MOSAIC - The training kit for Euro-Mediterranean youth work

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When people are working in small groups, try to ensure that no group contains
people from different sides of the same conflict. The discussion will be more
useful if the sides do not get engaged in strong arguments about how the conflict
should be represented. If you feel that this is a possible risk, you could miss out the
small-group stage and bring everyone together after the process of reflection.
During discussion in the whole group, try to be aware of participants’ feelings
and avoid any situation where someone may feel personally hurt or rejected. If
such a possibility arises, it can be useful to invite opinions from other participants
who are less emotionally involved. Do not be afraid to raise the topic of how
people are feeling: it is important to acknowledge that this is a difficult and
sensitive area, and participants are quite entitled to experience emotional conflict.
It is worth pointing out to participants that there are various reasons, both internal
and external, why perceptions of a conflict can differ so strongly. Internal reasons
include psychological factors such as selective attention and memory: people tend to
remember information that does not challenge but rather reinforces existing prejudices.
External factors include the media, politicians and the fact that our sources of information
are normally those on the same side of the conflict divide. Both internal and external
factors play an important role in perpetuating one-sided views of a conflict, and this
in turn can lead to escalation or at least continuation of the conflict mentality.
Variations
If you feel that international or regional conflicts may be too controversial for your
group, you can ask participants to think about a personal conflict that they have been
involved in. Many of the same points can be drawn out and there is less likelihood of
participants being strongly challenged by an opposing point of view.
Participants can also be asked to think about positive attempts at reconciliation between
two sides, for example, treaties between Germany and France after the Second World
War, treaties between Israel and Egypt, Israel and Jordan, exchanges of prisoners, and
so on. This also helps to illustrate that we tend to remember negative examples more
easily than positive ones.
Ideas for action
Encourage participants to try to find out from the other side about the conflict they
have chosen. This could involve looking at websites, reading newspapers or looking
at other mass media, or trying to make contact with people on the other side of the
conflict divide.
Suggestions for follow-up
The activity “Mesorgiu” in the online version of Compass is a simulation which looks
at memories of an ancient conflict between two imaginary peoples. You could also
try the activity “Memory tags” in Compass online, or “Making memories” (Activity 13 in
this T-kit), both of which look at the way that memories of conflict are “fixed” by public
monuments or other official records.
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