THE HUMAN FACE OF CONFLICT (Delivery 1)

This took place in the beautiful setting of Corrymeela beginning the weekend of Friday 28th May and concluding the two weeks later on Sunday 13th June 2021. As you can see we were blessed by the weather. A big thanks on behalf of one and all to the staff of Corrymeela who looked after us so well and made our stay so comfortable.

Here is some of the feedback we got from participants:

• “Not to see in black and white: Being more accepting of other views.”
• “How to respond to difficult or potential offensive hurtful words.“
• “How alike we are under the problems that we all face.”
• “Got my eyes opened to other people views” 
• “[What I’m taking away is] That [by] me not forgiving my brothers killers, I’ve let them live in my life from 1995, so forgiving them will help me move forward.” 

The delivery was blessed by a number of women who were not afraid to say it as they think it/feel it. Another thing that stands out for me in this delivery was a tangible sense of the impact the sharing and reflection generated can have when one has the courage to act upon it in our everyday lives. We all witnessed the profound shifts that can have on one’s perspective of oneself and of others.

The residential is the initial aspect of epilogues: The Human Face of Conflict roll out. These participants will come together in a few months to explore what if any are the longer term impacts of their participation in the programme.  Thereafter in the new year they will be invited to a Gathering of graduates from three other deliveries to widen and deepen the connections already forged by their participation. They will also explore possible next steps as active citizens, be that on an individual or a collective basis going forward.

A big thanks also to Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and the Irish government’s Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund without whose support this delivery to women’s groups across Northern Ireland could not be possible.