The  Diverse Voices, Common Needs project took place between 12-19 November. We had the chance to meet people from different parts of the world, make connections, and most of all, learn about what diversity is, and how inner peace can contribute to peace in diverse communities. 

At first, most of us were confused about the relation between inner peace and diversity. At first sight, the two might seem independent from each other, but with each passing day in the training, this connection started becoming more obvious for us. As we learned in the training, when we are at peace with ourselves, this will reflect to our respective diverse communities. Said differently, our inner peace has a ripple effect on creative diverse & harmonious communities. And yet despite our diversity and differences, we are still the same in many regards. Or, as the project name best puts it, we have ‘Diverse Voices, Common Needs’.

There was a lot of diversity  among the participants in the training, and one of the best parts was meeting people we don’t often have a chance to meet, and finding a common language to work, share lessons and have fun together.With there being people from Kosovo & Serbia, countries that have been in conflict with each other, we discovered that despite what we’d heard or thought about each other, our desire to learn and become better youth leaders united us. Or as a friend and other participant put it: 

‘We are told so many horrible things about people who are different from us, but when you meet them you see that they are just normal people like us and that we are all human ’ 

With lessons ranging from diversity and what encompasses it, to reviewing research studies on happiness and debunking happiness myths, this training was full of exciting lessons. Lessons that we will use to  lead better lives and contribute to our communities. A special part of the training was when we learned and reflected about the concept of gratitude and mindfulness. Although not a foreign concept to most of us, we were still able to get practical tools to help us combat stress, so that we can return to our youth work more resilient and capable of giving. 

Through practical exercises, we were able to see the inherent value in each of us and what we could bring to  table. Although there were a lot of valuable activities the Eggxercise is one of the most memorable. For example During this activity, we were divided into groups, tasked with dropping an egg safely to the floor. 

We had two balloons, two straws, a big sheet of paper and a dream to see that egg land safely. 

The trick was that one of us could not speak, one could not use their hands, one could not see, and one could do anything. Some eggs survived, some didn’t, but it opened an important conversation about inclusion, ability and good leadership. Together we discussed ways to create a better, safer and more inclusive environment for different groups in our society.

On one of the days, we had open spaces, where participants could share their skills & knowledge with other participants. We were lucky enough to learn how to do yoga, dance bachata and we also got to learn about important social issues within the Dominican Republic, among other things. 

The beauty of these SCI trainings, and informal learning at large, is that you not only learn practical tools in your field, but you also can have fun while doing it. All in all, it was a fulfilling few days, and we’ve returned more energised, ready to take on challenges, as well as get to work on our follow up activities.

The “Diverse Voices, Common Needs: Building Peaceful Communities Together” training course gathered 35 participants from 11 countries and many more nationalities for the period 12-19.11.2024 in Antwerp, Belgium. The training was a part of the Peace in Diversity project and was implemented by the International Secretariat of SCI thanks to the co-funding by the European Union.

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