Exercise description The day before, ask individuals from the group to take on roles for this exercise so that they can prepare. Their task will be to participate in displaying a commemoration for fallen fighters of, for instance, the Army of BiH, kill

Materials: Paper and pencils   Exercise description The participants split into two or three groups. A volunteer from each group is taken aside and the story below is read out to them. Then they tell the story to another person from their group (w

Materials: “Little Red Riding Hood” from the wolf’s perspective   “Little Red Riding Hood” Story Exercise description In the plenary, read this version of “Little Red Riding Hood”, which is different from the classic fairy tale because it is told

Method Barometar   Exercise description Suggestions of issues: You should approach your adversary with trust. Nonviolence does not take advantage of the adversary’s weaknesses. Nonviolence yields results only if the government is not authoritarian

Materials: Large piece of paper, markers   Exercise description Barometer method Suggestions of issues: Power is a negative attribute. Everyone wants power. I am powerful. Power can always be abused  

Materials: Small papers of different colours, pencils Exercise description The participantssitina circle.Everyonegetsthreepapers(notes) of one colour and two of another colour. They are told to write three of their identities on the three note papers.

Exercise description Everyone sits in a circle in silence. Their task is to listen to the sounds in the room and coming in from outside. After five minutes, the participants list the sounds they heard.

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Step1. Split into smaller groups based on nationality, ethnicity or religion. Each group is tasked with making a wall newspaper on: “What would need to change where my people are the major

Materials: Pebbles Exercise description The morning or evening before the exercise, ask participants to go for a short walk, alone or with company, and to each find one pebble that they can bring to the final workshop. At the beginning of the exercise

Materials: A stack of A4 paper   Exercise description Everyone gets five pieces of A4 paper. Task: On each one write in large letters one thing that means a lot to you. All papers are gathered and laid out in the middle of the room in the shape of

Materials: Cards with descriptions of roles Exercise description Prepare as many cards with roles as there are participants. Randomly hand out the cards to the participants. They are not to tell anyone which role they were assigned. They are asked to t

Materials: Large pieces of paper, markers, “action pillars” model   Exercise description The participants are divided into three groups. The groups are given the task of choosing a specific social issues, something that they consider a social inju

Materials: Flipchart paper, marker   Exercise description Split the group into pairs. Person A takes five minutes to tell their partner, person B, about something that angered them recently or was difficult for them. Person  B  checks  their  unde

Materials: Paper, felt-tip pens, masking tape   Exercise description With the help of the training team, the participants identify all the social groups relevant in public and political life (politicians, reporters, young people, NGOs, religious c

Materials: “Lifesavers” made of paper (prepared in advance), large piece of paper, markers   Exercise description Prepare lifesavers in advance by cutting them out of a large piece of paper (see photograph). Write out the names of different social

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Step 1. Brainstorming in the plenary: “How would you describe the situation in your societies?” Then we mark the notes that describe what we are not satisfied with in our societies. Step 2

The participants pair up. Participants have the task of telling an emotion to their partner that was given to them by the trainer (for e.g. “You are sad now” or “You are angry now”) but they can only say numbers.

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers, prepared conflict behaviour analysis charts Exercise description The participants fill out the chart in small groups. They give presentations in the plenary, followed by a discussion. Conflict behaviour analysis cha

I-speech I-speech is a nonviolent communication technique that enables the expression of needs and wishes and aims to improve understanding of the other and of oneself. It is concrete and focuses on a specific problem. I-speech clearly speaks about beh

Everyone walks around the room. When the trainer gives the signal, everyone acts as if what the trainer just said had actually happened: – You heard some great news. – You are very tired. – It suddenly started to rain. – A fly is bothering you. – You’v

Exercise description Everyone writes down five of their identity markers on a piece of paper so others can’t see. Then the participants split into three groups. Each group is given a bunch of post-its. In each group, one person stands up with their bac

Materials: Post-its, Flipchart paper, pencils   Exercise description For this exercise, you need to prepare a dozen terms denoting different social groups. For example: religious persons, soldiers, feminists, fundamentalists, female politicians, h

Exercise description The participants split into two groups: women and men. All the participants in both groups get two post- its each. They have 30 seconds to write down the first things that come to their mind about the given topic. The first topic i

Materials: “Paintings”, “Points” Exercise description The participants split into three groups. Each group is given the task of buying as many paintings at the auction as they can. The bidding for each painting starts at 20 points, and there are a tota

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into four groups. Group discussions about: “What contributes to better understanding and constructive dialogue? Which modes of communication shut down dialogue and do not contribute

Materials: Blindfolds (scarves, kerchiefs, etc.)   Exercise description Before the workshop, ask participants to bring something to the workshop that they can use as a blindfold (a scarf, kerchief, T-shirt, etc.). The group is divided into pairs.

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into men and women. Each group gets a flipchart paper with a rectangle drawn in the middle symbolising the “box” into which our environments try to put us. The male

The task is to list them on the board of the association on a certain topic. Associations are recorded without comment and discussion, and the facilitator may request a brief explanation of the term. Opposite associations are allowed and everything is

Materials: Chairs or other items to serve as obstacles Exercise description The participants split into two groups. Each group forms a “centipede”: They stand in a column, eyes closed, with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front. The first

Materials: 6–7 chairs   Exercise description Exercise description Instructions: The task is to use six or seven chairs to construct a statue that symbolises the power of nonviolence. After the first person constructs a statue, other people can say

Materials: 6–7 chairs   Exercise description Exercise description Instructions: The task is to use six or seven chairs to construct a statue that symbolises power. After the first person constructs a statue, participants can say what they see/noti

Exercise description If it is a large group, divide it into two smaller groups. The group stands in a circle. One person is the “initiator”. The initiator steps into the centre of the circle and their task is to stand in front of each participant and t

