The Handbook is intended to support the efforts of facilitators and other professionals who are interested in hosting Collective Healing Circles (CHCs) in their local community. The intellectual insights underpinning the CHC Programme proposed in this Handbook are drawn from contemporary research on historical atrocities, such as the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, colonialisation, and mass killing and violent displacement of Indigenous peoples, as well as the legacies of dehumanisation, such as racism and structural injustice.
The practical ideas for implementing the CHC Programme featured throughout the Handbook are inspired by existing proven approaches of similar programmes, and those which have emerged from a one-year pilot of the Programme in five countries (Kenya, Nigeria, the UK, the USA and Colombia) on four continents.
The Handbook was presented by Mrs Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director General, during the 30th Anniversary of UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Programme on 10th October 2024.
The presentation was followed by reports from community partners and participants of the UNESCO Collective Healing Initiative on the process and impact of our CHC activities on four continents.
Amongst those in the audience at UNESCO HQ were global leaders, national delegations, and civil society representatives.
Understanding & Healing Relational & Spiritual Harm of Dehumanisation
Collective Healing, Social Justice and Global Well-Being is a UNESCO initiative aimed at addressing the legacies of dehumanisation, including the harms of transoceanic enslavement of Africans, colonialism, continued racism, and other forms of structural discrimination. An important aspect of this initiative is to investigate the plethora of harms from multiple dimensions. Partners supporting this initiative include Guerrand-Hermès Foundation, Global Humanity for Peace (GHfP) Institute at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), Fetzer Institute, AfroSpectives, and Virginia Union University (VUU).
Through the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project’s (REP) 30 years’ endeavours, there have been research, documentation, recognising the destruction of afore-mentioned legacies, especially in terms of physical, cultural, and economic harms. To these efforts, during the 2nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent 2023, delegates of African and indigenous descent added a call for more research and better understanding of the relational and spiritual dimensions of these harms, which can serve as the basis for more concerted action towards healing and systemic transformation.
VUU President welcoming participants
Indeed, without acknowledging relational and spiritual harms, collective efforts to confront the legacies of transoceanic enslavement and continued injustices against people of African and indigenous descent may fall short. Mere materialistic repairs, such as reducing economic disparity, leveling public services, and providing equal access to health, education, housing, finance, and employment, are not enough. While economic and social justice is important, the Afro and indigenous communities directly impacted by the dehumanising legacies insist that addressing the relational and spiritual dimensions of the harms and the connected trauma are equally, if not even more, critical. The characterisation of relational and spiritual harm should help bring to light the complex layers of harm, offering a more holistic conception of dehumanising harm. This will enable us to better recognise how both those who were violently enslaved and their descendants, and those who performed inhumane acts upon the enslaved, and their descendants, suffer from a same harm that can be described as relational and spiritual.
To this end, the partners supporting the collective healing initiative, have jointly launched two processes: the first was a conceptual exploration aimed at understanding what constitutes relational and spiritual harm; and the second was a pilot programme that engaged global communities in intergenerational dialogue and inquiries (IDI) to reflect on people’s lived experiences of the dehumanising legacies and connected relational and spiritual harm. The IDIs also enabled community stakeholders to identify relational and spiritual practices and resources key to resilience and healing of collective trauma.
To further deepen our understanding of what constitutes relational and spiritual harm from an interdisciplinary perspective, and to explore what relational and spiritual approaches to healing and community regeneration are necessary in the context of global structural dehumanisation, the partners hosted a second UNESCO Symposium in Jan 2024 at Virginia Union University, in Richmond, VA., USA.
FOCUS & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
We invite thinkers, scholars, researcher and practitioners to come together and focus our dialogue on the nature of relational and spiritual harm, and the necessary relational-centred and spiritually-inspired approaches to collective healing. Here, ‘spiritual harm’ is not solely about the wounding perpetuated or condoned by faith-based teaching, spiritual leaders and religious institutions.
We propose the following questions for dialogue and discussion:
What is the nature of dehumanising harm in the contexts of transoceanic slavery?
How might the terms ‘relational’ and ‘spiritual’ shift our understanding of such harm and the connected trauma and continuing injustices? What are the processes, modalities and manifestations of these harms?
How does the relational and spiritual harm differ for the enslaved and their descendants, and the enslavers and their descendants? What are the micro and macro consequences of those harms today?
What forms of healing are necessary to overcome these harms? How do the healing processes differ for those who are at the receiving end of dehumanisation and those who are perpetuating or participating in the perpetuation of dehumanisation?
