Two days Civic Forums in Ijevan: Women and Conflict Resolution
The new target of Society without Violence NGO was young girls and women of Yerevan State University Ijevan Branch, who were present at two-days’ civic forums on May 13 and 14 in frames of program ”The highlight and raise of women’s role as peace builders in the conflict resolution situations: Strengthening of Women in Black movement in Armenia”.
As it has been mentioned in previous articles the main aim of these civic forums is to raise the awareness among young girls and women in regions on peace, types of conflicts, conflict resolution ways and the role of women in the above-mentioned processes.
As a result of civic forums the participants gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to implement them in practice. The participants actively used this knowledge in role plays, group working and in planning a public action. In one or two weeks following the forums the participants will implement a public action aimed at breaking stereotypes on women role in the society.
The girls showed great interest in the topic of the forums and by the end of the first day there was a noticeable change in motivation and enthusiasm of the participants concerning the second day of the forum and the upcoming event to be planed. It is very pleasant to observe how girls are making the first steps to overcome their fears and complexes thus serving an example for others. Of course there were many opinions during the discussions expressed the stereotypes impose by the society but the motivation and readiness of the young girls to accept new gives a hope that everything can still be changed!
I think that such trainings will be helpful for young girls to re-estimate the role of women in the society and to break the existing stereotypes.
