Welcome to the Common Ground Blog
The Common Ground Blog is an initiative of (Search for Common Ground), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), headquartered in Washington and Brussels, whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict - away from adversarial confrontation towards cooperative solutions. (more here)
Vice Pres. Joe Biden Names U.S. Senate leader in Finding Common Ground
Orrin Hatch: Senator Reaches Out to Democrats
He is one of America’s Best Leaders for finding common ground while passing legislation
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Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Through word and deed, Sen. Orrin Hatch has demonstrated that a member of Congress can work to pass meaningful, bipartisan legislation without compromising his core principles and strongly held ideological convictions.
Indeed, no one would ever accuse Senator Hatch of being a liberal. He is, by all accounts, a true and proud conservative. What sets him apart and makes him an effective legislator is his willingness to find common ground with Democratic counterparts when he believes it is the right thing to do—even when it isn’t the politically convenient thing to do.
It is common knowledge that Senator Hatch had a good working relationship and friendship with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. The two made an unlikely tandem, but they teamed up to pass a number of landmark pieces of legislation, particularly in the area of healthcare. I served alongside Senator Hatch for 33 years. We hailed from different parties, different parts of the country, and different ideological traditions. But in those 33 years, he and I also shared more than a few legislative victories.
Over the years, we worked on a number of laws designed to make Americans safer. For example, in 1994, he cosponsored my proudest legislative achievement, the Violence Against Women Act. VAWA created some of our most successful federal programs aimed at reducing domestic violence and providing assistance to community shelters that aid victims of such violence.
Party and principle. That bill and others we worked on together passed through Congress with broad, bipartisan support. This was due, in good measure, to Senator Hatch’s ability to recognize common goals among his colleagues and his unwillingness to put party ahead of principle. He knew then, as he knows now, that when it comes to protecting the Ameri-can people, particularly the weakest among us, no lines should be drawn between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives. When other Republicans saw that Senator Hatch was on board, they were more inclined to give their support. In many cases, he was able to persuade even some his most conservative colleagues to join him.
This is not to say that Senator Hatch and I were frequently in agreement. In fact, far more often than not, the opposite was true. But even in those circumstances when partisan divides were the widest, he didn’t make his disagreements personal. And while he didn’t always have many Democratic allies, he had even fewer Democratic enemies.
Continuing in this tradition, Senator Hatch worked with the Obama administration and Senator Kennedy to enact the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, legislation that will greatly expand opportunities for public service. The bill passed overwhelmingly in the true Kennedy-Hatch fashion, with both Democrats and Republicans on board.
It was another lesson in bipartisanship that politicians of all stripes, from staunch conservatives to committed liberals, can learn from Orrin Hatch.
By Juontel White
Common Ground Productions, a program of SFCG, partners with the Media Focus on Africa Foundation to produce the television series, The Team.
The Team tells the stories of seven young Kenyan football/soccer players from different tribes and socio-economic backgrounds. Each must overcome their prejudices so that their team can have a chance at winning the league tournament.
Since premiering in Kenya in July 2009, the program has expanded its broadcast to 10 other African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries, including Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire—which are now producing local versions.
Actors and camera crew on the set of "The Team"
Viewers are encouraged to send feedback on the program, by responding via text messaging or email to the mobile telephone number and email address provided at the end of each episode.
Below is a sample of translated messages received from Kenyan viewers after a recent episode.
“Jambo! Thumbs up to Radio Jambo & Media Focus on Africa for such an educative play- The Team! It’s the play of the season fit for all Kenyans.”
“The show has come at the right time. Kenyans can live in harmony regardless of culture, creed, gender and tribe. Coach is a great guy, he is not tribal.”
“Johari is very brave, a leader who does not promote tribalism or chaos. True, leadership is not just for men but for all- men or women.”
“Tribalism has haunted us since independence. I think it’s high time the government used sports and programs like the team to educate Kenyans in the spirit of to togetherness. The Team shows I don’t have any reason to hate my fellow Kenyans over their tribe.”
