Dispersed Time
The residentials are the times when all the participants come together in one place, however the Peace School journey continues throughout the year as community dispersed in a number of formats.
Web-based interaction
The Peace School website is not only a place for information about the programme, it is an integral part of the Peace School experience. The internet provides the opportunity for us to come together to share ideas, experiences, and to continue to support one another in our journeys outside of the gathered times.
The interactive participants website hosts a discussion forum and a participants blog. The discussion forum and blog give us the opportunity to post ideas and thoughts on any subjects that may arise during the year, and to support one another in our explorations of being shalom activists in our own lives. The blog can be used for the Personal Action diaries (more details below), and from this get feedback, support and advice from other participants.
There is also an opportunity to enagage with the Peace School 'Tree of Life', a web-based interactive library of information mapping out the values that underpin being a shalom activist and the spheres of life into which shalom impacts.
Exercises
To help you think through some of the ideas raised and issues discussed during the course of Peace School, there are a number of exercises for you to complete both individually and in small groups. Opportunity is given for your learning from these activities to be shared with the rest of the group.
Personal Action Exercise
To help you think through shalom activism in your own particular contexts, this exercise is an ongoing one throughout the year. During the summer school you are encouraged to think through what some of your spheres of influence are and how you might go about being a shalom activist in those places. Throughout the year you are encouraged to keep a ‘shalom journal’, tracking your journey and noting down your thoughts, observations and learning about shalom in the spheres in which you engage. These journals can be blogged in the participants section of the Peace School website if you wish, or kept privately. During the weekend residentials there will be an opportunity to share with others some of your experiences and learning, and you are invited to complete a reflection exercise halfway through, and at the end of the year to help you reflect on the challenges and progress you have made in being a shalom activist.
Group Reflection Exercise
The Group Reflection Exercise is an opportunity to work together in a small group to look at shalom activism in a particular sphere of influence, i.e. media, politics, education etc. As a small group you will spend some time over the year looking at, and reflecting on, what shalom activism might look like in that area, before facilitating a group activity on one of the residential weekends to help fellow participants think through some of the issues in that particular sphere. You will have some time to start your research and discussions during the summer school and this can continue during the dispersed time through the web-discussion forums or in any other way your group chooses.
Mentoring
For those who would like to be, each participant is offered the opportunity to be linked up with a relevant mentor for the year to help and guide them on their journey as a peacemaker. Mentors are people experienced within their spheres and are passionate about shalom activism in those areas.
Peace School Co-ordination Office
Of course there is also always someone on hand at the Peace School co-ordination office to help with any queries you have during the year, and to help support you in whatever ways we can.
