Victims and survivors of conflict and acts of terrorism have found one of their greatest supports is meeting others who have been through a similar event.  The Foundation has facilitated ‘Storytelling’ workshops, which enables victims and survivors to come together and share their experiences with each other in a safe and supportive environment.  External evaluation has shown that most of the participants who then went on to engage in other positive activities had first attended a storytelling workshop.   Under Survivors for Peace, people who have been affected by acts of terrorism or politically motivated violence are able to participate in these residential workshops on either a peer basis (victim to victim), or potentially with those who have been engaged in the violence as well (victim to combatant, combatant to combatant).

Storytelling events are about people having the opportunity to tell their story, be listened to and listen to others.  Dialogue events allow people to ask more questions, or challenge assumptions about each other and are designed to give people the chance to explore in more depth the context of their experience.  By engaging in this work participants are able to break down myths, prejudices and stereotypes surrounding each communities experience and involvement in conflict and create sustainable working relationships.

Workshops are held regularly throughout the year.  If you are interested in participating in a storytelling or dialogue programme please contact the Foundation office on 01925 581 231 or info@foundation4peace.org.