The Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Colombia

1. The Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Colombia Ana Díaz, MS Bridging the Gaps: Risk Reduction, Relief and Recovery Conference Istanbul, Turkey March 31-April 2, 2009

2. Outline • Overview of the Violence in Colombia • The Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation, ESPERE • Three current initiatives

3. Overview of the Violence in Colombia

4. Some Statistics Photo: El Tiempo Newspaper 09/30/08 • Homicide rate at 29 per 100,000 (2005) • Top cause of death in 2002: Violence • Violence against women: 43% (2007) • 2.7-3.1 Million estimated Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) • 270,000 new IDPs in the first semester of 2008 • War-related deaths: Approx. 8-10% of all homicides (2004) • (Source: CODHES, PAHO, DHS Survey)

5. On Top of That… Photo: Alto Comisionado para la Paz Photo: Fundación para la Reconciliación • 31,671 paramilitaries and collaborators have demobilized (2003-2006) • 17% have been estimated to have formed new armed groups • 40,000 FARC and 4,000 ELN members are estimated to continue to operate • 390,000 soldiers in the National Army • (Source: UNHCR, Colombian Gov.)

6. What are we Left With? “I was talking to my brother in the classroom when I got hit by a soccer ball. I get really excited when I see them so I kicked it right away to send it back to the owner. I kicked it very hard though and accidently hit a girl and broke her collar bone. Before I knew it, the boyfriend came after me to hit me and actually broke my mouth . The girl was brought to the hospital. The school coordinator told me that I should have not hit the girl anyway and that the girl had told her it was intentional so nothing happened to the boyfriend and I was left as the bad guy. That night, since the girl lived right next to me, the mother came demanding money for the medical bills. Later the dad came with a gun threatening to kill me. Luckily I was working that night but my father told me what happened. My father was so mad that he hit me . We were in that dilemma for 6 months.”

7. The ESPERE Schools of the Fundación para la Reconciliación

8. The Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation, ESPERE • An approach that focuses on the process for removing emotional and identity barriers that block the way to ending interpersonal conflict • Building capacity and motivation to self- repair, repair others • Empowerment: Creating community mediators and trainer-of-trainers • Propose restorative justice as an alternative to punitive justice Photo: Fundación para la Reconciliación • Conflict leaves victims but victims also have other social and political identities worth recuperating

9. The Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation, ESPERE cont. • The ways people respond to conflict: • Taking revenge or distancing oneself from the victim both socially and emotionally to ameliorate feelings of powerlessness and guilt—These routes are likely to intensify rather than end conflict • Apology-forgiveness cycle to remove the emotional barriers to reconciliation for both victims and perpetrators, at their own pace • Forgiveness process helps officialize a personal story and offer a new point of departure • (A. Nadler & N. Shnabel in “The Social Psychology of Intergroup Reconciliation” , 2008) • Goal: Healing of emotional wounds and management of memories

10. ESPERE Methodology Social reconnection Safe environment Self-reflection Assertive communication Tell their story: narrative truth Photos: Fundación para la Reconciliación

11. Challenges of the Methodology • Addresses interpersonal level conflict • Not stand-alone sessions • Process does not end after 80 hours • Preservation of basic principles in TOT Model • Evaluation, measuring impact

12. Basis for Sustainable Reconciliation: Healing of Emotional Wounds

13. Three Major Initiatives • Emotional Literacy Program • 9,125 IDPs and former combatants primarily • The National network of youth for Reconciliation • 7,000 youth (ages 13-18) in 14 schools • Peace Leaders Program • 220 former combatants in Bogotá Photo: Fundación para la Reconciliación

14. What Has Worked? • Internal Champions within local governments, Ministry of Education • ESPERE for teachers first • Partnering with other NGOs • Personal Testimonies and preliminary outcome data

15. Voices of Participants [With the network] a girl from my group told me she was being bullied so, what did I do? I went and talked with the boy and his group doing the bullying and I said to them: no, you have to have this thing called ethics of care, you have to talk and so I gave them all of the concepts. The older ones in the group began to understand and some went and apologized to the girl. And I know they meant it because I can tell when someone is trying to play me. I felt I helped a lot, you know, to get the bad ones to not do this stuff anymore, as I was doing it in sixth grade. And is not like I gave them a lecture you know, because I have experience so I knew they would not listen to a lecture, I make it dynamic.” Pablo, member of the Youth for Reconciliation Network .

16. Voices of Participants “We were invited to the forgiveness workshops and I thought, here is another stupid psychosocial program. I did not have the slightest idea of the effect those workshops would have on me. I had the time to cry, to be able to find myself and for the first time in my life, I saw my own potential as a human being. I discovered also that with my temperament, I was losing the woman I love. I was able to take responsibility for my wrongdoings. I had the courage to ask for forgiveness, from the heart. I was able to recognize that I had spent my entire life wasting time over things that did not matter and that it wasn’t a church what I needed. What I needed was to forgive myself. “ Pedro, former combatant and today peace leader.

17. Thank you! Contact Information: Ana Díaz anadiaz1@gmail.com Fundación para la Reconciliación www.fundacionparalareconciliacion.org

18. Colombia Photos: John Ospina

19. Founded in 2001 • Work with communities in 63 areas (municipalities and cities), and through partners in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia and South Africa • 93,000participants of ESPERE in Colombia • 3,500 volunteers (trainers of trainers) in 40 cities and towns. • Human rights and reconciliation classes in all schools of Bogotá since 2004 • Awarded with several National Peace Awards as well as with an honorable mention in Peace Education by UNESCO (2006).

20. Components of Forgiveness Modules (6) 1- Introduction to F&R: what forgiveness is and what is not 2- From Darkness to Light 3- Decision to Forgive 4- Looking with other Eyes 5- Understand my Offender 6- Launching a Bridge

21. Components of Reconciliation Modules (4) 1- Building Collective Truth 2- Guaranteeing Justice 3- Facilitating a Pact 4- Celebrating, Making Memory and Offering Reparation

22. Correos de Paz

23. ESPERE Graduation