Who Is This?

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...

Who is Supposed to Reconcile with Whom/What?

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...

Who Am I? From Where Do I Draw the Strength to Be Who I Am?

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?...

Where I Live

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...

Where I Come From

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...

Where Do My Fears Come From?

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...

When My National Identity Affected My Life

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.

When is War Justified?

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...

What is the Role of Women/Men in Society?

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...

What I Liked/What Bothered Me in Our Communication

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...

What Contributes to Peacebuilding?

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...

What Can I Do?

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:...

Using a Chart to Analyse Conflict

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...

Three Events that Affected My Engagement

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...

Things I (Don’t) Like About Myself / About Others in Teamwork…

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...

The Heroes 2

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...

Telling It*

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....

Similarities and Differences 2*

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...

Similarities and Differences

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...

Reflection and Analysis of Teamwork

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...

Reconciliation Has Arrived!

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...

Reconciliation and Me

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...

Questions and Dilemmas I Am Trying to Solve

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...

Powerful Chair

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...

Parting Envelopes

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...

Participants’ Expectations

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? -...

Obstacles in Work: Situations

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...

National Identity Questionnaire

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...

National Identity and Other Identities

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”....

My Three Identities

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...

My Safe Space

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...

My Questions About Gender Roles in Society/Gender Equality

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...

My Path Up to Here

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...

My Definition of Peace

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...

My Contribution to Reconciliation

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...

My Conflicts

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...

Marching*

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...

Let Me Introduce Myself

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...

Journal

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...

I Will… / I Need…

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...

How Do I See the Next Five Years of My Life?

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...

Hot Seats

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...

Four Colours, Drawing Exercise

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...

Family Narratives

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...

Exploring Expectations: Tree of Expectations

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...

Exploring Expectations: Travel Bag

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...

Example of an Evaluation Questionnaire

  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...

Drawing by Instruction

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....

Definitions of Conflict

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...

Criteria for Activists (“Dub” Island)

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,...

Conflict and Modelling Clay

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....

Chair Statues About Power

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...

Chair Statues About “The Power of Nonviolence”

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...

Associations: Women, Men

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...

Associations: Prejudice and Discrimination

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...

Actors in Dealing with the Past

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,...

A River of Identities

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...

3 + 2 Identities

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...

“Husband, Wife, Compote” Story

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...