Sample Agenda for Preparing Peace Teams for Reconciliation
from Project: Hearts and Minds Inc.

Friday Evening: 2 Hours

• Welcome, expectations for retreat.
• During introductions the members comment on ways each has to contribute to the purpose of the delegation, personal goals, and something to help others understand each member’s particular pressures and resources.
• After practicing active listening in pairs, to name strengths and skills and to understand the importance of affirmation, each introduces his/her partner as if to local hosts.
• We make practical decisions for the weekend by concensus.
• We evaluate learnings from the session: helpful aspects, difficult aspects, and suggestions for improvement another time.

Saturday Morning: 3 Hours

• Agenda Review and Gathering: “How I am feeling about the trip.”
• Brainstorm: Varieties of leadership.
• Exercise focusing on differences in temperament.
• Discussion of leadership roles in the team.
• Roleplay team responses to challenging situations that require quick team decisions regarding authorities, the media, the team. Each decision is then processed with the facilitators.
• More in-depth role plays on cultural or team issues.
• Evaluation.

  Break: A time of silent lunch preparation is followed by lunch and conversation and then a walk in a nature center or a rest.

Saturday Afternoon: 3 Hours

• Agenda Review and Gathering : “A way I deal with anger and frustration.”
• Listening in Pairs: “A difficulty I face” using peer crisis counseling model: active listening, restatement, clarification — then reverse roles — then time for discussing how each could take a step to ease her/his own difficulty.
• Consensus Decision Making: web chart and discussion on consensus, choose facilitator, minute taker, time keeper, and agenda for planning meeting the following day.
• Empathy exercise: group support in dealing with fears.
• Informational discussion: support for trauma, culture and reentry shock.
• Evaluation of session.
• Closing: “One of the things I am looking forward to about going on this trip.”

  Break: Dinner at ethnic restaurant.

Saturday Evening: 2 Hours

• Agenda Review and Gathering: “A way I handle stress.”
• Group Dialogue: Each speaks on the spiritual meaning this trip to her/him, sharing personal stories. Group listens without discussion or comment with an interval of reflection in between comments.
• Affirmation of each team member by other team members.

Sunday Morning: 3 Hours

• Agenda Review and Gathering: “What I have learned and want to learn next.”
• Two-hour Group Meeting facilitated by one team member with another taking minutes and another keeping time. The agenda has been developed over the weekend by placing items for decision and discussion on newsprint. Examples have been:
  • Plan for packing material aid supplies
  • Plan for getting supplies and themselves to airport
  • Personal health and travel concerns
  • Shared resources: books, water purifier, antibiotics
  • Group process on trip — daily meetings
  • Identification as team members — brochures, calling cards, official documents
  • Account of experience: individual reports, photographs, financial records, group report, group agreements and roles
• Unfinished Business.
• Evaluation of weekend.

  Retreat weekend ends with luncheon and conversation.

Handouts:

Travel advice
Bibliography
Preventive Medicine Tips
Helpful Phrases
Principles of Alternatives to Violence
Group policies
Articles

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Preparing Peace Teams for Reconciliation

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