Communication and conflict resolution workshop:

• The duration of the workshop was two hours
• Miss Valentina Otmacic trained two groups, one group in the first morning session from ten till twelve and the second group in the second morning session from twelve till two.

The workshop aimed at introducing participants to the nature, structure and mechanism of conflict as a dynamic phenomenon where the individual (or the group or nation) considers that the other individual (or other group or nation) constitutes some kind of danger to the achievement of his needs and personal interests. The workshop dealt with the constituting factors of conflict, its severity, its aspects and the personal levels it embodies. This was accomplished via various examples that were discussed and analyzed. The workshop also discussed the topic of communication that constitutes one of the major tools in positive conflict transformations. Many tools and techniques for positive communication were presented and their relevance and importance discussed after they were practically applied.

This was followed by a presentation of negotiation processes and the relation of communication to conflict and culture through practical activities. In addition a group of games were presented that would reinforce the child’s ability to communicate and transform conflicts into solutions. The participants applied some of the activities and discussed the results that they reached. This workshop approached theoretical matters via social and emotional processes which were discussed after the practical exercises were completed. Role play constituted a big part of the workshop technique.