WORLD FORUM ON JUSTICE, RELIGION & CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The Youth Dialogue Project is part of the Rockrose Institute’s World Forum on Justice, Religion and Conflict Resolution. The Rockrose Institute is a charitable organisation that supports, promotes and advances non-violent conflict resolution through education, improved communication and a deeper understanding of justice. The Institute produces public forums for dialogue and communication skills training, and creates educational tools, materials and programs for individuals, educators and community leaders.
The World Forum will provide a gathering of national and international leaders of all ages, who will explore the intersection where diverse peoples and professions have committed to “increasing tolerance, restoring justice and collapsing economic disparity”. It will be an opportunity for “deep engagement, honest inquiry, and quality dialogue which will not only raise consciousness, but will initiate positive and sustainable changes in the world”.
Further information about the Rockrose Institute, the World Forum, and the Youth Dialogue Project can be found at the Rockrose Institute website.
Youth Dialogue Project
Throughout a year-long program, young people from five countries will learn new ways of transforming debate into collaborative conversation. The Youth Dialogue Project will involve groups of young people from Cyprus, Denmark, the United States, South Africa, and Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Through videoconferencing and on-line dialogue young people (ages 18-22) will learn and practice skills of inquiry, dialogue and conflict resolution. The Youth Dialogue Project will include monthly meetings from September 2006 through till May 2007, taking in the World Forum on Justice, Religion and Conflict Resolution in San Francisco in February 2007. An outline of the different stages of the project follows:
- The programme will begin in September by providing and exchanging reading materials on dialogue, other countries’ histories particularly regarding conflict, videos and books. Our intranet system will be the place for the youth to begin checking in and building familiarity with each other on line. This stage will be about story telling, talking about music, art and specific country culture and rituals.
- In October, for each group, there will be a monthly meeting to talk about what is being learned and discovered.
- In November there will be a videoconference between the countries so that everyone can meet face to face while they still continue to talk on line.
- December will be learning about different methodologies of having a public conversation and the introduction of the forum’s topics.
- January will be the Youth Dialogue Project training in San Francisco.
- February will be the World Forum (also in San Francisco) and having a videoconference with schools and colleges in the U.S.
- March will be about deciding how to take the next steps within each country.
- April will be for evaluating the work of the program.
- May will be about making commitments for each person’s future in sustaining their learning.
Selecting a group of young New Zealanders
The facilitator for each country will select a group of young people in the way that he or she determines is most appropriate, perhaps in conjunction with relevant organisations. For example, the South African group will be selected through the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation’s Emerging Leadership Program.
This is a non-political project based on developing cross-cultural dialogue skills and practices and exchanging knowledge and learning about each other’s conflict issues and culture. The project organisers have indicated that they want to avoid political grandstanding and are keen to involve young people with “tender ferocity” (or those that really want to learn what that means). It is important to remember that finding solutions is not what this conference is about, but rather it is aimed at finding ways to develop “the stream or flow of shared meaning”.
While the discussion among the participants in this project will be broad ranging and cover a wide variety of ideas relating to justice and conflict resolution, each group will bring a particular focus to the conversation. It is envisaged that the New Zealand group would have a broad focus on the Maori – Crown – Pakeha relationship(s) and matters relating to the Treaty of Waitangi (how the Treaty has been/is being/or could be used as part of a conflict resolution process). Therefore, the selection committee be looking for people with a demonstrated interest in one or more of the following areas
- dispute/conflict resolution
- cross-cultural communication
- Maori dispute/conflict resolution processes
- Treaty of Waitangi / Waitangi Tribunal / Treaty settlements
The group will be comprised of six young people aged 18-22. The selectors aim to ensure a mix of Maori, Pakeha, and other ethnicities within the group as well as a mix of male and female participants.
Funding
The Rockrose Institute will provide scholarships for the majority of participants. Each scholarship will be worth approximately US$4,000. Every youth member and facilitator will have to “earn” their scholarship by writing up why they are interested in this project, its work and its outcomes and what contribution they want to make.
However, the organisers have asked that each group aim to find the funding for one member of the group. The New Zealand group should also aim to find funding for members of the group to travel to monthly meetings.
For more information contact:
Carwyn Jones
NZ Group Facilitator DDI: (04) 914 3071
Judicial Support ManagerMobile: 027 431 1828
Waitangi Tribunal / Maori Land Courtcarwyn.jones@justice.govt.nz
(Ministry of Justice)