Materials: Post-its, pencils, chair   Exercise description Instructions: You have unlimited time to pick one of you to be the king/queen of the group, but without talking.   Evaluation Suggested questions to evaluate the exercise: Did you cho

Exercise description Everyone stands in a circle with one person in the middle (make sure to start off with someone from the training team). The person in the middle stands with eyes closed, their body upright, their ankles relaxed and their arms by th

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into smaller groups based on the countries they come from. Their task is to make a wall newspaper with the basic elements of the dominant collective narratives about

Exercise description Participants are divided into two groups – group A and group B. The groups line up to face each other with a few metres between the lines so that each person in one group has a corresponding pair in the other group. Instructions: “

Materials: Paper and pencils   Exercise description The participants write a commendation for a person they know on a piece of paper. All the papers are collected into a “hat”. The trainer pulls out one commendation and reads it out loud. Question

The chairs are set up in two concentric circles, so that each chair in one circle faces a chair in the other (see illustration). The number of chairs is equal to the number of participants. The participants take their seats. The people sitting facing e

Materials: Modelling clay Exercise description The participants use modelling clay and plasticine to make a sculpture about conflict. An exhibition of sculptures is set up where everyone presents their work.      

Exercise description The barometer method Suggested statements for the barometer: Every conflict is bad. Conflict is the same as violence. You should show your emotions in a conflict. The victim also bears responsibility for the conflict. I am responsi

Exercise description Using the barometer set-up with the poles of Strongly Agree and Strongly Disagree, find pairs with different opinions and an observer for each pair. Barometer method: Determine two poles in the room: for instance, one wall can stan

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Participants give suggestions for terms of the Cooperation Agreement. Someone from the training team writes these down so everyone can see them. If the exercise What I (Don’t) Like in Comm

Materials: Coloured paper, pencils, small pieces of paper with the names of everyone written on them, “hat”   Exercise description Write the names of everyone present beforehand on small pieces of paper (one name per paper). Everyone draws one of

Materials: Large pieces of paper, markers Exercise description Step 1. Divide into three groups. The task is for the participants to determine which criteria people involved with peacebuilding should meet, and what abilities/qualities they should have,

Materials: Flipchart paper, marker   Exercise description Plenary discussion about characteristics of the culture of memory before the 1990s and after the wars. One member of the training team writes down key words on the board/wall newspaper. Thi

  Materials: Large paper and scissors   Exercise description Call for volunteers who want to participate in the exercise, a total of seven people. Their task is to first think of a paper shape they would each like to make for themselves. Then

Exercise description Barometer method   Suggestions of issues: There is no such thing as collective responsibility. It would be best for international tribunals to prosecute war crimes. We must not forget our victims. We should forgive. There is o

Exercise description   The fishbowl method is described in detail at the beginning of this section on p. 65. There are four chairs in the fishbowl: three are taken up by people who want to discuss the topic, while the fourth chair is reserved for

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into groups based on the countries they come from. Their task is to prepare a presentation on the state of dealing with the past (DwP) in their society by answering

Exercise description Split into two groups. In both groups one to two people have the role of observers of the decision- making process (volunteers). The groups are given the task of making a decision about some issue. It is best to Type of exercise: I

Materials: Paper and pencils   Exercise description Split into pairs or threes. Each pair or group of three is to come up with their definition of violence. The definitions are read out in the plenary. Then they are discussed.

Materials: Paper/card, multiple sheets for each participant Exercise description The participants take one or more cards and legibly write out their answer to the question: “What is conflict?” They write one answer per card. Then all the cards are laid

Materials: Prepared index cards with more information for the groups Exercise description Split  into  three  groups:  “Drama”,  “Music”  and “Computers/English”. Story: “The youth centre in a small Bosnian town has just one all-purpose room that is al

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into three smaller groups, each of which is to work on a wall newspaper addressing one of the following types of behaviour in dealing with the past: denial, justific

Materials: A few copies of the questionnaire, a large piece of paper, markers   Exercise description Divide the participants into smaller groups. Each group should talk through ideas for peace activism, across borders or in a single community, cho

Exercise description Divide the participants into smaller groups. Participants develop the idea and plan how to implement peace activities using a catalogue of questions as a basis. Then they present their idea for activities in front of the others and

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into four groups: two of just men and two of just women. One men’s and one women’s group (independently) write out examples of discrimination of women in society on

Materials: Equipment to show and watch the film Exercise description The documentary series Simulated Dialogue* establishes indirect dialogue between people from the Balkans. Each of the films deals with the relationships between people from two ethnic

Materials: Paper and pencils Exercise description Everyone splits up into pairs of person A and person B. The participants are asked not to talk during the exercise. All the A persons are taken aside (if possible outside the room) and told that their t

Materials: Paper and pencils   Exercise description Everyone gets a sheet of paper and pencil. The trainer gives instructions for drawing geometric shapes that will make up a concrete drawing. A house, for example. She does not mention a house to

Materials: Paper and pencils   Exercise description Everyone stands in a circle and turns sideways so that they are looking at the back of the person next to them. One person draws something with their finger on the back of the person next to them

The participants pair up. Person A is in front and has their eyes closed. Person B is the driver who drives by giving the following signals: squeezing the left shoulder means turn left, squeezing the right shoulder means turn right, a gentle touch in t

Materials: Blindfolds, tables, chairs, textiles, other props   Exercise description Before the workshop, ask participants to bring something to the workshop that they can use as a blindfold (a scarf, kerchief, T-shirt, etc.). Take the participants

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Exercise description Split into groups according to the participant’s home country/region. Step 1. The participants are instructed to list the groups their environment presented as enemies on the wall newspaper (duri

Split into three smaller groups: The participants discuss: Who are the enemies in our societies, who are the “others”? What are images of the enemy used for? Who constructs these images, how and why? Their task is to prepare a wall newspaper about thei

  What was the most significant experience for you at the training? What do you think you got with this training that you can put to use in the community you live in? Which workshops/topic did you enjoy in particular and why? Which workshops/topic

Materials: Prepared envelopes with tasks, Paper, pencils, Flipchart paper, markers, other Exercise description   There are 18 tasks in the workroom, one for each participant. The  participants should  find their  tasks and complete them. They have

Materials: Prepared envelopes with tasks, Paper, pencils, Flipchart paper, markers, other Exercise description   The participants are given envelopes containing descriptions of tasks. The tasks are different and there is one for each participant.

