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- Jan 2012January in a nut shell LESS
- The Truce 20/20 project has started the New Year in a busy fashion. Not only have we provided the young graduates with varied volunteering opportunities but we’ve also started our 11th Truce MOREcohort.
The Truce graduates played a key role in the recruitment process by recommending their friends and extended family members and also delivering four taster sessions for the potential participants. Our 11th group started the 10-week ‘Peace Builders’ Workshop’ on Tuesday 24th, with two Truce graduates as part of the delivery team.
In the month of January, a total of 11 Truce graduates facilitated conflict resolution workshops, further reaching 137 local young people and adults.
On Thursday 26th, the Truce young people facilitated an inter-generational event called ‘London Burning’, which reflected on the August riots, ongoing crime and anti social behaviour issues in Newham. The event was attended by over 35 local residents who shared their ideas about building respect between different generations and looked at ways in which to move forward.
- Jan 2012'London's burning' - post riots event by Truce 20/20 LESS
- Fiona and Wangu, a couple of our 20/20 Trucers facilitated the London’s Burning film and discussion evening; both these girls had bundles of energy and were very confident individuals who facilitated with MOREease. The evening was an opportunity for 30 very diverse people to reflect again on the riots and on anti social behaviour generally. Fiona and Wangu have been so inspired by the event that they are going to set up repeat which they are sure they can get large numbers of young people to attend. It was wonderful to see our young people become an inspiring part of the Community Conversation team.
Well done girls!!!
- Jan 2012Truce starts it's GROUP 11! LESS
- A group of 20 young people aged 16-21 years old has started their 10-week ‘Peacebuilders’ Workshop’ training in conflict resolution, mediation and design and facilitation of workshops. The programme is ‘Open College MORENetwork’ and ‘Youth Achievement Award’ accredited, which means at the end of the training our Truce participants will gain two nationally recognised accreditations that will help them when applying for jobs and Universities. During the 10-week programme the young people will go on a residential weekend outside of London, where apart from an intensive training, they will take part in fun outdoor teambuilding activities.
We have a beautifully diverse group of young people who we hope enjoy our project and will take part in many volunteering opportunities that will make our Newham community a more peaceful place to be.
- Jan 2012Truce is recruiting again!! LESS
- Are you 16 – 21 years old and live in Newham?
Do you want to gain OCN and YAA accreditation in 10 weeks?
Does an idea of a residential out MOREof London with fun outdoor activities excites you?
And most importantly….
Do you want to make a positive contribution in your community?
YES????
Well, look no further, we’re the project you want to be part of!
Over the period of 10 weeks we will train you in conflict resolution, mediation and design and facilitation of workshops. Our programme is FREE and fun – not only you meet new young people who are like-minded, but you gain new skills for life that will help you to help and inspire others.
Why don’t you call Klaudia on 0208 552 2050 for more info!
If you are in a bit of a writing mood and you’d like to spend your credit on your friends, why don’t you drop us an email – klaudia@conflictandchange.co.uk !
We have only 20 places available, so don’t hesitate and contact us, we’d love to have you on board of our Truce project!!
- Jan 2012Happy New Year! LESS
- Dear all,
We would like to wish you a very happy New Year, may all your dreams and wishes come true!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you MOREall for your on-going support and believe in our project, we really appreciate it.
With warmest wishes,
The Truce 20/20 team.
- Dec 2011Merry Christmas to you all! LESS
- Dear supporter of our Truce 20/20 project, we would like to wish you a very merry Christmas, may this festive season be full of love, joy and laughter.
Peace,
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Truce 20/20 project
- Dec 2011G10 completes the Peace Builders Worshop! LESS
- Can you believe it? Out 10th group of 20 young people have finished their 10-week training in conflict resolution, mediation and design and facilitation already!
The lovely group of 20 MOREyoung people were trained by Chris from Conflict and Change, Narjas Zatat, our Truce graduate and Virginia Ivanova, our new Truce apprentice. The team worked very hard and made the training fun and engaging for our participants, well done guys.
Our new sparkly trained 'Trucers' shall start putting their new skills into practice in January '12, when we start recruiting for our 11th!! cohort. We can't wait to see them in action, watch out Newham, we have some brilliant talent coming your way!
- Nov 2011November update, just for you. LESS
- The month of November was a very busy and exciting one, not only our current group have been continuing to take part in the 10-week Peace Builders’ Workshop, but we have also MOREhad the privilege to host George Ngoha from Sudan, who came to talk to our young people about the importance of locally led peacebuilding.
Our current cohort 10 has kept its impressive retention, we are in the week 9 and we still have 20 young people attending the sessions. At the beginning of the month, the group took part in a residential weekend in Buckinghamshire, which was enjoyed by all.
The ‘Local meets Global’ session with our South Sudanese peacebuilder was attended by 32 young people. The next day, three Truce young people facilitated community development event for local residents of Newham, who came to hear about Africa’s newest country and George’s experience of working with oil companies.
