Peace Work
Sample Agenda
Introduction: Hellos/introduction to facilitators & their hopes/overview of process; read posted version of agenda/ask for consensus on “Cooperative Agreements”
Gathering: (Go ‘Round) “Something I do that relaxes me is…” (e.g.)
Exercise: Different exercises for different phases of group development. Affirmation & common ground exercises build trust… When trust is established we move toward skill-building, cooperation and conflict resolution
Light & Lively: These are playful, creative, energizing activities or circle games that lighten energy and allow trauma bubbles to dissipate in laughter
Exercise: Some form of skill or self-awareness-enhancing activity: Skills include listening, “feeling or I-message statements” for expressing self assertively, empathy, etc.
Debrief thoroughly (dig for people’s experience & insight)
Evaluation/Planning: Find out how everyone felt about each activity. Does anyone want to contribute or co-facilitate next time?
Closing: Uplifting goodbye… i.e. “Gift Share”: we tell, in turn, the person to our left, “A gift I see in you is…” A quick closing might be an inspiring reading or a loving wish someone has for the group…
Depending on available time, you may want to leave parts out, but beginning a group with a gathering, doing at least one exercise & an affectionate closing makes for a very lovely and productive experience!
Some “Peace Work” Benefits:
- Peace Work works with a large number of participants & facilitators, thereby transforming entire community
- It is easily “personalize-able” to assist with each group’s individual desires or goals
- It’s easy to learn! & develops leadership skills, interpersonal-skills, self-confidence, etc.
- It furnishes insight into self & others; develops self-responsibility
- It equalizes power which encourages true community
- It has a non-dogmatic spiritual/philosophical basis
- It provides a safe, relatively painless, way to go deep… and a playful way to move through the “deep” – It’s fun!
- It is delightfully creative: find, arrange and/or make up exercises and agendas to fit needs
- It uses a flexible format: blocks of any curricula can be interwoven
- It works best with “concurrent documentation,” if you have to document — evaluate before “closing”
- It provides tools & format transferable to other life situations
- It isn’t taught. What is learned comes from our own life experience, proving us all powerful healers!