Materials: Paper, pencils Exercise description This exercise may be carried out together with the exercise Criteria for Activists (“Dub” Island), or independently from it. Version 1: A piece of paper with the criteria for peace activists from the previ

The participants draw a travel bag on the paper. They divide it into two equal parts. In one part they list What I brought to this training and in the other What I would like to take with me. They present their bags to the plenary (from their seats).

Distribute the post-its. Give the participants a few minutes to write down their answers to the following questions: ͳ What would I like to see happen in this training? (on post-its of one colour, e.g. green) ͳ What would I not like to see happen in th

Materials: Table or chair   Exercise description A volunteer stands on a table or chair. They stand with their body upright and their arms by their side. Then they fall backwards (with their back towards the floor), while the rest catch them by st

Exercise description   Everyone has ten minutes to think about and note down an outline of narratives they heard in their family about the Second World War and the wars of the 1990s. Additional questions: What were the stories told in your family

Duration: 70 minutes   Exercise description Split into three groups. The groups are separated into different rooms or spaces and given the task to prepare a statue about fear, paying particular attention to how the body responds to fear. Back in p

Exercise description Before the exercise, briefly introduce the notion of feedback, its rules and purpose. This is an opportunity to give each other feedback and to receive it. We approach a person we want to give feedback to or receive feedback from.

Materials: Big paper, felt-tips   Exercise description Big pieces of paper are everywhere on the ground and there is a sentence that has been started on each of them. Participants go up to them and finish the sentences themselves. Everyone works a

Materials: Chairs   Exercise description The chairs are set up in two concentric circles, so that each chair in the inner circle faces a chair in the outer circle (see illustration). The number of chairs is equal to the number of participants. The

The Fishbowlis a method for discussing a topic or making a decision. The participants sit in a circle with four to six chairs placed in the middle of the circle to represent the “fishbowl”. During the exercise, only the people sitting in the fishbowl m

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Exercise description Fishbowl Method Step 1 – Split into three groups. Each group prepares a proposal for an agreement on working together. Each group chooses two representatives. Step 2 – There are six chairs in the

Materials: Paper and pencils Exercise description Divide the group up into pairs. The instructions are: “Decide which one of you will have power over the other person for the next five minutes. If everyone is willing, one person gives the other person

The participants split into two groups. One group will be in the “fortress” and the other will be outside trying to get in. Both groups have 15 minutes to prepare a strategy in separate rooms. Additional instructions for the groups For the fortress gro

Set of Introductory Exercises for the Theatre of the Oppressed Driver Leading by the Palm Leading by Sound Magical Object Linking Statues Duration: 35 minutes   Setting the Play Duration: 60 minutes Split into three groups. (You can use one of the

Materials: 4 flipchart papers; felt-tip pens, colouring pencils or crayons; questionnaire printout for each participant Exercise description Split into small groups of four. The participants pick a colour (crayons, felt-tip pens, colouring pencils). Ea

Materials: Big paper, felt-tips   Exercise description This exercise can be done if at the beginning of the training the participants wrote down their expectations for the training. Draw a big circle on the paper. Ask participants to go up to the

The participants stand in a circle. One person begins by turning to the person on their right and making a grimace (and/or a movement). That person now has to repeat this grimace before turning to the person on their right and making a new grimace. Thi

The chairs are arranged into a horseshoe. Three chairs are set apart as “hot seats” so that everyone sitting in the horseshoe can see them well (see illustration). The only chair from which you can speak is the “hot seat” in the middle. A volunteer tak

Exercise description Task: “You are in the role of participants in peacebuilding training. Your task is to decide where the next stage of the training will be held. The training team will not facilitate the process.” The training team offers three conc

Materials: Paper, felt-tip pens, colouring pencils   Exercise description Everyone should think for themselves about where they see themselves in the next five years and then make a graphic representation (using a pie chart) of what will take up h

Materials: Copies of the questionnaire Exercise description The participants split into smaller groups of four or five. Their task is to discuss in their small groups: “How I became a man/woman. What influenced me?” Let them know that there will be no

Exercise description Split into smaller groups. Questions for discussion and preparing a presentation: What is peacebuilding for me? Values we connect to peacebuilding. Reasons why peacebuilding is relevant/ needed in my community. Who are the actors/a

Materials: Chairs The hot seats method   Use the hot seats method. The task is to use the item they have selected and brought along to tell their story about “How the war marked my life.”