What should be the future directions of healing work in the light of our understandings of relational and spiritual harm? How could we best integrate the relational and spiritual dimension in global transformation towards just system and well-being of all?
What approaches/practices could we draw upon and learn from global communities? How might research contribute to a new political culture of respect, love and caring?
Understanding & Healing Relational & Spiritual Harm of Dehumanisation
Collective Healing, Social Justice and Global Well-Being is a UNESCO initiative aimed at addressing the legacies of dehumanisation, including the harms of transoceanic enslavement of Africans, colonialism, continued racism, and other forms of structural discrimination. An important aspect of this initiative is to investigate the plethora of harms from multiple dimensions. Partners supporting this initiative include Guerrand-Hermès Foundation, Global Humanity for Peace (GHfP) Institute at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), Fetzer Institute, and AfroSpectives.
Through the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project’s (REP) 30 years’ endeavours, there have been research, documentation, recognising the destruction of afore-mentioned legacies, especially in terms of physical, cultural, and economic harms. To these efforts, during the 2nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent 2023, delegates of African and indigenous descent added a call for more research and better understanding of the relational and spiritual dimensions of these harms, which can serve as the basis for more concerted action towards healing and systemic transformation.
Indeed, without acknowledging relational and spiritual harms, collective efforts to confront the legacies of transoceanic enslavements and continued injustices against people of African and indigenous descent may fall short. Mere materialistic repairs, such as reducing economic disparity, levelling public services, and providing equal access to health, education, housing, finance, and employment, are not enough. While economic and social justice is important, the Afro and indigenous communities directly impacted by the dehumanising legacies insist that addressing the relational and spiritual dimensions of the harms and the connected trauma are equally, if not even more, critical. The characterisation of relational and spiritual harm should help bring to light the complex layers of harm, offering a more holistic conception of dehumanising harm. This will enable us to better recognise how both those who were violently enslaved and their descendants, and those who performed inhumane acts upon the enslaved, and their descendants, suffer from a same harm that can be described as relational and spiritual.
To this end, the partners supporting the collective healing initiative, have jointly launched two processes: the first was a conceptual exploration aimed at understanding what constitutes relational and spiritual harm; and the second was a pilot programme that engaged global communities in intergenerational dialogue and inquiries (IDI) to reflect on people’s lived experiences of the dehumanising legacies and connected relational and spiritual harm. The IDIs also enabled community stakeholders to identify relational and spiritual practices and resources key to resilience and healing of collective trauma.
To further deepen our understanding of what constitutes relational and spiritual harm from an interdisciplinary perspective, and to explore what relational and spiritual approaches to healing and community regeneration are necessary in the context of global structural dehumanisation, the partners hosted a UNESCO Symposium in Dec 2023 in Oxford.
FOCUS & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
We invite thinkers, scholars, researcher and practitioners to come together and focus our dialogue on the nature of relational and spiritual harm, and the necessary relational-centred and spiritually-inspired approaches to collective healing. Here, ‘spiritual harm’ is not solely about the wounding perpetuated or condoned by faith-based teaching, spiritual leaders and religious institutions.
We propose the following questions for dialogue and discussion:
What is the nature of dehumanising harm in the contexts of transoceanic slavery?
How might the terms ‘relational’ and ‘spiritual’ shift our understanding of such harm and the connected trauma and continuing injustices? What are the processes, modalities and manifestations of these harms?
How does the relational and spiritual harm differ for the enslaved and their descendants, and the enslavers and their descendants? What are the micro and macro consequences of those harms today?
What forms of healing are necessary to overcome these harms? How do the healing processes differ for those who are at the receiving end of dehumanisation and those who are perpetuating or participating in the perpetuation of dehumanisation?
What should be the future directions of healing work in the light of our understandings of relational and spiritual harm? How could we best integrate the relational and spiritual dimension in global transformation towards just system and well-being of all?
What approaches/practices could we draw upon and learn from global communities? How might research contribute to a new political culture of respect, love and caring?
In this 6th webinar, Dr. Gail Christopher and Rob Corcoran will present their practical experiences and perspectives drawn from decades of work for narrative change, racial healing, trust building, and systemic shift in the USA and internationally. While coming from very different backgrounds, they share common visions and values that inform their work. They both believe in a holistic approach to racial equity, and emphasise that empathy, relationships and legislation are required for envisioning an equitable future.
During this event, they will highlight that only through multi-dimensional efforts and collaborative processes can traumatised communities embark on collective journeys aimed at transcending structural barriers while fostering true transformation.