The Truce steering group took part in a ‘Youth Conference’ that was co-organised by the Met Police. The young people played a key role in discussions with the police officers on how to address the violence and knife crime in the community and what kind of youth initiatives would be useful and effective for local youth.
Several young people delivered conflict resolution workshops in local primary and secondary schools.
- Nov 2011Sara facilitates peer mediation! LESS
- Sara Wakili joined Natalie and Selina of Conflict and Change for the first in a series of whole-day workshops. Her first time facilitating
since her training Truce 20/20, and she was MOREan absolute natural. Unfazed by the size of the group, or her unfamiliarity with some of the
exercises, she challenged the group with well-placed questions and small-group support that really brought the most out of the days' learning.
Natalie and Selina were pleased to have her as part of the team, and look forward to working with her over the rest of the programme.
- Nov 2011Arifa delivers Big Up Cool Down! LESS
- Today Arifa Dukanwala made her debut secondary school appearance, facilitating with Selina from Conflict and
Change. Despite working with a difficult group, she showed a level of confidence and clarity that MOREcontributed to the success of this highly-energetic session. She will be working with the group for another four sessions on themes of personal conflict and
emotional literacy, and will have a lot to offer the group throughout the program.
- Oct 2011Truce Group 10 starts!!! LESS
- We are extremely excited to let you all know that the Truce 20/20 project has started it’s 10th cohort!!
A group of 20 young people aged 16-21 years old has started their MORE10-week ‘Peacebuilders’ Workshop’ training in conflict resolution, mediation and design and facilitation of workshops. The programme is ‘Open College Network’ and ‘Youth Achievement Award’ accredited, which means at the end of the training our Truce participants will gain two nationally recognised accreditation that will help them when applying for jobs and Universities. During the 10-week programme the young people will go on a residential weekend outside of London, where apart from an intensive training, they will take part in fun outdoor teambuilding activities.
We have a beautifully diverse group of young people who we hope enjoy our project and will take part in many volunteering opportunities that will make our Newham community more peaceful place to be.
- Sep 2011Faisa facilitates at St Wins primary! LESS
- It was Faisa' s first time supporting work in schools and she was keen to see how the young students deal with conflict issues. During the planning session she expressed she felt MOREa little shy as this would be a new experience for her but was nevertheless keen to follow Natalie’s lead and help out generally during the session.
Faisa, was happy to share her ideas and thoughts in the group, she assisted the students during thinking time and supported Natalie by 'flip charting' and making notes from the discussion group.
Having just started university, Faisa has a pretty busy time table, however she said she is keen to support other work in school when she can.
- Sep 2011Ezza, Orla and Pelumi deliver the last taster session! LESS
- Today’s Taster Session was truly exceptional, both in delivery and in numbers. With over 20 atendees, Ezzatullah Zamali, Orla Bull, and Pelumi Owoseje, were faced with the largest number we have MOREhad at a Taster Session so far. This fact, however, didn’t seem to daunt the trio, who overcame each logistical obstacle to deliver an inclusive and energetic session. Our Truce facilitation team should be truly proud of themselves for stepping up to the challenge of such a diverse and expansive group of participants. Well done guys, you were brilliant!!
- Sep 2011Dua, Troy and Hassan facilitate taster session! LESS
- Today Dua Hussain, Hassan Salum, and Mahsen Mahsen, ran a truly professional Taster Session for what was an unexpectedly small group. Forging ahead with good humour and charm, each delivered their MOREgames with such sparkle and energy, that it made up for the lack of numbers. Despite being the first time the three had facilitated together, their team-work was tight and without awkward pauses between exercises. They worked well to include all the participants and had a very positive feedback. Well done guys!!
- Sep 2011Virginia Ivanova – the new Truce apprentice! LESS
- We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Virginia Ivanova, Truce group 6 graduate, on her new role of Truce apprentice! CONGRATULATIONS!!
Virginia has taken part in various volunteering opportunities MOREin the past two years and has always impressed audiences of young and old with her passion and determination to make a positive change in her community. We feel confident that Virginia will be a great inspiration to our future Truce participants and will become a valuable member of the Truce ‘Peacebuilders’ Workshop’ training team.
- Sep 2011Truce graduates interviewing the next Truce apprentice! LESS
- The Truce 20/20 project is for young people, run by young people. This is why, once a year, we offer a unique apprentice role to one of our graduates, who becomes a MOREpart of the 10-week ‘Peacebuilders’ Workshop’ training team. The successful candidate, after finishing her/his apprenticeship that lasts one year, becomes a fully paid conflict resolution trainer for our future Truce cohorts.
Our steering group members – Abdul, Dua, and Fatma sat on the interviewing panel for the next Truce apprentice, taking a lead on questioning and deciding on who they think should be appointed. It must have been hard to make a decision; all the candidates in the second round were very prepared and clearly wanted the job. We had a full confidence in our trio and after a long and hard discussion, we found out that the apprentice role was accepted by the successful candidate - Virginia Ivanova.
We would like to thank our interviewing panel for their expertise and professionalism, we are impressed!
