For two days - May 20th to 21st 2026, we invite members of the Pockets of Peace Alumni to a world wide online gathering.

Registration and participation is free.

Welcome to two half days packed with conversations, sharing of experiences and reflections. The online gathering will bring together Pockets of Peace alumni focusing on (re)connecting and reviving the network. We have exciting news for you!

PROGRAMME

DAY 1 | May 20th | 12.00-16.00 CET (OSLO) time

12:00–12:15
Opening

12:15–13:00
Getting to know each other

13:00–13:45
Pockets of Peace – The Nansen Alumni Community
Purpose, vision, and future direction of the Pockets of Peace network, including o1pportunities for engagement.

13:45 – 14:00: Break

14:00 – 15:00: Dialogue in practice

Experiences from different contexts - presentations and Q&A:

• Afghanistan: Dialogue to Promote Community-Driven Development
• Norway (Bodø): Myth of the Elderly
• Poland: Building a Community of Dialogue Facilitators

15:00 – 15:45: Parallel sessions

Participants join smaller groups for deeper exchange and reflection.

Choose between:

• Dialogue to Promote Community-Driven Development (Afghanistan)
  The Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) has for more than ten years trained community members in dialogue skills.
  The NAC Dialogue Core team shares their experiences from working on dialogue and disagreement management in rural communities of Afghanistan.

• Myth of the Elderly (Norway – Bodø)
  The project lead by Batteriet Nord-Norge uses dialogue as an empowerment tool to explore, challenge, and reshape narratives about ageing, drawing on the Nansen public dialogue approach combined with art, drama, and pedagogical methods.
  Through dialogues held in diverse settings across rural Arctic Nordland, elderly people's lived experiences and often unheard perspectives are brought forward.

• Building a Community of Dialogue Facilitators (Poland)
  How to build a community of dialogue facilitators?
  The 5-year project Promoting Dialogue in Poland (2026–2030) aims to do just that. The session will present the project, answer questions, and invite participants to share their reflections and experiences from similar processes.
  The project is a joint initiative of the Education for Democracy Foundation, the Shipyard Foundation, and the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue.

15:45–16:00: Closing of Day 1

_

DAY 2 | 21 May | 12.00-16.00 CET (OSLO) time

12:00 – 12:05: Welcome to Day 2

12:05–12:30: Reflection round

12:30–14:00: Thematic peer sessions

These sessions provide space for exchange, peer learning, and shared reflection.

Participants can engage with the following themes:

• Handling hate speech, spoilers, and dialogue hijacking – during and after sessions
  How facilitators can respond to disruptive behaviour while maintaining safety, legitimacy, and trust in the dialogue space.

• Caring for yourself as a facilitator
  Exploring peer-based support, mentoring, and reflective spaces to prevent burnout and strengthen emotional resilience.

• Dialogue in local contexts
  Experiences of applying the Nansen Approach to different cultural, political, and professional settings - and what adaptations are needed.

• Recruitment to dialogues: how to reach broad and diverse participation
  Sharing strategies and dilemmas around inclusive recruitment - how to engage beyond the “usual voices” and ensure meaningful diversity in dialogue spaces.

• Open peer sparring session
  A collective space for practical doubts and dilemmas, such as opening questions, representation, power dynamics, and facilitation choices (topics proposed by participants).

14:00 – 14:15: Break

14:15 – 15:15: Dilemmas in dialogue.

15:15–16:00: Final reflections and closing

___

Pockets of Peace | Dialogue Alumni

Pockets of Peace is the name of the alumni network/community of the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue (NCPD). 

The goal of the alumni network is to gather the small and large pockets of peace in the world into a larger community. The alumni network is part of the Nansen Center’s work to spread dialogical methods and perspectives. 

• Our vision is to make Pockets of Peace  meeting place where contact is created and maintained. 
• A community where experiences are exchanged and where participants can receive regular professional input, material and inspiration, as well as guidance and feedback from peers.
• A forum for finding collaboration partners for both long-term projects and concrete facilitation initiatives. 

The alumni network is titled Pockets of Peace because we believe dialogue exists in pockets of peace. These can be found among people, cultures and meeting places in the whole world. 

The goal of the alumni network is to gather the small and large pockets of peace in the world into a larger community. Together we will expand the pockets of peace.

Members

To become a member of the network, members must have attended at least a course or seminar equivalent to NCPD's basic course in dialogue.

PS! Sign up for Pockets og Peace at POCKETS OF PEACE – NCPD Alumni Network

Save the date: PoP Alumni Gathering Lillehammer June 2027

Members of the Pockets of Peace alumni are welcome to the Pockets of Peace Gathering in Lillehammer, Norway in June 2027: peace.no/pockets2027/

Practical information

DURATION: 2 days 12:00 - 16:00 CET (Oslo)

VENUE: Online

LANGUAGE: English  

PARTICIPANTS: Max 100 persons  

APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 1st 2026.