The ACTION Support Centre is conducting a course on Applied Conflict Transformation from 20th of April to the 24th of April 2015 in Johannesburg. The course was designed by a team of conflict and development specialists and aims to enhance and support the work of practitioners and policy makers affected by conflict and escalating tension. The workshop approach to learning uses a fine balance of pedagogical methods that include analysis from specialist resource people, input on critical conflict issues facing the continent, conceptual frameworks, detailed case studies and creative participatory exercises.
Participants should bring to the course case studies and examples of conflict transformation from their own experience and research. Throughout the course there is a strong focus on the need for individuals and organisations to form learning networks, and coalitions and alliances with others working in similar fields. Another important element focuses on the self, encouraging personal reflection and development.
ACTION for Conflict Transformation is a global network of individual practitioners and organisations that are committed to positive action to transform conflict. The Africa Regional Hub is the ACTION Support Centre. Through its Skills and Strategies for Change programme, aims to be a resource for African wisdom with the hope that it will assist organisations and individuals to respond effectively to the deep-rooted social conflicts across the continent. It connects people working for peace and development, human and people’s rights and social transformation in Anglophone, Lusophone and Francophone countries throughout Africa, and in countries experiencing violence that are connected to the conflict systems on the continent.
Participants who complete the training will receive the acclaimed Applied Conflict Transformation certificate. The final programme will be developed in line with the specific needs and interests of selected participants.
Participants from Francophone and Lusophone countries are encouraged to apply. While the course is conducted in English, translation and interpretation will ensure full participation of all groups. Women are particularly encouraged to apply.
If you have special needs that you fear may affect your participation, inform the ACTION Support Centre. Every effort will be made to accommodate these needs.
A full selection of comments received from past ACT course participants is available on our website: www.asc.org.za
“I feel a new sense of passion to continue contributing to the transformation of conflict. The networking connections made between the groups are exciting as well – there is so much potential for positive change and I want to become more involved.” ACT Course 2012
“I came here to learn a set of skills and strategies. Not only has the course surpassed my expectations in this regard I will also leave with a deeper understanding of my passions and where I can make my contribution in this world.” ACT Course 2013
“It was my desire to understand the interconnections between theory and practice and also to understand how complex and multiple conflicts can be transformed in a peaceful manner. I got this and I managed to gather a lot of practical skills, which I will use in my community and in my work” May ACT course 2014
“ I learned that through a conflict transformation lens we can learn and grow without always needing to agree but we can also do more than agree to disagree. The process is what leads to transformation” August ACT course 2014
“I learned that things are not always the way we perceive them to be. It is therefore important to get a deeper understanding and analysis always before intervening. The lenses with which we look at things are very important ” November ACT 2014
The course includes a set of analytical skills and strategies for analysing and engaging with conflict, as well as a focus on insights derived from new forms of resistance and change and their implications for Africa and beyond. The workshop includes field visits to the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill with specialist resource people coming in to give presentations on relevant issues designed in response to the expressed needs of participants during the application and selection process.
The application deadline is 28 February 2015.
For more information about the course and the application form please contact: Charity Mungweme: charity@asc.org.za Tel: +27 11 482 7442 or Richard Smith richard@asc.org.za