- Sep 2011Peace, Pelumi and Jannath deliver 1st Taster session! LESS
- On the 14th September, our lovely Truce girls delivered the first taster session to a group of young people from Newham, who were interested to take part in our Truce cohort MORE10.
Peace, Pelumi and Jannath designed an engaging and fun two- hour workshop that was enjoyed by all the attendees. It was great to see the girls putting their facilitation skills into action, we were very proud to see how articulate and confident they have become in the field of conflict resolution.
- Sep 2011Truce is recruiting again! LESS
- Are you 16 – 21 years old and live in Newham?
Do you want to gain OCN and YAA accreditation in 10 weeks?
Does an idea of a residential out MOREof London with fun outdoor activities excites you?
And most importantly….
Do you want to make a positive contribution in your community?
YES????
Well, look no further, we’re the project you want to be part of!
Over the period of 10 weeks we will train you in conflict resolution, mediation and design and facilitation of workshops. Our programme is FREE and fun – not only you meet new young people who are like-minded, but you gain new skills for life that will help you to help and inspire others.
Why don’t you call Klaudia on 0208 552 2050 for more info!
If you are in a bit of a writing mood and you’d like to spend your credit on your friends, why don’t you drop us an email – klaudia@conflictandchange.co.uk !
We have only 20 places available, so don’t hesitate and contact us, we’d love to have you on board of our Truce project!!
- Aug 2011Truce is going to the World Peace Festival in Berlin! LESS
- Oh yes, Truce 20/20 is going to Berlin! Our fantastic Truce graduates – Jasmine, Sohail and Narjas are going to take part in the World Peace Festival in Berlin, where they will MOREbe speaking about our project and spreading the message of peace amongst the world peace activist and Nobel Prize winners.
Our young people have been working very hard on their presentation; they are going to share our belief in peer to peer approach and the importance of positive role models to an audience of over 400 people from all over the world! During their presentation, our Truce representatives will demonstrate the model of ‘Iceberg of Conflict ‘. We hope this conflict resolution tool will give the audience a better understanding of conflict and the deeper feelings and needs that are important for us to identify in these situations in order to resolve them constructively.
We are very grateful to the organisers for inviting us and giving our young people the opportunity to share their knowledge of peacebuilding on a grass-roots level.
The conference is going to be amazing, check our Sohail, Jas and Narjas on the speakers page here -
.
Good Luck guys!
- Aug 2011August Riots - Klaudia says... LESS
- Like most Londoners, I have been watching in disbelief how quickly the riots spread across London on Monday night, and how careless the young people became about the neighbourhoods and the communities MOREwhere they live.
In recent years, I have been privileged to work with young people in the Truce 20/20 youth project funded by Peace Direct and Conflict and Change. Newham is one of the most deprived and diverse areas of London. The personal journeys I have witnessed in young people's lives, despite their heart breaking backgrounds, have left me speechless and humbled over and over again. When we tapped into their personal potential, which was screaming to get out, the result has been a movement of committed and determined young people, able to pass on their new skills and inspire over 2,500 other young people in the past two years alone.
And not all young people were rioting. Those with whom I've worked over the past few years have stood up to peer pressure and ridiculed the actions of the troublemakers. While other young people were mobilising their friends to join them on the streets, the Truce young people were voicing their frustrations and motivating their friends to stay at home. Positive messages about rebuilding stronger communities, about the need to act as positive role models, and that violence is intolerable, kept popping up on the Facebook updates of the Truce graduates.
There were many who were able to clearly articulate their grievances about the powers of authorities, the lack of facilities for young people, the low prospects for employment and the problem of tuition fees. But whilst these grievances may be real and complex, the young people knew very well that violence is not going to resolve these underlying issues.
Drawing on feedback from our young people over the years, the message is clear - there has been a lack of positive role models, or people who they can look up to. This was demonstrated in the inability of some parents to get their rebellious offspring home. The recent wave of closures of youth centres and of initiatives that provide young people with meaningful opportunities, as a result of recent drastic cuts in youth provision, didn't help either.
I'm not excusing the greed-driven behaviour that takes to the streets and helps itself to the latest designer and electronic goods. But in my opinion, this is a manifestation of broader structural inequalities. The challenge for the policymakers, in the short term, is to bring security back to the streets of London and other cities. But for the long term we must ensure that the causal drivers of this violence are understood and addressed.
I have been at the frontline of working with hard-to-reach young people, and witnessed real positive differences in behaviour of individuals after taking part in our programme. This has left me with nothing but conviction that youth initiatives which equip young people with skills that help to divert from anti-social patterns of behaviour and make positive choices about the direction of their lives, are one of the answers to the current challenges we face in our UK communities.
Positive messages and invitations to clean up the streets of Newham have been bouncing amongst the Truce graduates through Facebook since Tuesday. Their first brainstorming session, on how to 'do our bit' in the community, has already taken place.
Watch this space: the riots will go, but the Truce young people are
here to stay.
Klaudia Brezna
Truce 20/20 Project Manager
