The Inside of ROOTS: participant’s perspective
training on conflict analysis and nonviolent conflict transformation organized by YPAN France
In December 2024, I was lucky enough to be part of a project that changed me and the way I see things. This week on the shores of Lake Leman with people from all over the world taught me not only a new outlook on life, but also contributed to reflections that are already changing me and my field of activity. But let’s take things in order.
Day 1
On the first day of the training, the guys and I were just starting to get to know each other. The trainers, Rami and Nil, created a huge number of opportunities for the participants to connect in the first hours of the project and offered us a lot of crazy-cool activities. One of them was “mission impossible”, where we had to do a lot of different tasks in a short amount of time.
For example, we had to play energizer together, take a group photo, find 20 quotes about human rights and write them down, create Reels for Instagram to promote the “ROOTS” project, walk around the building with the whole company, be silent for 5 minutes, and so on. Even then I felt a sense of cohesion and unity, because from the first day we learned to be a team. That same day we shared our fears and expectations regarding the project, wrote them down on stickers and stuck them on the wall.
Spoiler: not a single fear came true.
That evening, we all united and went to explore Evian together. To say that it is a beautiful city is to say nothing. Not only is it located on the shores of Lake Leman, but it also offers an incredible view of the Swiss Alps. We took a lot of photos, laughed, and in the evening we went there again and enjoyed the emptiness of the streets, the incredible atmosphere and the Christmas silence.
Day 2
On the second day of the project, we devoted a lot of time to management conflict, and I think that this was one of the best practices for the entire training. We were explained that conflict is not something negative at all, but neutral, and sometimes even good. And if you approach the conflict pragmatically, you can not only reduce the negative effect, but also come to an agreement that allows people to cooperate despite their differences.
Afaq: “One of the most influential parts of the project for me was the session on Nonviolent Communication. It is a tool that go beyond just personal interactions and holds immense power in both individual lives and in resolving international conflicts. It taught me that empathy and understanding are universal bridges that can connect us, no matter how distant our worlds maybe”.
We also talked about what conflict resolution is, and how to correctly end something that is not desired. I would like to tell you all the secrets of conflict resolution, but it is better to come to ROOTS — this experience will be much more valuable.
Another topic we touched on was conflict transformation, and we paid special attention to how to transform a conflict so that it would ultimately reduce violence, increase justice and respond to the problem.
After each day of training, we had so-called reflection groups, where we could express our feelings and give feedback to the organizers. I can’t speak for others, but I was pleased to know that my word meant something, that my contribution was significant, and that I could share everything that was on my mind.
In the evening, we all stayed in the training room and played Mafia. I especially loved the evenings at “ROOTS”, because most of the guys wanted to communicate and socialize even after the training sessions. We laughed a lot, got to know each other better, shared personal things and just were there. I don’t know about others, but at that time this was exactly what I needed.
Day 3
Based on feedback from one of the participants, on the third day of the project, envelopes with our names appeared on the wall. This was done so that everyone could leave a note for any member of the project. I received about 20 messages and left the same number — and I took these warm memories home.
This day, we also talked about conflicts, but this time — about ways to resolve them. We learned several techniques, such as the conflict tree, the onion, and the conflict triangle. After that, we had to take any conflict and analyze them according to one of the techniques. I really liked this task, and I realized that in fact, I am quite a conflicted person. And I got that it’s okay, cause if you realize it, you can look for ways to resolve these conflicts.
In addition, on the third day we also analyzed conflict modes, namely competition, collaboration, avoidance and accommodation. We talked about the pros and cons of each of them, and also gave examples, but then came to the conclusion that the most suitable option is compromise.
On this day we paid attention to what well-being is and what it can be: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. We also analyzed what each of them includes, and then split into groups, where we prepared various practices to improve our well-being, and then did it as a group.
Mikail: «It was very interesting for me to see different perspective about well-being, what was different and common things between physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, what were the relationship between them. Also it was very interesting to know and follow the system of the onion, triangle and tree tools, and try to use those methods with some some examples and stories, which help for us to have conclusions which we need»
Anonymous: “One of the activities about well-being was to hug someone. It was not easy for me then…but I decided to practice it also through the week and there was progress. And, others might need a hug or someone who listens, so through this exercise I started to be more aware of my and others needs and this created such a good feeling and social environment because also others became more aware.”
We spent the evening again playing games in the training room, sitting up until two in the morning, because we didn’t want to leave at all. In the short time that we were on the project, we became a family.
