The second day of the event, organised by ALLIANCE.GLOBAL with UNAIDS support, kicked off with an energetic warm-up, symbolising our readiness to move forward, overcoming barriers of misunderstanding and alienation.
Today’s focus: effective communication and conflict resolution. Seemingly simple concepts, but might they not hold the key to a harmonious society? If we learn to hear one another, perhaps the need to shout about our rights will disappear?
Participants immersed themselves in “active listening” practice. In pairs, they shared stories about challenges they face in everyday life.
“For the first time, I felt truly heard,” one participant confessed, “And it opened my eyes to how often I don’t listen to others myself.”
The “I-statements” exercise sparked particularly lively discussion. Participants practised expressing their emotions and needs without accusations or aggression.
“It’s like learning a new language,” a participant shared.
After lunch, the group delved into conflict resolution. Analysing various strategies for handling conflict situations, participants reached an interesting conclusion: often we perceive conflict as negative, but it can actually be a source of growth and change. Perhaps this is the art of living – not avoiding contradictions, but learning to transform them into opportunities?
The final exercise, “Personal Rights”, became a sort of culmination of the entire training. Participants created a collective “rights manifesto”, and during the discussion, a thought emerged: rights aren’t something given or taken away. They’re an inalienable part of our human essence, which we must recognise and learn to defend while respecting the rights of others.
Two days flew by in an instant, leaving behind a sense of profound transformation. ALLIANCE.GLOBAL and UNAIDS created a space where everyone could look inside themselves and see others in a new light.
We parted with the feeling that social cohesion isn’t an abstract concept, but a daily practice of understanding, acceptance, and support. And now, each of us carries a piece of this understanding to our corner of the world, to create change – in small steps, but with great faith in a shared future where diversity is strength, not a cause for discord.
