Understanding Conflict and Planting Seeds of Hope

From 22 to 24 May 2026, the Seeds of Hope cohort returned to Corrymeela for their fourth and final residential together.

Titled ‘Understanding Conflict and Planting Seeds of Hope’, the residential brought participants back to a central question that had shaped their journey: how is conflict understood, carried and transformed within ourselves, our relationships and the wider world?

Building on the previous residentials, the weekend created space for the cohort to reflect on what they had learned and consider how they might carry that learning back into their homes, communities and professional lives.

Making space for what we carry

Jean Horstman facilitated a reflective session titled ‘What’s on Our Heart?’, inviting participants to explore the personal and emotional dimensions of conflict.

The session provided an opportunity for people to name what they were carrying and listen deeply to one another. It reminded the group that peacebuilding is not only about theories, strategies or actions. It also requires us to recognise the feelings, hopes and concerns that sit beneath conflict.

The cohort also visited the Giant’s Causeway, where the landscape of the North Coast provided a different setting in which to reflect on place, memory, identity and belonging. Time spent exploring together, followed by a shared dinner in Ballycastle, reinforced the importance of informal community within the Seeds of Hope journey. Relationships are not built only in workshops, but through conversations, shared experiences and laughter along the way.

Seeing the journey take shape

On the final day, artist Stephanie Heckman created a live visual recording of the cohort’s reflections. As participants shared what the residential and the wider programme had meant to them, Stephanie captured their ideas, emotions and commitments through art.

Seeing their collective learning represented on paper brought together many of the themes explored across the four residentials, including relationships, conflict, identity, peacebuilding and social action. It also gave the cohort something tangible through which to remember their journey and consider what they wanted to carry forward.

Reflecting on the weekend, Suranne shared:

‘This weekend has been wonderful, memorable and inspiring. I really appreciate what you have all done for me on my journey. We still have plenty more sessions to go, but I had such a wonderful weekend.’

Cori similarly reflected on the friendships that had developed:

‘This weekend has been amazing and so much fun. It has been great getting to know everyone more and making best friends who I really appreciate. Thank you to the leaders for making the weekend as peaceful, fun and memorable as possible. I can’t wait to see what happens next.’

Although this was the cohort’s final residential, it was not the end of their Seeds of Hope journey. The relationships formed, questions explored and commitments made will continue through future opportunities, social action and the ways participants bring peacebuilding into their own communities.

At Corrymeela, we often say that our work begins when people leave. This residential marked the moment when four shared gatherings became something participants could carry home: a deeper understanding of conflict, a community of relationships and their own seeds of hope.