The Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation has been engaging with individuals who are working to foster reconciliation within their own communities, known as insider reconcilers, to understand what reconciliation means and what is needed to facilitate it in different contexts. Insider reconcilers hold various roles within their communities and utilize their trust and connection to bring people together after conflict or violence. Through interviews with 30 insider reconcilers, reconciliation scholarship, and leading reconciliation experts, several key aspects and meanings of reconciliation were identified. These include the importance of uncovering truth, addressing trauma, and promoting wellbeing in order to facilitate reconciliation. Insider reconcilers also emphasized the importance of having a clear vision, building relationships, and utilizing cultural resources in reconciliation efforts. Finally, insider reconcilers noted the challenges they face, including power imbalances, external interference, and limited resources, and the need for adequate training and support.

• Insider reconcilers work to facilitate reconciliation within their own communities
• Uncovering truth, addressing trauma, and promoting wellbeing are important for reconciliation
• A clear vision, building relationships, and utilizing cultural resources are helpful in reconciliation efforts
• Insider reconcilers face challenges including power imbalances, external interference, and limited resources
• Insider reconcilers need adequate training and support to be effective.

https://cnxus.org/resource/insider-understandings-of-reconciliation/

Over the past 30 years, many ideas and models for reconciliation have been developed to help communities heal from the past and build a more interdependent future. While some reconciliation efforts have had positive outcomes, others have had mixed results. To better understand the principles and practices that make reconciliation effective, Professor Simon Keyes has compiled a report with theoretical ideas and case studies to stimulate discussion among practitioners and scholars. This report represents a selection of ideas and case studies rather than a comprehensive mapping of all reconciliation efforts, which would be a daunting task.

https://cnxus.org/resource/mapping-on-approaches-to-reconciliation/

To reach its recommendations, this study draws on the insights of twenty seasoned reconciliation practitioners across six continents and explores the veracity and reliability of a selection of widespread assumptions, held by sections of the policy as well as practitioner communities about how reconciliation best works in practice. Apart from identifying and briefly discussing both “reliable” and “unreliable” assumptions, listed below in summary form, this paper also identifies stubborn challenges and related recommendations that are relevant for advancing reconciliation practice.

https://cnxus.org/resource/reconciliation-in-practice-selected-observations-about-the-assumptions-informing-practices-of-reconciliation/