On June 4, the core group at St. Joseph school gathered for the last time during the academic year 2023-2024. Each member of the group shared during 10 to 12 minutes their story. They were guided by the following questions:
Questions:
– what are the most impactful experiences that made you the person you are today (especially in relation with the challenges and conflicts we live through in Lebanon)
– are there categories of people you feel resentment towards? If yes, what’s the experience that made you feel this way? Is it experienced by you personally or is it due to what you got to know about those people?
– do you know about anyone who tried to positively transform the relation with this category of people? (If yes, please share a summary)
– what about your own role in building trust: what do you need to help you become a positive change-maker? (A safe space for dialogue? A training? An assurance of goodwill? A law enforcement?…) please think deeply on this as Grudge and Denial have proven to be the worst choices
The aim of these questions and of the story sharing is to help participants to start weaving their own narratives, beyond the inherited ones. This is also a preparation of the ground for possible trust-building initiatives in the future, gathering educators from different schools and various religious and / or political backgrounds.