For years I have been training in facilitation and systemic constellations work. I use these skills everyday, either in a professional capacity, when I am parenting or in my local community.

I think each of us has the opportunity to inspire a more thoughtful and caring world. We do that in how we act and in how we communicate. Sometimes this means having difficult and challenging conversations which are meaningful. This is not something I/we as a culture are particularly skilled in.

Working in community over the years I have seen lovely people who generally are enjoyable to converse with, act and speak in ways which are subtly or not so subtly racist, homophobic, sexually charged, abusive or in some other way offensive to another group of people or individuals.

These experiences can stay with me for days, weeks and sometimes years. In my experience people are generally good people who have a worldview/cultural bias which is a blindspot. Sometimes this is a generational thing and sometimes it is a cultural thing. We definately sweep it under the carpet and i often hear excuses but rarely acknowledgement and change.

When things can change is when they are done in community, like in a school system or a organisational community. When members say, No, and the community acts to challenge preconceptions and long held beliefs together. How do we do this though on a day to day basis? How do we as a wider community learn skills to have conversations that lead to understanding and cultural change?

This training is another part of the jigsaw puzzle which will allow me to build a course for individuals and communties who care about engaging in the challenges of our time and take a more active role in engaging our culture and communities in deep and meaningful conversations that host conflict in order to create peace.