The Possible Situation in a community

Community conflict covers a broad spectrum of potential difficulties, from neighbour disputes over a car parking space to overt violence between different groups. 

Image left: getting in touch with people's needs.

Symptoms

• People aren’t talking to each other; if they do it’s nothing more than a polite ‘hello’
• People don’t speak up or express themselves
• There may be actual violence, shouting and screaming, feared or real physical contact
• Emotions are running high

The impact

• Trust has broken down
• There is blame and judgement
• People identify with different parties and may have clear views about the history of the situation, including who is right and who is wrong, causing polarisation in the community
• People may live in fear
• People’s needs, including connection, contribution, community and safety are not being met
• There’s a lack of joy and vitality

Image right: applying the violence cycle - Sri Lanka

What we do

• Work with groups separately to listen and understand their situation
• Help them look again at their scenario by using, for example, games, role play and mime to introduce concepts like Nonviolent Communication and the violence cycle
• Look at the where people’s judgements and constructs about the situation come from.  Start to work with how people think and feel about the situation
• Introduce and practise how to break the violence cycle by using tools such as the four steps, the seven steps and empathy
• Where appropriate bring the groups together to look again at the whole picture using NVC and the violence cycle, then have them practise together at breaking the cycle
• Ask the group how it wants to continue – what structures and mechanisms, such as problem solving groups or early warning systems would they like to put in place – and how?
• Where needed, provide ongoing support to individuals and groups through coaching and smaller meetings.  We learn how to behave from the day we’re born.  It can take longer than a day or two to start to think and act differently