Individuals from civil society organisations who are active in their local communities, particularly in facilitating discussions on issues of common interest, and those who specialise in issues related to social divisions, are invited to participate in the training.

NOTE: The workshop will mainly include elements from the courses on the basics of dialogue and dialogue facilitation conducted by the Nansen Centre for Peace and Dialogue, and is therefore not intended for people who have already completed other courses provided by NCPD trainers, e.g. under the programme “Turn off the Ego, Understand the Other Person” or the project “How to talk? Fostering Information Literacy as a Core Competence for Informed Citizenship in Participatory Democracy”, implemented by FRSI under the Active Citizens Fund – Regional Programme, or training organised directly by NCPD.

The workshop will address topics such as:

• Dialogue and facilitation: dialogue as a method, perspective and approach, introduction to the role of the facilitator(s) and their tasks;
• Active listening and asking the right questions;
• Creating a safe space for dialogue;
• Conducting public dialogue.

The workshop will take the form of training (interactive) and, in addition to providing an introduction to understanding what dialogue is and how to create the conditions for it, it will also enable the participants themselves to practice facilitating (conducting) dialogue .

The training will be conducted by Christiane Seehausen (Nansen Centre for Peace and Dialogue) and Agata Urbanik (Facilitation Support, graduate of the NCPD dialogue facilitation courses).

The Nansen Centre for Peace and Dialogue (Nansen Fredssenter) is a peace, dialogue and human rights institution based in Lillehammer, Norway. The core work of the NCPD is to create spaces for dialogue across conflict lines. Its working methodology and approach to dialogue is the result of more than thirty years of practical experience in Norway and internationally. NCPD runs educational programmes and courses on dialogue and conflict transformation, facilitates dialogue between conflict parties by working directly with them, and organises public dialogue on topical issues in Norway and with international partners.

For more information on NCPD’s approach to dialogue, please visit the organisation’s website.

Logistics:

• The workshop will take place on two dates (of your choice): 7-11 October 2024 (in Warsaw) and 21-25 October 2024 (in Gdansk). Each course will have the same programme and speakers – a person can only attend one of the training dates.
• Please state all dates and locations that suit you on the application form. We will invite you to attend the workshop on one date in accordance with your preference indicated on the application form, but if you are able to attend on either of the dates – this will enable us to be flexible in assigning people to the workshop groups.
• To participate in the workshop, you must commit to attending the full five days of training (approximately seven hours per day).
• The workshop will be held in English, but simultaneous PL/ENG translation (via headphones) will be available. Please indicate this requirement on the registration form.
• The workshop is free of charge: The organisers will cover the costs of travel to the training venue, accommodation on site (for those living elsewhere on a daily basis) and meals on all days of the workshop.

How to apply:

If you would like to attend the training, please complete the application form [here] by 15 May this year.

NOTE: Completion of the form does not guarantee a place on the training. If there are more applications than places available, the organisers will select trainees on the basis of the information provided on the application form, with the primary aim of ensuring that they represent a variety of organisations and the diversity of issues they cover.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the bilateral and regional cooperation coordinators:

• Anna Fedas (Active Citizens Fund – National, [email protected], tel. +48 22 536 02 41) and/or
• Ewa Stokłuska (Active Citizens Fund – Regional, [email protected], +48 720 801 013).