In response to the distress experienced by many Newham Tamils at the deepening humanitarian emergency in Sri Lanka, in May Conflict & Change held a Community Conversation event to offer a space for Tamils and non-Tamils, to share how they have been affected by the crisis.
It was the first time any C&C volunteers had independently facilitated such an event. This was a momentous step for C&C and we’re really proud of Hanin and Nana who skillfully took up the challenge on such an emotive subject. Well done!
Hanin describes her experience - “A real difficulty was holding my tears back while my heart was full of emotions and touched by all the stories. Once they started talking, it brought my own memories back. I know how hard it is to talk about such things and I admired their courage. I had to keep telling myself that I really wanted to be there for them; because as a facilitator I had to be there for them and provide the platform so they can be there for each other. This gave me for some reason strength.”
Participants felt supported - Kalam who remembered how “I felt that by you listening and getting your response that we are in this together… a sense of unity”.
And also motivated – Haloge noted how “as we moved on and looked at how we could help and how the Tamils could help themselves, there was a massive shift from despondency to hope and courage.” Likewise, Anju said “This meeting gave me more confidence to share with others what is happening”.
The value of such events is summed up by Hanin - “By providing a secure and safe place, where people know that they will be heard and respected, different people will start opening up for each other and they are more likely to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s views and sights. You think afterwards “Was it magic?”, but it is of course not, it is just the right tools and skills to use in the right time, I am thrilled every time I see how the energy gets transformed from anger, confusing, powerlessness and and disappointment to something different which leads to positive change.”
