Across our social and political landscape, the fractures of polarisation grow deeper. Tribes form not just around ideas but identities, fortified by mistrust and fear. We hold different views to our family, friends and colleagues but are unsure how to voice them. Or tension builds in these relationships because of clumsy conversations. Fostering communities across difference becomes fraught and toxic. St Ethelburga’s, believes another path is possible, rooted in our ongoing theme of Faith, Peace and Belonging.
This is not about smoothing over difference. It is about holding the fire of disagreement in a container strong enough to withstand the heat; one shaped by resilience, values, and deep listening. We ask - what does it take to be a reconciler in an age of activism? What does it take to move from fracture to repair? What does it take to move from reaction to intention? What does it take to hold a radical centre across divides?
Rooted in peacemaking, this training equips participants to bridge divides with accessible language, tools for engaging echo chambers, dialogue skills and practices of belonging. It will include pair work, embodied exercises, conflict mapping, and deep listening. Participants will leave with practical exercises to implement in their personal contexts, suitable for families/friendships, faith communities, workplaces and social groups.
We invite those sitting in the discomfort of division, those seeking to understand rather than retreat, and those curious about how inner and outer transformation meet in practice.