Day 4
The next day, each participant had the opportunity to organize and invite the guys to their workshop. As far as I remember, we had about eight workshops, where you could sign up and come during the day. Personally, I attended the workshop called “I’m Remarkable”, where we talked about how important it is to voice your achievements and help yourself understand how much you have gone through and how much you have achieved. We had the task of making a list of your achievements and then reading them out in front of the whole group.
I also attended the “Words Matter” workshop, where we talked about how easily the media and social networks mislead us. I advise you to also take an interest in this topic, because in the 21st century it is especially important not to believe everything you see on the Internet.
Yaiza: «Workshop conflict on canvas. It was a specific moment to connect with our own emotions and conflicts, and to be all together to represent it into art. And seeing in how many ways feelings can be portrayed»
In our free time, we again went to explore the city, enjoy the beautiful view of the Alps, take photos near the lake, laugh and think about what we will do in the evening. We also went to a Christmas fair, where I bought myself a small music box with a French song. Now, every time I pick it up, I remember this incredible time in France.
In the evening, as usual, we played games, but since we were tired of Mafia, we switched to Alis and tried to explain to each other various words that were written on our foreheads. As always, we laughed a lot, went to bed somewhere in the middle of the night, but in the morning we were happy to return to the sessions again.
Kani: «On day 4 during shadow work where we had to self retrospect ourselves, I was deeply inspired to look within myself and identify the lightness and the darkness that makes me the person I am today. Going with the same idea I wrote:
«To all the women in me
Waiting patiently
For their share of love
It is lost at the face value
We cannot go any down
There ain’t no seeping in
There ain’t no escaping out»
Day 5
A new day of the project began with an incredibly funny energizer, which we subsequently used as a game for the rest of the project. Two people sit opposite each other, both of them are in a hotel, while one person is a receptionist, and the second is a visitor who complains about some inconvenience. In the game there was only one condition — to complain in your native language.
Afaq: “Activity that left a deep impression on me was the exercise where we communicated without knowing each other’s language. Despite the absence of words, we were able to understand one another, showing that, at the core, humanity is united by shared values. Kindness, compassion and love, these are the languages of the heart, spoken by every human, no matter their background or origin. In those moments, I felt that we can always find common ground, even as strangers”
During the day we talked a lot about feelings and how to formulate sentences correctly. For example, we realized that saying “I feel that you ignored me is wrong”; you can say “I feel uncomfortable” and explain why, because in this way you do not blame the person. We even had an exercise on how to correctly express feelings through “I statements”. We also learned how to correctly formulate a request using non-violent communication, which was very important for me, because I realized that I had been doing it incorrectly all my life.
In the evening we had a dance party, played UNO, Mafia and wrote notes for envelopes to each other. I swear, we did not miss a single evening — we were always together. That evening we again played a game where you need to explain a problem in a hotel only in your language — our laughter was probably heard even in Switzerland.
Day 6
It was very sad to realize that we were coming to the end of the training and this was our last day. The organizers offered us a new activity. Since we had learned so much, they suggested that we organize something based on this course. I suggested making a poster “hug me to bring peace”, go out with it and make a kind of social experiment out of it. Chiara, an incredible participant from Italy, joined me and suggested making a video about it right on the project. That’s how the video came out, where I am standing with a poster and all the guys from the project come up and hug me. I think it was one of the most memorable moments of the ROOTS.
That day we took a lot of photos, talked and said goodbye to some of the guys who were leaving the project that day. It was very sad to realize that our time together had come to an end, but we knew that we would definitely see each other again. In the evening we went for a walk in Evian again, went to a church and caught an Argan concert. We also walked around the Christmas market once again, bought souvenirs for our families, and in the evening we got together at one of the guy’s room and continued playing Mafia. I think we left somewhere before 3 am, because we didn’t want to say goodbye so much.
The next morning I went home. It was very hard for me to leave these people, this city and this training behind because it was one of the best experiences of my life. I had the chance to meet an incredible company, very smart people with an interesting background, thoughts, emotions and stories that I will never forget. Some of these people helped me make one very difficult choice in my life. I am immensely grateful to them for that. Seeing people from different cultures and communicating with them is always an unforgettable experience that you want to go through again and again. But ROOTS is not only about experience. This is a project that not only helps you gain knowledge, but also helps you understand what kind of person you want to be.
«Roots training was one is the best way of learn about you and world around you» — Sadzida
«Peace is gatherings in communities and learning from each other» — Paula
«We cannot look away» — Gabi
«Peace is the process» — Sasha
«NVC is the first step to stand for peace and human rights» — Moqadasa
«Education is the root for peace» — Stan
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Roots is a project financed by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme.
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