Exercise description One person stands in the middle of the room and invites someone from the group to briefly explain what connects them. Both persons now remain in the middle of the room, but now the second person invites the next and briefly explain

An exercise for waking up the imagination. Prepare cards (papers) so that each has one word written on it (nouns). The number of cards is three times bigger than the number of participants. Everyone picks three cards and in the next three minutes they

Materials: Flipchart paper, pens Exercise description Split into three groups. Each group is tasked with preparing a wall newspaper about one of the following topics: – I compete when… – I run away when… – I try to understand when…   This is

Materials: Several large pieces of paper, felt-tip pens   Exercise description Use several large flipchart papers to make a “path” long enough so that several people can approach it at once and write on it. The task is for everyone to write or dra

Materials: Different coloured post-its, pencils   Exercise description Distribute several post-its in various colours to participants. Participants should think about what they have gained from the training, what they have learned, and what they c

Materials: Chairs   Exercise description The hot seats method The person sitting in the hot seat in the middle tells their story about “I’m sorry that…” which is related to the past wars and the current situation in society when it comes to deal

Materials: Flipchart paper, felt-tip pens, markers Exercise description The trainer introduces the meaning of the term “iceberg”. The iceberg is a symbolic representation of what we show and what we conceal in conflicts – what we show is above the surf

Exercise description The barometer method Suggested statements for the barometer: I am a patriot. I have a better understanding with people of my religion. Conflicts are inevitable among people of different identities. Insisting on your own identity un

Exercise description The participants split into two groups of roughly the same size. One group should be asked to leave the room until they are invited back inside. The trainer does a fun exercise (telling stories, jokes, etc.) with the group that sta

Everyone stands in a circle. The trainer tells the participants to find a partner with whom they believe they have the most in common and then sets a topic for discussion in pairs. For each new topic, the participants find a new partner following diffe

Exercise description The participants split into groups of five (the remaining participants can be observers). Everyone stays in the same room, but the groups sit in separate circles. It would be best if they can sit on the floor. A set of five envelop

Materials: Notebook, pencil The journal is a notebook that is always in the workshop room. Participants and trainers can write their thoughts in the notebook, as well as messages that they want to share with the group during the training. The journal i

Exercise description Pairs of participants are tasked with advocating (i.e. speaking in favour of) one of the following terms: justice, forgiveness (or mercy), truth, or peace. These are the four elements of the reconciliation process, according to Led

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into four small groups: justice, forgiveness, truth, and reconciliation. The groups discuss and prepare a presentation about: “Why are you as justice/truth/forgivene

Materials: Blindfolds, chairs   Exercise description Divide into small groups of six or seven people. In each group, one person wears a blindfold. Using chairs, the others make a small labyrinth that isn’t too difficult to find your way out of. Th

Divided in groups of 5-6, participants receive 20-30 notions written on paper strips, that ought to be categorized whether they belong to the reconciliation process and if not, explain why not. Time: 30 minutes Notions: Truth, Justice, Forgiveness, Com

The Large Barometer uses a larger number of statements (20–40) – at least as many as there are participants and up to twice as many. It is important that the prepared statements are relevant to the group and that they cover key controversial issues. Ex

Materials: Prepared pieces of paper with statements (see exercise description) The large barometer method. The poles of the barometer are “Is peacebuilding” and “Is not peacebuilding”. Some statements and social phenomena for the barometer: The return

Materials: Pieces of paper prepared with statements (see exercise description)   Exercise description The Large Barometer method  Some statements for the barometer: 1.    Balkan countries are racist. 2.    The diaspora shouldn’t be allowed to vote

Materials: Prepared papers with statements (see exercise description)   Exercise description The large barometer method The poles for the barometer are: “Contributes to dealing with the past” and “Does not contribute to dealing with the past”.

Materials: Prepared papers with statements (see exercise description) The large barometer method   Exercise description The poles of the barometer are “Is ethical” and “Is not ethical”.   Some situations and approaches for the barometer: Crea

Exercise description   The barometer method Go through three to five statements.   Suggested statements for the barometer: A leader must be a figure of authority. Any complex task requires a leader. A leader has more responsibility than the r

The participants pair up. The pairs choose a sound (for example, onomatopoeia, an exclamation) that they will use to recognise each other. Person A in each group has the task of leading Person B using only that sound. Person B has their eyes closed. Al

The group is divided into pairs. In each pair, one participant leads by holding their palm at a certain distance (5–10 cm) from their partner’s face. The distance from the face to the palm has to be a constant. The person being led has to follow the pa

Exercise description Paper and pencils are distributed to the participants and they are asked to sign their name. Then they are supposed to use one word to describe how it felt while someone from the training team writes the words on the board/flipchar

Everyone takes a sheet of paper. They write their name in the middle. Then they write: in the upper left corner: how I feel at the moment in the upper right corner: two things I like to do in the bottom left corner: a book I read recently or a film I w

The participants split into pairs. Everyone tells their partner some information about themselves. The other person listens carefully and tries to commit this information to memory. They then switch roles. The pairs are told at the beginning how much t

Materials: A picture with a lot of details   Exercise description The participants split into three groups. A volunteer from each group leaves the room. The trainer shows the volunteers a picture with a lot of details and then they describe the pi

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Exercise description The participants split into small groups (of 5 to 7 people). They are told that they find themselves on a desert island – each small group on its own island – and that there is no way to leave. T

Everyone stands in a wide circle. One person makes a statue in the centre of the circle and the first person who has an idea about making a joint statue with the one that they see comes into the circle and makes their statue. After about ten seconds (l

Materials: Daily newspapers, weeklies, magazines   Exercise description Split into three groups: one “female”, one “male” and one “mixed”. Work in groups. Instructions for the working groups: “Your task is to look through the newspapers and magazi

One by one, people draw an “invisible object” (i.e. an imaginary one) from the “magic box” (which can be a box, a hat or something similar). They use mime to reveal what it is to the others, who must guess what the object is.

