Community Dialogue Facilitation Training

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At the Open Nations space, our team held a two-day Community Dialogue Facilitation Training.

“Dialogue is not just a conversation.It is a process of genuine interaction — when we listen to each other so deeply that what we hear can expand our own worldview.

These days in Vilnius were dedicated to exploring how not to fear listening even when it hurts, how to recognize another’s truth without losing yourself, and how to create a space where people can speak honestly about difficult topics.”
— Svitlana Zaluzhna, trainer.

The training took place within the framework of the Training of Trainers in Dialogue program of the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue (Norway) — a program designed to prepare trainers who use dialogue as a tool for understanding, support, and community healing.

The training was open to everyone who wished to:

  • learn how to facilitate dialogues in their community, team, or environment;
  • gain tools for conversations on complex or sensitive topics;
  • understand how identity and personal experience shape people’s thinking and perspectives.
    The training was open to everyone who wished to:

Training program:

  • What is dialogue, and how it differs from discussion or debate
  • Dialogical way of thinking
  • Exercises on identity awareness
  • Philosophy and principles of facilitation
  • Roles in dialogue and the facilitator’s role
  • Human values and their influence on dialogue
  • The art of listening: developing quality listening skills
  • Building trust and overcoming the fear of facilitation
  • Practical dialogues: examples, experience, and participants’ own practice

Trainers
Svitlana Zaluzhna — lead trainer. Studied at the Nansen Peace and Dialogue Center (Norway), specializing in community dialogue facilitation, dialogue in conflict, and training for trainers.

Iryna Pashkevych — facilitator. Studied community dialogue facilitation at the Nansen Peace and Dialogue Center (Norway).

When selecting participants, the team considered motivation and the potential to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Special attention was given to participants representing communities from various regions of Lithuania.

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Since 2022, I’ve been part of Open Nations, where I co-create spaces for connection, emotional safety, and shared experience — especially for communities affected by war and displacement. I design and facilitate camps, workshops, and rituals that bring together children, teenagers, and adults in moments of presence, laughter, reflection, and trust.

My work blends psychology, applied theatre, embodiment practices, and a deep attention to group dynamics and nature. I often use music, playback theatre, and somatic exercises to help people reconnect with themselves and each other. I care about creating moments that feel real — where people can breathe out, feel held, and remember what it means to belong.

Since 2022, I have joined the project. During a rather difficult period in my life and the life of my country, the project became a place where I could fulfill my need to be useful and help both myself and others. My role is to be a photographer, but I also often take an active part in events, supporting project participants and becoming part of their lived experiences. Direct involvement helps me better capture genuine human emotions and create a space of trust between the camera and the participants.

Tata Lark

Over these three years, I have become grounded in my values and have grown more confident in carrying my philosophy not only into the project but also into my life.
Humanity and love. Mutual respect and trust.
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The core values of the project for me are trust, openness, and readiness for change. In addition, all project participants are like a large family that share boundless love.

Iryna Bila

I am a teacher, historian, museum educator, author of educational programs and games, and curator. Together with Open Nations, we launched family camps and created cultural evenings and events. Currently, I work as an education specialist with children aged 9-12. My key skills are event organization, creation, and development of educational and cultural programs, and games. With children, I practice non-violent communication and empathetic listening. I love watching how children gradually open up and become a team.

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Marichka Koreneva

Marichka is a theatre director, performer, and certified Gestalt therapist with a focus on shadow work.
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Maria was born and raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine, studied theatre creation and performance in London, UK, practiced her art for some time in the USA, returned to her native Kharkiv to play an active role in local cultural movements, and studied to become a Gestalt therapist. With the beginning of full-scale invasion, she found her shelter in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she co-founded Lekuči Collective — a cross-cultural initiative dedicated to embodied, politically and socially engaged performance. Also, she became an applied theater practitioner in family camps where she led workshops for adults and teenagers.
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Alla Cheres

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Roman Honcharenko

I am a primary school teacher by education and currently work in Vilnius at the Ukrainian-Lithuanian school “Gravitas,” teaching younger grades.

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Iryna Pashkevych

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My strengths lie in turning ideas into action and making sure everything runs smoothly — from budgets, surveys and reports to public events and international exchanges.

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