“I really enjoy the show. it teaches me to live in Love and peace with all; without putting too much thoughts to their tribes.”
Nora Amajane
SFCG Morocco recently celebrated the opening of two mediation centers in Casablanca. The openings mark the culmination of the team’s project aimed at providing mediation training for youth.
The project is titled, “Mitigating Communal Conflict by Engaging Youth Constructively in Local Democratic and Economic Development Through the Establishment of Youth Community and Mediation Centers in Casablanca and Tetouan.”
Youth participant receives her mediation certificate
To honor the project’s achievements, SFCG Morocco along with project partners, USAID and the National Initiative for Human Development, hosted a daylong conference and concluding ceremony in late September. Project workers, participants and media all convened to celebrate.
A group of 100 Moroccan youth were awarded certificates for the mediation training they received as a result of the project. And, another group of approximately 50 youth were recognized as they are now certified trainers of the mediation program.
The two new community mediation centers in Casablanca were officially opened later that day. The youth mediators will sustain these along with other project centers.
By the conclusion of the project, SFCG Morocco found that 70 percent of those surveyed in both cities (Casablanca and Tetouan) reported a reduction of social tension as a direct result of the mediation centers and 67 percent of youth said they can identify sustainable employment opportunities, an increase from 36.5 percent during an initial evaluation.
By Juontel White
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” wrote Shakespeare in King Henry IV. While Ol’ Henry may have been speaking from a purely figurative standpoint, it’s likely that his royal responsibilities quite literally caused his head to feel heavy and ache.
On Oct. 15, SFCG staff participated in a half-day workshop to learn about how physical attributes are directly connected to leadership. The “Somatic Practices for Leaders” served as a crash course for approximately 20 staff to discover how to embody their leadership roles, skills and vision.
The workshop was sponsored by SFCG’s Leadership Wisdom Initiative and led by Paul Louis, a somatic leadership coach and senior consultant for the Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding.
Louis directed the group through a series of physical practices, encouraging them to analyze how their body responds—are their shoulders heavy when they walk or do their eyes tend to drop when making a statement, for instance.
These responses, when assessed within the context of leadership, can be altered and/or strengthened to help an individual become a more effective leader.
I was enlightened by one particular exercise in which group members were asked to make an assessment of each other.
It was my turn to share what I’m most committed to when another participant noticed that while making the statement, my voice was strong and convincing but my eyes did not meet with anyone else’ in the room—a sign that while I am firm in this commitment, I have yet to fully engage with others to assist in fulfilling my mission.
The assessment was valid and because it was revealed, I am now implementing ways to improve this quality.
On the surface, somatic practices may seem trivial—make eye contact, walk from your core, etc. But as chaos theory suggests, even the smallest changes can lead to drastically different results. By making small somatic changes leaders, can strengthen their voice/vision and even garner more followers.
For some participants, the workshop was a tool for strengthening their personal leadership style, while for others it was a motivator to discover just what that style is.
Still, all learned how to embody leadership. And, there was a collective understanding of how Search for Common Ground as a leader in peacebuiliding can incorporate somatic practices in its work.
When fostering peace between parties in conflict, it is vital to understand the emotional extremes those parties may be experiencing (vulnerability and anger for instance).
In order to balance the two extremes, peacebuilders must be grounded mentally and physically . Here, somatic practices are key because when peacebuilders exude a calm state, the greater the ability they have to effectively mediate and truly foster peace.
By Lisa Inks
After a summer of intensive research in West Africa, three fellow interns and I were recently invited to share our findings in SFCG’s Washington office. A swath of SFCG staffers and members of the general public gathered for the occasion: an October brownbag lunch presentation.
Intern Lisa Inks talks with women in Pujehun District about their opinions of Radio Wanjei
Cyrus Ahalt, Simone Grant, Immanuel Wolff, and I—all Masters students studying international affairs—set out to address the question, “What is the impact of community radio on development and peacebuilding?”
A key research source was Talking Drum Studio (TDS), SFCG’s main arm in West Africa. TDS produces and distributes radio and TV programs that encourage peacebuilding. These programs are then aired on community stations throughout the region.
