Healing has been one of the central concerns in the Foundation’s work toward global peace and well-being — focused on the relief of trans-generationally transmitted trauma and the deeper roots of violence, towards justice, equity, and holistic positive peace.
The causes of violence are often located not only in recent but in older and even ancient historical grievances. When drawn upon in acute times of crisis and threat, these psychological roots can become sources of conflict. They persist because they remain largely unexamined — embedded in the narratives communities have inherited and, in some cases, chosen to live by. Through the processes of intergenerational encounter, dialogue, listening, re-storying, compassion and forgiveness, individuals and communities can begin to unfold and deconstruct those forces, and embark on collective healing journeys. Healing, reconciliation, social justice and human flourishing go hand-in-hand in transforming conflict and building holistic peace.
Reconciliation cannot be aimed solely towards ending current conflict. It must also aim to include unburdening of the past, liberation from the pains and angers that made conflict seem inevitable in the first place.
Prof Garrett Thomson, CEO of GHFP
Over the past decade, the Foundation has moved from funding exploratory research in this field to co-leading a programme of international scope. Working through and in partnership with the GHfP Institute, the Foundation now supports one of the most substantive collective healing initiatives in the world.
The UNESCO Collective Healing Initiative
Since 2018, the Foundation has partnered with UNESCO and the GHfP Institute to develop a methodology for community-based collective healing. The Initiative — now active in 16 countries across four continents — works with communities to create intergenerational spaces for remembering, listening, dialogue and healing, with particular attention to the legacies of slavery, colonialism, genocide and structural racism.
At its heart are the Collective Healing Circles (CHCs): facilitated experiential workshops drawing on psychosocial, somatic, collaborative, communal and spiritual approaches. The CHC methodology has been developed iteratively through practice in diverse communities, led principally by women and young people. A Global Healing Alliance has grown from this work — a community of CHC practitioners across 16 countries and four languages who gather regularly for professional development, dialogue and mutual learning.
In October 2024, UNESCO Assistant Director-General Gabriela Ramos formally launched the Collective Healing Handbook for Facilitators at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, marking the 30th anniversary of UNESCO’s Routes of Enslaved Peoples Programme. The Handbook — developed with Foundation support — now provides the practical foundation for facilitators worldwide.
Research and Publications
The Initiative has generated a substantial body of research. A UNESCO webinar series in 2023 explored themes ranging from intergenerational trauma and reparation to the role of public spaces in healing and the architecture of just societies. International symposia have deepened understanding of the nature of wounding and recovery, including important work on the psycho-relational and spiritual dimensions of dehumanisation.
In 2025, Prof Scherto Gill published New Perspectives on Healing Collective Trauma — an open access volume bringing together global scholars and practitioners on the intersection of structural justice, intergenerational dialogue, and healing. Recent peer-reviewed research has also explored dehumanisation as a form of spiritual harm, offering philosophical grounding — drawing on the work of Simone Weil — for the Initiative’s practical methods.