Everyone stands in a circle. The trainer says that they have a magical object that transforms as soon as it changes hands: it changes its shape, size, weight, smell, turns into a different object. They then mime what kind of object they are holding and

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into two groups. One group is to map the patriarchy and the other is to map militarism in our societies. They should also prepare a wall newspaper. They should gather as many example

Materials: Music Exercise description Choose a piece of music beforehand that all the participants might like and make sure you have the means to play it. Ask for a volunteer (someone who can challenge the group) and ask them to leave the room. Others

Materials: Photographs of monuments, flipchart paper, marker   Exercise description Step1. Prepare wall newspapers in the plenary about: “What are monuments for? What is their purpose? Who do we make them for?” Step 2. Photographs of monuments fro

Materials: Photographs of monuments, flipchart paper, marker Exercise description Step1. In smaller groups, start a discussion about the function of existing forms of memorialisation. Prepare a wall newspaper about: “What needs do they satisfy? Whose n

Prepare statements beforehand based on the topic. Determine two “poles” (end positions) in the room: for instance, one wall can stand for one pole (strong agreement with a statement) and the opposite wall for the opposite pole (strong disagreement with

Materials: Coloured paper, papers with statements prepared beforehand   Exercise description A few sets of papers are prepared beforehand, each with a statement/sentence. The papers should be of different colours if possible. When the first set of

Type of exercise: Multicoloured barometer Exercise description Materials: Coloured paper, papers with statements prepared beforehand A few sets of papers are prepared beforehand, each with a statement/sentence. The papers should be of different colours

Materials: Chairs, a music-playing device, flipchart paper, marker, multicoloured paper Exercise description   A few days beforehand, the participants are split into four groups. The training team makes a list of who is in what group. Each group i

Materials: Paper, felt-tip pens Exercise description Ask the participants to write down three associations about conflict, one per piece of paper. Then the papers are laid out on the floor in the middle of the room. Ask the participants to take a stand

Materials: Paper and pencils Exercise description Everyone should think of a conflict they were involved in, specifically: a conflict that isn’t yours, but you’re implicated in it; a conflict you like; a conflict you find tiresome; a conflict that taug

Exercise description The task is for each participant to say what they see as their contribution to reconciliation, taking turns around the circle. Before they start, they should be given some time to think about what they will say.  

Materials: Different coloured paper, felt-tip pens   Exercise description Everyone in the group writes their definition of peace on a different coloured piece of paper. Then a “colourful sea” of paper is made on the floor and everyone reads.

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers, felt-tip pens Exercise description Determine categories beforehand and write them out as titles on flipchart papers/wall newspapers. Examples of categories: my friend from another region, my foreign friend, my frien

Each person in the circle says their name and tells a story about it: what it means, how it was given to them, who gave it to them etc.

Each person in the circle says their name and what it means.    

On a blank sheet of paper, everyone draws an arrow that illustrates the course of their life, “my path up to here”, and marks important events on this timeline. Time for drawing is up to five minutes. Then, in the plenary session, each person presents

Materials: Paper and pencils Everyone writes down their questions about the topic of the workshop. Then three small groups are formed: “female” – for women who want to talk with women “male” – for men who want to talk with men, and “mixed”.   If o

Materials: Paper, coloured Paper, felt-tip pens, crayons, magazines, glue, scissors, etc.   Exercise description Everyone works independently on a drawing or a collage about “My Safe Space”. The collages are presented in the plenary.  

Materials: Paper and pencils   Exercise description Everyone writes down a few of their identities and then chooses three to read out loud. Then one person stands up and reads their identities one by one. When an identity is read out, the reader p

Materials: Papers with a circle drawn on them, felt-tip pens Exercise description Everyone gets a paper with a circle drawn on it. The task is to make an identity “pie-chart”. In addition to national identity, choose five more significant identities to

Materials: Printout of the questionnaire for all the participants.   Exercise description All participants are given a copy of the questionnaire. The trainer asks the participants to think back and answer the questions with concrete examples whene

Materials: “News from the Future” prepared in advance   Exercise description Read out the following three pieces of “news from the future”: 1. The Association of BiH Army Veterans welcomed the BiH Court Judgement convicting a commander of the BiH

Materials: Handouts with situations   Exercise description Divide into three groups. Each small group is given two situation scenarios (of the three described below), which they need to examine. They then respond to the questions: How to react and

Step 1. Participants pair up. In their pairs they count together: they take turns to count to three and then they start again from one. (A: “One”, B: “Two”, A: “Three”, B: “One”, A: “Two”…) This lasts about one minute. Step 2. Each pair agrees on a g

Exercise description Everyone stands in a circle and everyone has the opportunity to express one of the needs that they have in terms of the group.  

Materials: Big paper, felt-tips   Exercise description A large piece of paper is placed on the floor. Participants have to think of a single word that would describe the training and to write it down on the paper. The paper should be large enough

The Open Nights are conceived of as an additional opportunity for team work outside of the planned thematic part of the training. Open Nights have become a significant segment of the Training for Trainersbecause they are organised in response to partic

This exercise enables the participants to create the content of the workshop. During the previous day, tell the participants to think about a topic or issue they want to discuss, how they would approach it and have them make some notes if necessary. Al

The Open Team are evaluation meetings by the training team after each work day that two or three participants can join. The Open Team gives the team an opportunity to hear suggestions and questions that arose during the day/training and to talk to indi

Exercise description Divide participants into pairs. Person A in the pair has a clenched fist and person B has the task of opening the other person’s fist. Then the roles reverse.   Evaluation Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise: How d

Exercise description In the plenary, sitting in a circle, people take turns giving their evaluation of the training. For directions, write out guiding questions. What did you receive from this training? What did you like and what didn’t you like? Gener

Hand out the different coloured post-its. Give the participants a few minutes to write down their answers to the following questions: – What do I expect from this training? – What do I expect from myself in this training? – What do I expect from others

Materials: Envelopes, paper, pencils Every member of the group, including the trainers, receives an empty envelope. Everyone writes their name on their envelope and displays it somewhere that has been previously determined (for example, on one of the t

Materials: Paper, felt-tip pens   Exercise description Task: Pair up. 1) Think of at least three to five important moments in your relationship to peacebuilding so far. Write each on a separate piece of paper. 2) Set yourself at least three goals

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers, felt-tip pens   Exercise description Everyone thinks about the following questions on their own: “Things that confuse and annoy me the most about peacebuilding. What don’t I understand about this process? What