Dr. Gail Christopher is an award-winning social change agent with expertise in the social determinants of health and well-being and in related public policies. She is known for her pioneering work to infuse holistic health and diversity concepts into public sector programs and policy discourse. Dr. Christopher recently retired from her role as Senior Advisor and Vice President at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she was the driving force behind the America Healing initiative and the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation effort. Dr. Christopher also served as Kellogg’s Vice President for Program Strategy and worked on place-based programming in New Orleans and New Mexico. In 1996 she was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. In 2015 she received the Terrance Keenan Award from Grantmakers in Health. She chaired the Board of the Trust for America’s Health from 2012-2022. In 2019, she became a Senior Scholar with George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Dr. Gail Christopher also became the Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity in 2019. In 2021, Dr. Christopher was elected by the APHA Governing Council to serve as the APHA Honorary Vice President for the United States. Her latest book is entitled: Rx Racial Healing: A Guide to Embracing Our Humanity.
Rob Corcoran is a trainer, facilitator, writer, and racial healing practitioner. He has led workshops and spoken on building trust across racial, class, political and religious divides in many US communities and in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He lived in Richmond, VA for 40 years and founded the nationally and internationally recognized program for racial healing Hope in the Cities. He served as the US national director for Initiatives of Change (IofC), a global network that inspires, equips, and connects people to address world needs starting with changes in their own lives He is the training consultant for its Trustbuilding program active in 12 countries. His book, Trustbuilding: An Honest Conversation on Race, Reconciliation, and Responsibility, has been described as a “visionary, compelling account of healing and change.” He and his wife, Susan, have three sons, and four grandchildren. They now live in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Rob’s activities and read his other writings from here: https://www.robcorcoran.org/
For the 4th webinar of the Series, the keynote speakers are Prof Ana Lucia Araujo and Lewis Cardinal. They explored questions such as
What should be the principles and objectives of reparations following historical atrocities such as enslavement and genocides of people of African and indigenous descent?
How might reparations be implemented ethically and meaningfully for the descendant communities?
What are the opportunities and challenges for reparation, restoration and regeneration to contribute to healing, justice and well-being?
Following their keynote presentations, Prof Araujo and Mr Cardinal discussed the optimism and complexity brought forward by the most recent call for global reparation to address the legacies of historical mass atrocities inflicted upon peoples of African and Indigenous descent.
Watch the recording of the webinar through the link below.
Keynote Speakers
Ana Lucia Araujo is a historian and full professor in the Department of History at the historically black Howard University in Washington DC, United States. She specializes in the history and memory of slavery and the Atlantic slave trade and her research interests include the visual and material culture of slavery. She is a member of the International Scientific Committee of the UNESCO Project Routes of Enslaved Peoples (former Slave Route Project) since 2017.
Ana Lucia’s recent awards include a fellowship from the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, New Jersey), and a Senior Scholar Grant from the Getty Research Institute where she is currently in residence. She is a member of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Scholarly Advisory Board and was elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, London, UK. She also serves on the Board of Editors of the American Historical Review, the editorial board of the British journal Slavery and Abolition, and the Editorial Review Board of the African Studies Review.
Ana Lucia’s three recent books are: Reparations for Slavery and the Slave Trade: A Transnational and Comparative History (2017), with a new revised and expanded edition in 2023, Slavery in the Age of Memory: Engaging the Past (2020), and Museums and Atlantic Slavery (2021). She has two books (2024): Humans in Shackles: An Atlantic History of Slavery (University of Chicago Press) and The Gift: How Objects of Prestige Shaped the Atlantic Slave Trade and Colonialism (Cambridge University Press). She is currently working on three book projects: The Power of Art: The World Black Artists Made in the Americas, Global Slavery: A Visual History, and Oceans of Sorrow: The French Trade in Enslaved Africans.
Lewis Cardinal is a communicator and educator; he has dedicated his life’s work to creating and maintaining connections and relationships that cross-cultural divides. His long track record of public service currently includes; Board Member of Theatre Network Society, Vice-Chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada-Alberta, Chair of the Global Indigenous Dialogue of Initiatives of Change-Canada, and Trustee and Chair of the Indigenous Taskforce for the Council for a Parliament of World Religions.
Lewis has received two medals from Queen Elizabeth II, the Diamond Jubilee Medal for Public Service and the Platinum Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the Province of Alberta, the IndSpire Award for Public Service (awarded by the Indigenous peoples of Canada), the Province of Alberta’s Centennial Medal for his work in Human Rights and Diversity, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Grant MacEwan University, and the Honorary Degree of “Doctor of Sacred Letters” from St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta.