To that end, we used a mix of qualitative and quantitative data tools applied to four locations: in Sierra Leone, Radio Wanjei (Pujehun District) and Radio Kolenten (Kambia District) and in Liberia Radio Kergheamahn (Ganta, Nimba County) and Radio Life (Zorzor, Lofa County).
We then compared and consolidated our findings.
We discovered that community radio in these rural areas has a significant impact—it serves as a channel for local government and NGOs to communicate development goals and projects, as an independent driver of development through self-generated programming, and as an agent of peacebuilding.
Below are some key findings from our research :
- Radio strengthens civil society organizations, enabling them to communicate more effectively and address development concerns on-air
- NGOs effectively use community radio to broaden their reach and to educate communities about important issues, such as HIV/AIDS prevention
- Community radio programming is the sole source of news and information in the research locations, fostering inclusive discussions on development
- Radio is credited with improving sanitation and cleanliness through awareness campaigns
- Radio is further credited with reducing violent crime, particularly gender-based violence, as a result of interactive programming and investigative journalism
- Radio programs that directly address peacebuilding issues and promote unity are popular and have a high-impact
While existing radio programs proved to catalyze progress, financial constraints threaten the effectiveness and sustainability of all four
Ibrahim Kamara (center) listen to Radio Wanjei's "Learning Zone," an interactive quiz program
radio stations studied.
After the presentation, staffers engaged in a robust discussion addressing ways to strengthen community radio’s role as an agent of peace. Providing training in best practices was a highlighted answer.
The group also brainstormed solutions to other challenges, such as the need for financial management training, greater mobility and improved journalism skills.
In addition, they addressed the need for community radio stations to maintain their independence in the face of political pressures and to ensure increased participation of marginalized groups, such as youth, women and the unemployed.
In the end, event attendees voiced a shared commitment to supporting these community radio stations by following up on recommendations to ensure their sustainability as agents of development and peace.
By Immanuel Wolff
Intern Immanuel Wolff spent 5 weeks in Sierra Leone conducting research for a community radio assessment
Radio Kolenten staff climb the transmitter to scope out the problem.
Radio Kolenten is one of SFCG’s partner community radio stations in Sierra Leone. Earlier this year the transmitter at the station broke. Though a seemingly minute problem, this was a sign that the yet developing Radio Kolenten would have difficulty maintaining itself. It was June 20th and bolt of lightning presumably struck the transmitter antenna one evening
The next day, the one staff member with some knowledge about electronic equipment had a failed attempt at repairing the device.
Luckily, some technicians from Freetown-based Sky Radio were in the area and stopped by to diagnose the problem – the power unit inside the transmitter was broken. The opportunity for repair seemed grim as the rural station had no funds to purchase a new one.
But the station manager’s sister loaned Le 350,000 (approx. USD 110) for the repairs. As neither the required know-how nor spare parts were available in Kambia, one of the staff members took the transmitter to Freetown for repairs, and later to Bo when they discovered the parts were unavailable in the capital city. On June 25 the radio began testing transmissions.
During the following days, transmission continued to be irregular—the signal cutting off unexpectedly every fifteen to twenty minutes. Staff climbed the pole to fix the antenna, which was assumed to be responsible for this, but without success. Eventually, after five days of trial and error, the problem was identified (the transmitter was overheating) and solved.
During this time, community members were very unhappy. Radio Kolenten staff were overwhelmed with people stopping by the station to ask when they could expect to tune in to FM 92.4 again. Many likened the situation to “darkness.” Traditional healers were particularly upset because they say the radio is essential for them to announce outbreaks of diseases. In response to this outpour of concern, radio staff were frustrated that very few community members offered financial assistance to help solve the problem.
This short episode illustrates the lack of financial sustainability faced by many community radio stations. To date, it is unclear how Radio Kolenten will repay its debt as it has no steady source of income. Without community (or other) support, Radio Kolenten’s continued operation is by no means certain.