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split based on the countries they come from. Their task is to define the priorities of peacebuilding in their countries. They give presentations in the plenary and a brief

A map of the former Yugoslavia, Europe or the world (it can be a geographic map, road map or just contours drawn on flipchart paper) is put up on the wall. Participants approach the map one by one and use a marker to mark places important to them, conn

Materials: Paper, pencils Exercise description Check that everyone has a paper and pencil and then slowly and clearly read the background story at least twice. Story: “A new planet has been discovered with excellent conditions to sustain life. It needs

Materials: A few copies of the handout, a large piece of paper, markers Exercise description Step 1. Three participants from different communities  are  given  a  task  beforehand  (a  few days)  to  prepare  a  presentation  in  order  to  make other

Everyone sits in a circle. The started sentences are displayed so everyone can see them. One by one, each person introduces themselves in plenary and completes the started sentences: ͳ My name is… ͳ As a child I wanted to become a…, but I actually

Materials: Chair   Exercise description One chair is turned to face the whole group. One by one participants take this seat and call out several sentences that start with: “I have the power to…”. Take your time!  

Exercise description Split into pairs. Instructions: Think about a situation that made you angry, explain the circumstances to your partner and role play your initial reaction. Your partner should respond spontaneously. Then try to formulate your anger

Exercise description Participants are divided into four groups (of four or five participants). They have 10 minutes to come up with a short conflict role play. It would be best to do something from personal experience – a situation where they were both

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Step One (prejudice about your own group): The participants split into groups according to ethnicity. Each group should write on the wall newspaper what they have heard about their ethnic

Exercise description Divide the participants into small groups to discuss two topics. Prejudice against me: Each of the participants describes to their group an experience when someone treated them with prejudice. Each person has five minutes to tell t

Exercise description The barometer method Suggested statements for the barometer: I have prejudice. I have the right to my prejudice. Prejudice leads to discrimination.  

Materials: Paper and pencils Exercise description The participants split into two groups: the “candidates” (five or six persons) and the “voters”. The candidates have two to three minutes to come up with their presentations – how they will campaign in

Materials: Large pieces of paper, markers Exercise description Division into small three groups. Step 1. Question: What would those who are against these kinds of meetings say to us? List and wrote on large pieces of paper, without any discussion. Step

Flipchart papers are placed on the floor. The participants write their questions and/or dilemmas on them (relevant to the topic of the training). After ten minutes or so, someone from the training team reads what they have written out loud or the parti

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into groups according to the participants’ home countries. The task is to prepare a wall newspaper about “Questions I’m not supposed to ask because they deconstruct dominant narrativ

Exercise description Read out a scenario (that simply demands a response) and ask the question: “What do you do?” The participants share their ideas about possible reactions. The goal isn’t to determine the most appropriate or the best response, but to

Exercise description This exercise unfolds the same way as the Quick Situations exercise but this one is specifically tailored to groups of war veterans. You get a call from an association of veterans of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina to come to th

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Flipchart papers are laid out on the floor, each with one of the following questions: What is my biggest challenge in reconciliation? With whom and with what am I supposed to reconcile/bui

Exercise description Method barometar Suggestions of issues: Nation building is part of the reconciliation process. Recognising that an injustice has been committed and apologising are preconditions for reconciliation. Prosecuting war crimes is a preco

Exercise description   The fishbowl method is described in detail at the beginning of this section on p. 65. There are four chairs in the fishbowl. They are taken by people who want to discuss the given topic. When someone else wants to join the d

Materials: Multicoloured post-its, pencils, Flipchart paper   Exercise description Everyone gets a few multicoloured post-its (have extra post-its on hand if needed). The task is to imagine that reconciliation has arrived and think about what else

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Exercise description Step 1 – Everyone thinks individually about the following: How satisfied am I with my behaviour in teamwork?  How satisfied am I with the behaviour of others? Step 2 – Divide into small groups of

The Reflection Groups are conceived of as a space for reflection and exchange among participants without the presence of the trainers. They are formed during the first or second day of the training and their composition does not change during the train

Groups of three chairs are set up to make a circle (see illustration). Participants that make up the group of three are divided into person A, person B and person C. The chairs may be marked as A, B and C. The groups of three discuss a given issue. Aft

Exercise description Type of exercise: Rotating Triplets   Possible questions: How would you describe the work in your organisation to your neighbour (someone who knows nothing about it)? What is the motivation behind what I do? In what way does m

Exercise description Step 1: View of the conflict from the perspective of group A – others speaking Place two chairs in front of the others and invite two people who are not of nationality A, but belong to the “opposing” ethnic group B or are neither A

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Exercise description Split into small groups based on ethnicity. The task is to prepare wall newspapers about: “Shame in the Narratives of My Society” and “Pride in the Narratives of My Society”. This is followed by

Exercise description The participants fill out the worksheet (15 minutes) with the following questions: Three things that I have in common with the rest of the group; Three things that I have in common with some of the group, but not with others; Three

Materials: Worksheets, pencils Exercise description The participants are given copies of the worksheet with the following questions: Three things I like Three things I don’t like ͳ Three things we like Three things we don’t like What makes me different

Materials: Large piece of paper, markers   Exercise description Divide into small groups. Topics for discussion: ͳ A situation when you had power and how you felt about it. ͳ A situation when you didn’t have power and how you felt about it. One pe

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into small groups of three or four. In small groups, discuss the topic: “A situation when I felt fear”. Back in plenary, prepare a wall newspaper about: “What emotions arose during t

Everyone should silently think of their favourite animal (or any animal). The task is for everyone to line up from smallest to biggest animal without talking and only by imitating the animal they have imagined. When the line is formed, everyone says th

Exercise description Split into small groups  (of 4, for example). Discussion topics: How do I react when I’m bothered by someone’s way of communicating (use concrete examples)? A good reaction in my opinion. I think people act this way because…

