Like many therapists and other providers working with trauma and torture survivors, the severity of the trauma and the ongoing struggles of clients can become like background noise to daily work. I know it's there and try to attend to it without being completely overwhelmed. Sometimes the noise can become loud, and I find myself feeling overwhelmed. On a recent Tuesday I was aware that, in the span of a few short hours, I had sat with a client who was crying as she shared about childhood FGM, talked to another woman afraid to go out of her house because of memories of her torture, another man who has not seen his young children in over three years because of a drawn out asylum case and one more young woman who lived like a "slave" and only recently stated she believes that someone in the world actually cares about her. I was exhausted. (And this is a pretty typical day…)

But I was reminded about the dialogue on self care for providers. I went to the New Tactics website and spent some time reading the thoughtful posts. One idea about "vicarious resilience" has really stayed with me. It is through the shared experience of others than we can also heal. It was a reminder I needed to hear. I remembered then to go down the hall to talk to my colleagues. I remembered that the losses were only one part of these clients’ lives. And I remembered that our presence here as a healing center matters in the journey towards healing for our clients.

I participated as a featured resource practitioner in the Tactical Dialogue - 'Staying Safe: Security Resources for Human Rights Defenders.'

In Indonesia [we are] organising a workshop on e-campaigning for women activists at the frontline of challenging the 'misuse' of culture / religion to justify discrimination and violence against women and girls.  We are doing this in collaboration with APC WNSP and we have 18 activists from Indonesia , Pakistan , Afghanistan , Malaysia  and Philippines who will explore how the virtual space can be used to support their campaigning and we have a session specifically on security issues associated with our use of IT.  I have picked up a lot from our dialogue which I will be bringing into the conversation.

It was great working with you and the rest and I hope to join the next dialogue.

I participated in the Tactics that Tickle dialogue and, of the many stories shared in this conversation, one in particular has already informed my own work. The example of leaving the "Milosovic" barrels for arrest has really informed my own thinking on how to create an action by sparking a specific reaction built on a 'lose-lose' proposition for the opposition.

We are still developing the action, but the example served as a great, tangible reminder that "the action is the reaction" and there are many ways in which to achieve it.

What we found most useful about the 'Using Shadow Reports for Advocacy' dialogue, was the way the various experts on shadow reporting were sharing their experiences  as well as the sharing by representatives from various organizations  on what they have done in their respective countries, it was insightful to learn  from others the step by step process. The engagement of experts and organizations ( linking the grassroots to the national to the international) made shadow reporting process clearer especially how engagements are done to facilitate constructive dialogues e.g.  how a community based organization working on  water and sanitation in Kibera – Nairobi  or imminent evictions in an area like  Mukuru slums – Nairobi can become an issue in Geneva before the ESCR committee.

Ebony Youth Initiative members got an opportunity to learn  the various struggles organizations and individuals are going through  with regard to realization and enjoyment of human rights from a global perspective. Being a university student fresh from high school , this was a good opportunity to look at  human rights issue  from a global lens( Beatrice Chepkurui).It was an opportunity to reinforce the fact that human rights are contestable (Leonida).

The dialogues were well coordinated thus easy to follow up. The dividing of the dialogue into thematic issues made the discussion more relevant  eg if a participant wanted to follow up on an issue such as shadow reports and advocacy it was easy to do so without getting lost (Peter Matheka).

The immediate feedback to views of members was also very critical and beneficial as this provided  room for further reflections.

During the dialogue, we used the Kenya parallel report on ESCR, October 2008 as a reference point thus we were able through the interactions to deeply understand its importance, how the report  can be used  to enhance accountability among states etc.This  is given that due to globalization, we are no longer citizens of a state but citizens of the globe.

The dialogue helped us  realize that a shadow report  is not just any document written but it’s a  very powerful advocacy issue  and can help give  voice to the ‘voiceless.”

As an  organization we have realized there is more ahead for us to do in order to realize  human rights for our target group.

Some new ideas that we will take away from this dialogue include:

• The discussion reinforced the power of numbers, the  extent to which working together with other organizations can achieve in articulating human rights issues
• It also emphasized  that  governments should not look at  shadow reports as antagonistic towards them but as a  dialogue tool
• Learning the nitty gritty of the parallel report process was very beneficial to us

I first heard about the work of New Tactics years ago from a dynamic Turkish activist – she raved about their approach and training. Intrigued, I checked out the website and have followed New Tactics ever since.

To date, I have yet to find anywhere else online such a practical set of resources designed for human rights activists. The fact that it is based on an ongoing dialogue – and is updated regularly – keeps it current and relevant to the lives and realities of activists. I particularly appreciate the information on self-care and security tactics, as well as my personal favorite – the use of humor in human rights activism.

New Tactics has created one of those rare spaces of community in the human rights world, and I truly appreciate their thoughtfulness, respect and care in developing and sharing such important ideas. Thank you!

We participated in the Nonviolent Accompaniment dialogue. The networks and connections formed from our participation are still growing. For example, out of that dialogue we were asked to participate in the Women in Peacemaking Project's study of gender which led to WPP asking to see our training materials (which are on our website at www.cpt.org). Now, we are doing some more serious looking at undoing sexism within our organization and I am keeping in mind some of the organizations that I learned about through the dialogue (including WPP) for a time when we might want suggestions and input from other similar organizations. The visibility we gained as an organization was helpful, too. Who knows maybe someone who learned about CPT through New Tactics will become a volunteer with us some day.

Mostly, I was encouraged and inspired to know that all of our work is multiplied again and again through each of our efforts throughout the world. We may just be a few people here in Colombia but when added to those working in Kenya and the Phillipines and Macedonia and the list goes on, we truly are building a movement.

Michele

Christian Peacemaker Teams - Barrancabermeja, Colombia

This is a great opportunity to share with everyone about how the New Tactics in Human rights has inspired me. Since my involvement in this project, I am more motivated and confident to participate in human rights work around the world. Thus, having the privilege to meet other human rights practitioners directly and online has increased my knowledge and commitment in this field.

To illustrate, after my participation in some of the conferences organized and sponsored by the New Tactics in human rights, I became very much involved in human rights work in Sierra Leone. This led me to work for the UN baked war crimes tribunal commonly known as the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Since then, my desire to promote human rights around Africa has increased tremendously.

I am particularly intrigued by meeting practitioners from different back grounds. For example when I discovered that  I was engaged in dialogue with Lawyers, social workers, students and others, I felt that it was a great opportunity to learn from other point of views and experiences.

The online dialogue on Peace and Reconciliation Process was particularly interesting to me. This has giving me the opportunity to explore other methods of addressing conflict and also help communities in the rebuilding process.  As a result of how much this Project has increased my interest in this field; I am currently taking a minor in Political Science with a concentration in Conflict resolution and major in psychology which will help me advocate and provide support for victims of human rights violations. Sometimes, I go online to read comments from others and try to evaluate whether a particular tactic can be used in my country.

Interestingly, there is a tactic from the African Regional workshop from a participant from Ghana that I found particularly fascinating, the tactic of raising awareness on the disadvantages of female genital mutilation. This tactic enables women to go through other aspects of the ceremony without harming the physical body. This is a tactic I will particularly like to introduce in my country gradually with the help of other practitioners to eliminate the practice of female genital mutilation. This is one of the benefits I gathered from participating in the New Tactics in human rights and I still hope for more.

I appreciate interacting with every participant and I wish to continue to benefit from your unique experiences and valuable human rights tactics you share.

Thank you

Neneh Binta Barrie