Pathways to Repair: Guides to Navigate Healing, Trust building and Human Messiness

Introduction

Pathways to Repair offers ideas and reflections for listening learnings as well as webinar series which examine the conditions needed to reduce harm and bridge divides when faced with rupture. These resources were gathered from principles and practices, from the public and experts, to map out a series of pathways to help us walk through the journey of repair.

People often struggle to handle disagreements and misunderstandings in their relationships, which can lead to hurt feelings or even the breakup of groups.

These resources from the Pathways to Repair project discuss the challenges of navigating relationships and resolving conflicts within communities, highlighting the need for pathways to repair and reduce harm.

The authors have gathered principles and practices over two years to create a guidebook that offers relatable stories, metaphorical landmarks, exercises, and reflection questions to help navigate healing, trust-building, and human messiness. The project brings together three different organisations, each working with distinct communities, to create a diverse and adaptable resource that can be helpful beyond their own contexts.

Too often, we, and those in our communities, have found ourselves ill-equipped to navigate the everyday bumps and bruises of relational work: the passing comment laced with an unintended barb, the casual dismissal of one’s experience; an awkward silence followed by a subject change.  The result is that sometimes those harmed must either swallow their hurt to remain involved, or extricate themselves; in other cases, a minor incident that could have been handled in the moment escalates not something bigger, leading to a group’s dissolution or to a person’s banishment, absent a pathway to repair.

Guidebook Excerpts

Here is a sneak peak into the guide.

Whether we’re in an activist group or movement circle, whether we’re in a nonprofit, a company, or a faith community, we have a culture that’s all about efficiency and effectiveness…we tend to be oversubscribed in the transactional department. We therefore start conversation about strategy before checking in for connection. – Leonie

Access Full Guidebook

Pathways to Repair

Listening Guide

Pathways to Repair: Listening Guide

Watch Webinars

• Repair and Rupture: A conversation with Mia Mingus
  In moments that cause rupture or harm a relationship, it is important to think of ways to still engage with the other party in an effective way. Featuring Mia Mingus with SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project in conversation with Brittney Jackson from Faith Matters Network as Mingus shares how transformative justice can change the way we can minimize escalating overwhelming situations.
• Repair and Relationships: A conversation with Bonsai Bermudez
  After moments of tension, making an effort to maintain relationships after is a way to show that you wanting to repair that connection. Danielle Buhuro will explore how to transform systems that are harmful to nourishing supportive human work with Bonsai Bermudez from the Youth Empowerment Performance Project.
• Repair and Readiness: A conversation with Chris Moore-Backman + Leonie Smith from East Point Peace Academy
  Conflict does not always have to be large disagreements or abrasive and rushing to a solution is not always proven to be the most effective next step. East Point Peace Academy will talk about the ways conflict can present itself, the role shared passion has in efforts to heal, and how historical context can impact a conflated strain.
• Repair and Responsibility: A conversation with Anna Claussen and Ash Hanson
  When there is a strain on any type of relationship, knowing what is our’s to own can be difficult. Join Whitney Kimball-Coe with the Rural Assembly, Anna Claussen with Voices for Rural Resilience, and Ash Hanson, Executive Director of The Department of Public Transformation, while they discuss the importance in evaluating how harm affects a community, taking responsibility for what is in our control, and how to continue to build trust.

Note: One needs to register to watch webinars.

Explore Further

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• Social Identity and Group Norms
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• Build Stronger Communities with the Community Canvas
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• Transformative Approaches to Conflict Resolution
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• Principles of Co-operative Conflict Resolution
  Navigating conflict is a core activist skill. These tips from peacebuilding have the potential to depolarise and de-escalate tense and challenging situations.