Materials: A few hundred Smarties(or similar sweets) and small dishes for all the participants Exercise description The whole group sits in a semicircle and everyone takes a small dish. Before the start of the exercise, the trainer reads the instructio

Materials: Large pieces of paper, felt-tips   Exercise description Step 1. In plenary put together a wall newspaper on the topic of “Which social groups have more power in our societies?” Step 2. Write down the name of one group that has more powe

Materials: Coloured stickers of different colours (squares, dots, etc.)     Exercise description Every participant gets a sticker on his/her forehead without seeing what the sticker is. For example, seven get a red square, five blue, two gree

Exercise description   The participants split into two female and two male groups. Each group should prepare a statue, but the topic for one female and one male group is Women, while the topic for the other female and male group is Type of exercis

The main difference between forum theatre and statue theatre is that statue theatre involves setting up human bodies as statues (immobile scenes without sound), while forum theatre is about role play (with movement and sound). Also, forum theatre requi

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Exercise description Split into four small groups. Each group is assigned one way of decision making: compromise, consensus, voting and “follow the leader”. The task is to analyse the assigned way of decision making

Divide into groups of four or five. Each group should “build” the given structure by linking themselves up. The structures can be: a bridge, a tree, a school, a plane, a bus, a ship, a tower, a temple, a flower, a butterfly, an elephant, etc.   *

Materials: Big paper, felt-tips   Exercise description Write the words “less”, “more” or “the same” on three separate sheets of paper. Participants have the task of writing down on these pieces of paper what they wish there was less of (e.g. theor

Materials: Masking tape Exercise description A grid of squares is drawn on the floor, 6 x 8 squares It can be made by using masking tape. Each square should be big enough to allow a person to stand in it. This grid is a “swamp”. Only some squares are s

Materials: Flipchart paper, marker   Exercise description The whole group works together to produce a wall newspaper about: “What taboos are present in our society about the violent past?” This is followed by a discussion in the plenary about the

Materials: A big paper with targets drawn on it, felt-tips or small stickers   Exercise description Draw targets on the big pieces of paper beforehand (see image). Above each target is one of the following topics: – My work – The group’s work – Th

Exercise description The trainer asks the participants to sit in a circle. When everyone is seated comfortably, the exercise procedures are set up as are the rules of the discussion. The trainer then reads the first question (see below) and gives his/h

Exercise description Discussion in small groups of four or five people (mixed in terms of region, nationality and age) about: “How does your community deal with a painful past? What from the past is being talked about/whispered about/silenced? How do p

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into small groups based on nationality: Albanians, Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Macedonians, etc. Each group should make a list of the national heroes of their community

Subject: Personal heroes. Participants work individually and write down who their heroes were during childhood and who they are now. . They split into small groups (made up of people from different regions). They discuss the heroes they wrote down 15mi

Materials: Different daily newspapers and political magazines from the region, Flipchart paper, scissors, glue   Exercise description Split into three groups. Each group gets a few different dailies and political magazines from the countries of th

Materials: Chairs The hot seats method   The person sitting in the hot seat in the middle has the task to tell their story about “The War and I”.

Exercise description Split into small groups (of four, for example). Discussion topics: – What do I find hardest in conflicts? – What dilemmas do I have? – In which situations do I find myself at a loss about how to respond? – What can help?   Alt

Materials: Flipchart   Exercise description The trainer briefly introduces the principles of nonviolent  communication  and  various  techniques (I-speech, active listening, open-ended questions). After the presentation, a handout should be distri

Materials: Post-its, flipchart paper Exercise description Everyone is given a few post-its. Each person writes down their answers to the following questions: What have I noticed about myself in the past two days of teamwork that I like/don’t like? What

Materials: A lot of newspapers, 10 rolls of sticky tape or masking tape, paper, pencils Exercise description Introductory directions: “Find a pair for this experiential exercise, which is challenging and might be difficult. Take a piece of paper and a

The collection of postcards and photographs is placed in the centre of the circle. Everyone has a few minutes to look through them and pick one that speaks about them in some way. When everyone is back in their seats in the circle, the task is to show

A timeline is drawn on the board or flipchart representing three periods: before the war; during the war; after the war. For each of the three periods, each participant writes an event on a post-it that affected his/her current engagement with peacebui

Exercise description Split into two groups. The groups line up facing each other so that each person from one group has a pair from the other. The pairs stand with their arms stretched out in front of them, but without touching Type of exercise: Intera

Materials: A few pairs of scissors and sticky tape, old newspapers or used flipchart paper Exercise description The participants split into groups of four or five people. All the groups stay in the same room but work separately. Each group receives a p

Going around in a circle, each person answers the questions: Why did you decide to attend this training? What attracted you and motivated you?

Materials: Five chairs Exercise description Set up five chairs next to each other (like seats on a tram) so that the whole group can see them. The second and fourth chair are reserved for women and the other three for men. Ask three men (volunteers) to

Materials: Blindfolds for all participants (scarves, kerchiefs)   Exercise description Slowly and clearly read the instructions: “The whole group will spend 20 minutes doing as they please. You can go wherever you want (on your own or together), y

Exercise description All the participants receive a card with one of the following instructions: “Put all the chairs in a circle. You have 10 minutes to complete the task.” “Put all the chairs by the door. You have 10 minutes to complete the task.” “Pu

Materials: Printed out charts for all participants Exercise description The participants are handed out copies of the conflict analysis chart. Their task is to think of a conflict they were involved in or that they witnessed and fill out the chart. Aft

Materials: Papers with Venn diagrams (sets) Everyone receives a handout with as many Venn diagrams (three ellipses that intersect, see picture) as there are participants. Write the name of one person for each Venn diagram and, in each of its sets, writ

Read more: Kobe jstor  

Exercise description Suggested statements for the barometer: If I felt under threat, I would use violence in such circumstances. Better violence than cowardice. A victim can be the perpetrator of violence. Violence is the opposite of nonviolence.

