At the end of November, CRISP conducted a dialogue training in Braunschweig in partnership with the Ukrainian diaspora organisation “Freie Ukraine Braunschweig e.V.” The training brought together 18 participants from both Germany and Ukraine and focused on strengthening democratic communication skills, self-confidence, and practical dialogue abilities in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Building on the approach of the “German-Ukrainian Dialogue Project” — a multi-perspective conversation format initiated by CRISP and now in its second year — the training addressed the societal impacts of the war, the emotional intensity surrounding the topic, and the challenge of opening conversations across different perspectives while countering anti-Ukrainian myths. The aim was to equip participants with methods for democratic dialogue and to create a space for mutual listening, understanding, and learning.
Participants shared the daily challenges and hostility they encounter, including in everyday public settings, and worked on how to engage in such conversations on equal terms. In hands-on exercises, they developed conversation strategies that support democratic dialogue around the Russian invasion and anti-Ukrainian narratives. Through intensive exchange and practice-oriented sessions, participants gained both methodological input and practical confidence for handling difficult conversations.