Lewis is Woodland Cree from the Sucker Creek Cree First Nation in Treaty No. 8 in northern Alberta, Canada. His consulting company, Cardinal Strategic Communications, specializes in Indigenous education, communications, and project development. He is also owner and Head Storyteller of Red Earth Blue Sky Productions, a media production company. Currently, Lewis is Project Manager for “kihcihkaw askiy–Sacred Land” in the City of Edmonton, the first designated urban Indigenous ceremony grounds in Canada.
The UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project and the Global Humanity for Peace Institute, University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD), are jointly hosting an exciting international webinar series entitled: New Perspectives on Collective Healing, Social Justice and Well-Being.
The 2nd webinar of the Series featured the presentations of the keynote speakers, Dr Joy DeGruy and Thomas Hübl (PhD), who are both renowned for their insights into intergenerational trauma and collective healing.
Following their keynote presentations, Joy DeGruy and Thomas Hubl engaged in a dialogue about the opportunities and challenges of healing the wounds of history and ancestral trauma, and how global communities must take responsibility for supporting a flourishing future for the whole of humanity.
Keynote Speakers
Dr Joy DeGruy is a nationally and internationally renowned researcher and educator. For over two decades, she served as an Assistant Professor at Portland State University’s School of Social Work and now serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Joy DeGruy Publications Inc. (JDP). Dr DeGruy is committed to the healing of those that continue to suffer from past and present injuries and for the well being of all people.
As a result of twelve years of quantitative and qualitative research, Dr. DeGruy has developed her theory of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, publishing her findings in the book “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome – America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing”. The book addresses the residual impacts of generations of slavery and opens up the discussion of how the black community can use the strengths we have developed in the past to heal in the present.
Thomas Hübl, PhD, is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator whose lifelong work integrates the core insights of the great wisdom traditions and mysticism with the discoveries of science. The origin of his work and more than two decades of study and practice on healing collective trauma is detailed in his book Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds. Thomas’ next book, Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma—and Our World, will be published in September, 2023.
Mysticism and the principles that guide the actualization and practice of embodying these profound experiences are at the heart of Hübl’s teachings. In all his courses, participants can expect to learn from his extensive experience as a teacher of meditation and study of wisdom traditions. His didactic talks draw from evidence-based research and the leading edge of transpersonal, interdisciplinary studies.
The opening webinar took place on Monday 3 April 2023 at 2 pm UTC / 3 pm London time / 4 pm Paris time.
Mrs Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, and Prof Medwin Hughes, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint-David jointly launched the webinar.
The keynote speaker was the award-winning international TV and radio journalist Ms Zeinab Badawi who edited, produced and presented a major 20-part TV series on the History of Africa and who is currently writing a book on the History of Africa.
Following the keynote presentation, Mrs Ramos and Zeinab Badawi explored the importance of UNESCO’s General History of Africa in giving a voice to people of African descent, and valorising their culture and contributions to modern societies. UNESCO’s work to address racism and discrimination, and its support to communities’ resilience was also discussed, together with the GHFP-UNESCO’s collective healing initiative.
The dialogue will be moderated by ProfScherto Gill, Director of Global Humanity for Peace Institute at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
The UNESCO Collective Healing Initiative aims to empower youth, especially young women, to initiate intergenerational dialogue and inquiry in communities impacted by historical mass brutality, and continued structural dehumanisation.
As illustrated by the African metaphor ‘Sankofa’, remembering the past can help recover and restore knowledge of previous generations, which not only benefits the present struggles and efforts, but can also guide our collective journeys into the future. Youth-initiated intergenerational dialogue and inquiry can enable stakeholders to reconnect with place-based indigenous wisdom, cultural resources and spiritual practices of resistance, resilience, restoration, healing, caring and well-being. Thus, intergenerational inquiry is a key to humanity’s endeavours to end cycles of destruction and patterns of violence.
By facilitating encounter and practising the arts of listening, attending, inquiring and dialogue, the intergenerational processes can help:
Understand people’s memories of histories and how they perceive their present lived realities in connection to marginalisation, colonialism and transatlantic slavery
Recover cultural wisdom and indigenous practices of resiliency, resistance, restoration, and regeneration
Identify the starting points for collective healing, social justice, and well-being through place-based ‘treasures’, e.g. stories of compassion, confidence and trust in the community’s strengths, the richness of inner life, and so on
Construct visions for a more humane and caring world
Proposing institutional conditions for systemic transformation
Intergenerational dialogue invites communities to adapt the inquiring methodologies to their own contexts. With the support of local organisations and the international partners, and guided by scholars and researchers in applying the ethics of inclusion and the arts of listening and dialogue, young adults and community elders will capture and document community-based narratives, and present stories of resilience, healing and regeneration to worldwide audience for mutual learning.