Materials: Two charts of voting outcomes (see annex), a lot of small notes of equal size to serve as ballots, two flipchart papers to record the voting results   Exercise description The participants are split into two groups of seven people and t

Wall newspapers function similarly to brainstorming, with the facilitator not only acting as a recorder, but moderating the process during which participants present writing suggestions and ask clarification questions, partially filtering out what will

Wall Newspaper: Conflicts Arise Because of… Duration: 5–10 minutes Wall Newspaper: Types of Behaviour in Conflicts Duration: 5–10 minutes

Possible subjects: Examples of Discrimination in Our Societies Groups of People Discriminated in Our Societies    

The answers to the following questions are written on two papers: What Makes Decision Making More Difficult? What Can Help?

What Makes Teamwork Successful?

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into small groups. Discuss and prepare a presentation about: “What are the greatest challenges in peacebuilding?” This is followed by presentations and discussion in the plenary.

Exercise description The participants split into same-gender pairs. The topic is “What bothers me about us women/men is…” First one person speaks (for about two minutes) and the other just listens. Then the roles reverse.   Discussion in the ple

Exercise description In small groups, the participants discuss what bothers them in war stories and what they think is missing. Discussions in the small groups are followed by a discussion in the plenary.

Materials: Large pieces of paper, markers/felt- tips   Exercise description Several large pieces of paper are placed on the floor and each of them has one of the following questions/titles: What can I do to contribute to dealing with the past? Wha

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into four mixed small groups. The small groups discuss: “What would I like to hear from others and what would make it a step towards reconciliation for me?” Feedback in the plenary.

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Step 1. Split into groups based on home countries and prepare wall newspapers about: “What can we do to take a step towards reconciliation?” Step2. Presentations of wall newspapers from sm

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Work in four mixed groups of about five participants each. The task is to discuss what they could do to reduce discrimination against women and against men and to note down major points that they will later present t

Materials: A4 or A5 paper, felt-tip pens   Exercise description The participants are given three pieces of paper and asked to write in large legible letters three things they recognise in their societies as contributing to peacebuilding. All the p

  Materials: A copy of the drawing for each participant   Exercise description Prepare one or more drawings with different images beforehand. Hand out copies of the drawing to the participants. Then ask them what they see. A sample drawing fo

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description On the wall or flipchart stand, put up a large paper with the title What I don’t like in communication with others. The participants volunteer answers and the trainer writes them down on t

Materials: Post-its, pencils, flipchart paper   Exercise description Everyone  is  given  a  few  post-its.  More  post-its are kept on hand in case someone needs them. The participants are tasked with thinking about and writing down their answers

Everyone sits in a circle. Their task is to silently count the number of green things in the room. After one minute, several people say how many things they have counted. Then everyone closes their eyes and they are asked to remember what is yellow in

Materials: Post-its, pencils, chair   Exercise description Find a volunteer to be the king/queen of the group. They sit in a chair in the middle of the room while the rest write on post-its what they are supposed to be like (expectations of a lead

Materials: Post-its in two colours Exercise description   Distribute the post-its so that women and men get different colours, e.g. green for women and yellow for men. The task is to write the first thing that comes to your mind when asked the que

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants split into groups based on nationality. Their task is to discuss and prepare a presentation about What our society denies (in relation to dealing with the past). The prese

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into smaller groups. Step 1:Prepare a wall newspaper about “What do we remember (from the recent past) as a society?” Step 2: Prepare wall newspapers about “What should we remember a

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Split into three groups. Each group is tasked with preparing a wall newspaper about one of the following topics: What tells us that we are living in peace? What tells us that we are not li

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description Instead of splitting up into small groups, wall newspapers can be prepared collectively for each of the three topics. What tells us that we are living in peace? What tells us that we are n

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description   The participants split into four groups: two of just men and two of just women. One male and one female group (separately) write on their Flipchart paper what type of man they like;

Materials: Paper, pencils, flipchart paper   Exercise description Everyone sits in a circle with a paper and pencil. They have a few minutes to note down their answer to the question “When is war justified?” without consulting each other. Then, on

Materials: Chairs   Exercise description The hot seats method The person sitting in the hot seat in the middle discusses the topic: When my national identity affected my life.

Materials: Paper, pencils, flipchart paper, sticky tape   Exercise description Everyone works independently, thinking about “My fears” and “Where do they come from?” and noting down their thoughts. They have 20 minutes. Then collect their notes an

Everyone has a few minutes to think about the place they come from (however they understand it – city/country/region) and the things they like about it. Then, sitting in a circle, everyone takes turns saying the place they come from and naming three th

Make a large “carpet” by connecting the flipchart papers with masking tape (so they don’t move around). It should be large enough so that the participants can gather round it with everyone having enough space. The task is for everyone to draw something

Materials: Magazines, newspapers, collage paper, flipchart papers, crayons, felt- tip pens, glue, scissors, music   Exercise description Instructions: Use the available materials to make a collage about “Who am I? From where do I draw the strength

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers, felt-tip pens   Exercise description Flipchart papers are laid out on the floor (enough of them so that a number of participants can write on them at the same time). The participants write down their answers to

Materials: Small pieces of paper with the names of all participants, “hat”, paper and pencils/felt-tip pens   Exercise description The small pieces of paper with the names of the participants are put into a “hat”. Everyone takes out a paper. If th

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   Exercise description The participants should imagine themselves having to explain to someone why we need reconciliation and find arguments in support of it. One person from the training team takes a sceptical

This is an exercise where discussions and exchanges are structured to take place around more tables – for instance, 3 to 5 tables for a group of 20 participants. Every table has a “host” or “hostess” who remains at that table, while the others switch t