I had heard about the training from past participants from Croatia who warmly recommended I should apply. However, what I came to understand during the training is more than can be put into words. Yes, the activities are intensive and emotionally demanding. Mutual respect is an important precondition for each of us. The diversity of personalities and the issues we dealt with gave us better insights into the decisions each of us makes on an individual level. We came from different backgrounds that had partly shaped us, but we were all prepared to work on a common goal – building peace in our communities. It’s important to be balanced in facing the challenges of social issues – both within the community and at a personal level.
I work in an educational institution, and developing awareness about the issues of dealing with the past and peacebuilding is a crucial aspect of teaching. It cannot and must not be separated between different subjects.
Something else I feel I must point out is the healthy collegiality of the Team running the workshops and the steady way they introduced us to the processes of working on these issues. The trainers did an excellent job of coordinating and were very much up to the challenges. Spending time together outside the workshops was also useful for getting to know each other and ourselves. Some topics were demanding, so the free time and the place where we stayed had an important role in helping us reach new insights “with ourselves”.
Meeting all the people I met was an invaluable experience. At this precise place. Nowhere else.
This training is unique. There is nothing like it in our region that works towards peacebuilding with a similar approach. I participated in various seminars and study visits organised internationally, nationally and locally, but this training successfully brought together the issues facing our countries, the tools for dealing with them and the people for whom they matter!