Dialogue Groups

“If Arafat and Netanyahu had participated in the Dialogue Groups it would not have been a conflict in the Middle East anymore.” (Israeli participant, 1997)

The Dialogue Groups is an initiative by The International Student Festival in Trondheim to peace building in practice. The Dialog Groups invite students from different sides of conflicts to meet on equal grounds for sharing of experiences and dialogue.

The Dialogue Groups 2009 kick off 10 days before ISFiT 2009 with a seminar at Røros, which will continue into the festival in Trondheim. This year students from Jerusalem, Cyprus and Georgia/Abkhazia will be invited to take part in the Dialogue Groups.

History

The ISFiT Dialogue Groups were first introduced in 1997 when it was recognized that there was a need to create a space for participants from different sides of conflicts to meet on equal grounds for sharing of experiences. South Africa, Guatemala, Northern Ireland, Colombia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Kashmir, Israel, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Balkan and Russia/Chechnya, Iran/USA, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Sudan and the Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Congo) have been represented since the start.

Why are the Dialogue Groups important?

In a conflict situation communication and interaction across religious/ethnic/cultural lines is limited or even non existent. The Dialogue Groups lay the grounds for young people who live in conflict areas to meet on neutral ground. Through the seminar the participants get to know each other as individuals and fellow human beings, rather than an opponent or representatives of the enemy. Trust, mutual respect and the ability to listen to the other participants must be established before someone can have constructive dialogues on difficult and emotional topics.

How do the dialogue groups really work?

In total 24 participants - four representatives from each side of three different conflict areas - will spend the week before ISFiT at a cabin outside of Trondheim. The following week the participants will take part in the festival in Trondheim and continue the seminar as one of the festival workshops.

Through different communications exercises, role-play and social activities the participants and the facilitators will explore the consequences of the conflict and the opportunities for the future. Dialogue, leadership and project development will be important topics throughout the seminar.

The Dialogue leaders and facilitators are Norwegian students who have theoretical and practical training in using dialogue as a tool for constructive communication and conflict resolution. External experts and professional mediators will also be used in parts of the seminar.

What happens when the dialogue groups return to their home countries?

The Dialogue Groups emphasize the opportunity and capacity of participants to continue to work together and start up projects in their home communities. It is our experience that friendships and organizational partnerships will be formed. The Dialogue Groups strongly promote and support projects and seminars initiated by former participants. Similar seminars have been organized by participants from Chechnya, Iran and Ethiopia. Recently a dialogue seminar was successfully implemented in Kampala, Uganda by participants from ISFiT Dialogue Groups 2007. The Dialogue Groups 2009 The Dialogue Groups 2009 invite students from Jerusalem, Cyprus and Georgia/Abkhazia to apply for participation in the seminar.

With the theme peace building the International Student Festival in Trondheim wish to give the students an opportunity to come together to share experiences and increase their knowledge about and understanding of peace building. For the participants of the Dialogue Groups the festival title; “Building a future”, becomes especially important.