This year, Cyrenians Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution (SCCR) have embraced the chance to turn a challenge into a positive opportunity by holding a month-long, all-digital festival of free events in place of their annual conference.

The centre, a hub for conflict resolution in Scotland, invites you to attend their International Conference: ‘Connections & bridging the divide’, which is in response to the growing need for connection, kindness, understanding and compassion now more than ever before.

Throughout October, the SCCR will bring together speakers, film makers, writers and artists from across the globe who will talk from their heart and experience, combined with the opportunity to engage in interactive workshops and the arts.

The SCCR have embraced the power of digital to create a programme that includes events hosted by world-renowned special guests live from Canada, America and Australia for a truly international and inclusive experience.

On the 1^st October, the SCCR are kick-starting their exciting line-up of online events with a bang. The International Conference will be launched with a private film screening of BAFTA Scotland Award-winning ‘Nae Pasaran’. This will be followed by an exclusive Q&A with the documentary’s creator Felipe Bustos Sierra, of Glasgow-based production company Debasers, for an in-depth exploration of the film’s poignant story of solidarity, hope and humility.

And to mark World Homeless Day next month, the SCCR have invited individuals from organisations who are dedicated to ending youth homelessness; Cyrenians, Rock Trust, A Way Home Scotland and A Way Home Canada to form a discussion panel for the ‘The past, the present and the future’ online event.

To bring in the final week of the conference, Cyrenians CEO Ewan Aitken will be co-hosting a noteworthy event with Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at the University of Glasgow. In this event, Ewan will be conversing with Alison and her colleagues who she hopes will – technology permitting – be able to join her from Zimbabwe and The Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is their hope that through storytelling, the ‘Peace-making in a world of conflict’ event will draw attendees into a rich world of lived experience so we can better learn from those with long experience of living with conflict, not least from the Gaza strip and Zimbabwe.

These are just a few of the many events from the extensive and diverse programme that explores themes such as relationships, mediation and developing practices, the teenage years and neuroscience, trauma, and the arts.

This year, the SCCR recognised the need for insightful, interactive and free online events and, since their inception in 2014, continue to strive to deliver conflict resolution, improving-relationships and wellbeing-focused digital resources.

“At the Cyrenians Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution, we understand the importance of connection. Due to the challenges everyone has experienced this year, we felt it was more important than ever to bring people together – which is why we are going digital for our annual conference!” adds Diane Marr, Senior Network Manager for Cyrenians Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution.

“Our International Conference is set to be an exciting month full of free and uplifting events – we hope to see you there!”

Browse and register for all of the SCCR’s free International Conference events on the website: https://scottishconflictresolution.org.uk/events