Participants from the Prison to Peace Project took part in an intensive Capacity Building Course delivered by WEA.The group, made up from former political prisoners and combatants, committed their time and energy to tackle the challenge of the six day programme.

This was a bespoke piece of training designed to meet the identified needs of the Prison to Peace Working Group and one which embedded the practice, principles and values of Community Development Occupational Standards. The participants worked hard building relationships within the group, and tackling and debating some of the most contentious issues that have divided grass root communities.

Included in the programme was a field trip to the Suffolk Lenadoon Interface Group where Jean Brown, Renee Crawford and Chris O’Halloran outlined the process of developing a collaborative project in a shared space.

One of the course highlights was a case study were the participants took roles in a simulation of the Drumcree marching disputes.  Roles included the concerned residents group, the Orange Order, the Police and the Parades Commission.  Participants were asked to take a very different role from their normal view of the Drumcree dispute.  Participants said that this gave them a deeper understanding of other people’s views and allowed them to develop new points of agreement on contentious issues.

The course programme was a resounding success, with all the participants leaving with a new sense of purpose,  a collection of development tools and methods they could draw upon in their work, and, of course, a network of new relationships to carry forward into the future.

This was a very valuable piece of work and one that reflected WEA's commitment to working inclusively towards a Shared Future.