Pathway of Hope

The first pathway is that of Hope, we establish will, commitment and hope that all parties are willing to engage in a Peace Building to some extent, or else, what is the point? That said, I do believe that Peace Building is very possible even if some parties refuse to participate initially. The need to establish a level of willingness and commitment is part of feathering a nest of potential. Maybe some parties are as yet untrusting of that kind of safety and for them to have trust in the process they need to see and feel the commitment of others first. So, don't lose hope at the outset if not all parties are as enthusiastic as others. Start with what you have and see how far you can get. There is never any time wasted in the building of peace because we work primarily on ourselves and our own inner resilience to different and dissent, so we in turn become "safer" human beings for doing our own work. It's just extra special when we are joined by others.

In practical reality what does this look like? It looks like someone or a group decide they wish to attempt a peace building process and they issue an invitation to all parties expressing a desire for good communication, mutual learning and progress towards peace. This invitation asks whether the invitee is willing to consider such a process?

In order for there to be consent there has to be a possibility in the invitation for the invitee to decline. Putting pressure on someone to attend and participate is counter productive. So the invitational period may take some time and it is important not to get disillusioned early on. Maybe the people who are having difficulties committing to such a process are really scared. Maybe they have feedback as to why they are reticent that really needs to be heard and paid attention to. The edge-dwellers, the exiles and the outcasts of our community are rarely going to rush to be in a group setting exploring difficult and confronting topics; although their contributions are likely to be insightful, valuable and possibly radical because by the very nature of their "otherness" they may well bring a new and important perspective.

For those facilitating groups it is important to recognise this part of the process takes time and includes a lot of unknowns for folks, so it cannot be rushed. A lot of the concerns that people might have could be addressed by them having oversight of the whole process and the different pathways we might follow. Once a majority of the parties involved show willingness then see if you can find a neutral, confidential, quiet space to meet and find a time to suit (preferably) everyone. Ask them to attend on time and make sure for the first session you have at least 3 hours to establish the basics of shared intent.

Documents to accompany the Facilitators Guide include:

1. Sample Invitation
2. Sample Questionnaire
3. A Checklist for Preparing the Ground

For individuals who are either engaging in, or have been invited to engage in, a peace building process it is wise for you to take some time for yourself to get clarity on what you value and what you would hope to get out of such a process. Take stock of your resistances and concerns, write them down and ask yourself honestly if these are entirely down to the difficult situation in hand or part of a longer story in your life? And are you ready to move through and transform that pattern? How willing are you to listen to other parties, to speak your authentic truth on the one hand while remaining open and mutable on the other? Take stock also of what you consider to be the facts of what has happened and how you feel about them.

Documents to accompany the Individual's Guide include:

1. What to expect from a peace building session guide
   2. Willingness assessment sheet
   3. A stock check for Facts and Feelings

For communities who would care to nurture Peace Building as a practice then the important thing is for regular gatherings to take place where a group makes a commitment to practice the principles of peace building between them. Can you imagine what an incredible resource it would be in a community for a counsel of experienced peace builders to be ready to hear and witness challenging and difficult things without judgement or rushing to fix?