CCCRTE

Rekindling hope

Diana Francis

Twenty-six trainers and educators from Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Baranja (UNPA east zone), Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia met March 19-23 at the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Stadt Schlaining, together with six outside trainers, to exchange experiences, ideas and skills and to offer each other friendship and support. The desire for such a gathering had been strongly expressed at the meeting held in Budapest 18 months earlier to evaluate the contribution made by outside trainers in support of peacemaking work in former Yugoslavia, and to identify needs and goals for the future. In the event, the importance of that evaluation was more than matched by the fact that the Budapest meeting provided an opportunity for peaceworkers from different parts of a divided region to meet each other and to learn to know and trust each other, finding immense encouragement in the knowledge of all they held in common.

Both the Budapest and the Schlaining meetings were organised in the name of the CCCRTE from the secretariat at IFOR in Alkmaar. The co-ordination of planning and finding participants from within the region was done by the group MOST at the Anti-War Center in Belgrade and the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights in Osijek. The final agenda was constructed at the beginning of the meeting, according to the expressed needs of participants and the things that they had to offer. Different sessions were facilitated by different trainers, one from within the region and one from outside. This co-operative process was hard work to get started, but once underway served the group well in terms both of content and of the spirit of equality and co-operation which was the hallmark of this event. Topics for sessions included power in conflict and victim, persecutor and rescuer roles; recovery and healing: reconciliation; handling inter-ethnic relations; non-violent communication; dealing with our shadow side; 'deep ecology', and networking and support. One of the two men from within former Yugoslavia had been working for two years in Pacrac, where outside volunteers are able to provide a bridge of communication between the Croatian and Serbian sides and help in the physical and social rebuilding of the divided town. The positive and practical nature of his experiences injected much needed hope into our discussions.

One of the participants came from Tuzla, and halfway through the meeting information reached us of the breaking of the ceasefire with the shelling of her town. The impact of this news, the pain felt and expressed within the group, was immense. The participant concerned had already made an impassioned plea for training and other support for the work of the citizens' network in her area to uphold the values of tolerance and coexistence. Now her request was renewed with even greater urgency. (See box)

In our final evaluation, the words which came up again and again were 'contentment', 'satisfaction', 'fulfilment'. Participants felt that their deep need for nourishment and support had been met in their time together, giving them much needed strength for their continuing work in the face of fatigue, discouragement and danger. Our thanks to all those who by their hard work and financial support helped it to come about.

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