contexts, realities, challenges to face.. But with a feeling of accomplishment and determination: together we gave it a good try… And together we will keep trying… Because one “gotta kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight”!
