Our context
Although Sweden has historically been understood as a peaceful country, there is a great need for peace work that prevents polarisation and marginalisation of youth and that empowers them to understand and prevent conflicts in their communities. Unfortunately, we witness many conflicts in various parts of young people’s lives, ranging from bullying, sexism, honour-related conflicts, internet-based conflicts, racism and deadly gun violence.
Fryshuset focuses on young people who do not feel like they are a meaningful part of Swedish society – who feel like outsiders – and create opportunities for them to feel included and valued in society. In marginalised areas, whether it is in the suburbs of the bigger cities where a majority of young people have non-Swedish heritage or in small towns in the Swedish countryside where young people are mostly of Swedish descent but feel ostracised from mainstream society, we see how tensions and violence take root.
In 2018, Fryshuset started working with the method Dialogue for Peaceful Change (DPC) with the aim of strengthening the conflict management tools that youth and actors working with youth in Sweden have access to.
’Dialogue for Peaceful Change’ methodology
The DPC methodology was developed by Colin Craig during the resurgence of the long-standing violent sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland, based on experience gained through the work of the Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland. There were at that time no methodological blueprints or university courses on peacebuilding and conflict management, so the work, in the midst of increased divisions and violence in the country, was developed through trial and error and over time a methodology evolved. In developing the method, some principles on what is needed for peaceful change were agreed upon.
The name ‘dialogue for understanding’ was initially suggested, but the argument was raised that it is entirely possible to have a dialogue which leads to full understanding of each other’s standpoints, while still coming to the conclusion that it would be best to inflict violence on each other. Understanding in itself will not necessarily support peaceful change unless it is coupled with a serious effort to enhance empathic communication through active listening and constructive dialogue on ways towards positive change. Additionally, it was agreed that sustainable peaceful change needs to be initiated by the parties in conflict so that they have full ownership over the solutions, and that they must be the ones communicating that a positive change has been made to the wider community affected by the conflict.
Applying DPC in Sweden
In applying DPC at Fryshuset, we have placed a great emphasis on the selection of participants. We prioritise getting the right people involved rather than maximising the number of participants, with the aim of creating networks of formal and informal key actors in conflict resolution who will use the training to strengthen the work throughout Sweden, and possibly connecting with similar efforts abroad.
In September 2024, Fryshuset will hold a DPC training for external actors working in conflict settings. The training will be held in Swedish and can be read about here.