On 20-22 November 2022, partners from six countries in four continents gathered in London for an intensive workshops in preparation for the launch of the pilots for Intergenerational Dialogue & Inquiry.
Colleagues from UNESCO, including Anna Maria Majlof, Chief of Rights, Dialogue and Inclusion, Yvette Kaboza and Lucie Seck, Coordinators of Routes of Enslaved people, and Michael Frazier, UNESCO Donors Relations, as well as representatives from the programme’s funding partners, including Dr Mohammed Mohammed, Senior Programme Office of the Fetzer Institute, Professor Garrett Thomson, CEO of the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace, and Jeremy Smith, Dean of Education and Humanities, at the University of Wales TSD, all expressed their commitment to this global partnership.
On Sunday the 15th August, the Project Hijas de la Paz was inaugurated in Amanecer, Colombia, with a ceremony that included the local Mayor and other local dignitaries and the chairperson of Subud Colombia.
45 young women took part in a four-month residential programme, most of who are from indigenous and Afro-communities who are living in terrible conditions of poverty and violence. 11 children who came with the young women joined Amanecer Kindergarten and received International Child Development Project (ICDP) support.
The entire community was involved and provided 900 hours of training and formation. There were 16 tutors on the Programme (academic, personal, entrepreneurial, cooking, gardening), and 10 of them are residents of Amanecer. Other Subud members were acting as ‘helpers’ to the participants, supporting them in processing and addressing the deep traumas.
The Hijas de la Paz Project has enabled these vulnerable young women to feel their intrinsic value as persons, and from a place of deep quiet, they learned and worked harmoniously with a community of mentors. This is how they can be nurtured into future leaders and peacemakers.
“Young people are on the frontlines of the struggle to build a better future for all.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
“Children will never accept a return to ‘normal’ after the pandemic because ‘normal’ was never good enough.” — Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF
In 2021, through a Global Listening Initiative, the G20 Interfaith Forum Education Working Group partners brought forward voices of worldwide children and young people in the following policy statement. It highlights five practical implementable actions as follows:
SAFEGUARD HEALING AND WELL- BEING AS A CORNERSTONE OF EDUCATION Education is essential not only to healing the trauma of COVID- 19, but also addressing the pre- existing epidemic of youth mental and emotional illbeing. Faith- sensitive conceptions and practices of healing and well- being should be considered to enrich educational effort to this end. This is a significant step that all G20 countries can take for education, guided by a common objective of nurturing students’ holistic well- being through education.
ENGAGE YOUTH IN EDUCATIONAL DECISION- MAKING Youth have a significant part to play in educational decisions that directly affect their learning, well- being, and present and future lives. Therefore, all young people, including girls and youth from minority and vulnerable backgrounds, must be respected and engaged as actors, innovators, co- creators, partners, and advocates for transforming education. G20 leaders should consider faith communities as key partners for education in this regard as many have provided meaningful support in terms of youth engagement.
ENSURE ALL LEARNERS’ EQUITABLE AND CONSISTENT ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION To improve learners’ equitable experience of, and equal access to, good quality education requires a commitment to making digital technological infrastructures available in homes, schools, and communities. Broad G20 political partnerships and public and private investments in educational resources are key to educational inclusion.
EMBED ECOLOGICAL AND GLOBAL CONCERNS IN CURRICULA AGENDA The world increasingly recognises the interdependence of human well- being and ecological flourishing, a spiritual understanding long advocated by global faith communities. Education can contribute significantly to young people’s deepened awareness of the need to decentralise human self- interest, and to recentre human responsibility for regenerating our ecological environment. With the support of faith-based partners, curricula agendas must be reformed to include and promote environmental education and direct experiences in/of nature, along with a deeper understanding of SDGs and the skills to support them.
PRIORITISE TEACHERS’ WELL- BEING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENTHEIR CAPACITIES TO FACILITATE BLENDED LEARNING Teachers’ well- being and continued professional development is essential to high quality education. With the strong possibility of future pandemics on the horizon, cultivating teachers’ capacities to facilitate student learning and well- being through online and blended media has become a key priority. Online CPD platforms and creative resources across G20 partnerships can serve to support the sharing of innovative practices and enable mutual learning. Faith- inspired conceptions of education and well- being can help strengthen teachers’ connection with the noble vocation.
