The Regional Network for Historical Dialogue and Dealing with the Past (RNHDP) is now accepting applications to its seven day training program in Istanbul. Organized by Hafiza Merkezi in cooperation with the Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability Program (AHDA) at Columbia University and Columbia Global Centers | Turkey, the training program is open to civil society professionals working in the MENA and Caucasus region, working on issues including (but not limited to) transitional justice, truth and reconciliation, historical conflict, minority rights, accountability, memory studies, oral history, sites of memory and related areas where historical dialogue is a central component.

Practitioners of historical dialogue, accountability, transitional justice, peace-building will have the opportunity to engage in training, networking, and capacity building. The one-week program provides participants with the opportunity to hone practical and conceptual skills to develop a deeper understanding of dealing with the past, and to foster mutually beneficial relationships with their peers and with international and non-profit organizations. There are a total of 14 spaces available for this year’s program.

The training program will be composed of seminars and workshops conducted by international experts, including members of Columbia University faculty such as Professor Elazar Barkan of the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at the School of International and Public Affairs. Prospective seminar titles include:

• Historical Dialogue: Truth, Narrative, Evidence
• Transitional Justice
• Truth Commissions
• Shared Narratives
• Designing Museums, Memorials, and Exhibits
• Oral History, Truth Seeking and Gender
• Historical Commissions
• Comparative Issues for Civil Societies in MENA and Caucasus Region

The one week training will equip participants with a grounding in the tools and concepts of historical dialogue and dealing with the past and invite them to develop an approach to the conflicts they work with through the perspective of historical dialogue.

Qualifications:

• Applicants should be civil society professionals working in the MENA and Caucasus region on issues including (but not limited to) transitional justice, truth and reconciliation, historical conflict, minority rights, accountability, memory studies, oral history, sites of memory and related areas where historical dialogue is a central component.
• Applicants should have an advanced knowledge of English in order to complete readings, follow lectures and actively engage in discussions.
• Applicants must be able to allocate time before the program begins to read materials in advance that are required by the seminar and workshop leaders.

The program will cover the following costs for participants accepted into the program:

• Airfare to and from Istanbul
• Airport transfers in Istanbul
• Accommodation
• Training Program Fee

The deadline for applications is April 13, 2015.

Accepted applicants will be notified by April 27, 2015.