Respect in the Commonwealth Toolkit

This Respect in the Commonwealth Toolkit is a "Project in a box" about building resilience and inter-community dialogue. It encompasses detailed instructions, illustrations and inspiration.

The Respect in the Commonwealth Toolkit focuses on how to deliver workshops on inter- and intra-community relationship building, and aims to improve global citizenship literacy, awareness of tools and learning of skills to build socially cohesive and tolerant communities that are resilient to violent extremism. It has the capacity to be scaled up and applied anywhere the Commonwealth.

This toolkit aims to improve tolerance, understanding and respect for diversity, and promote social cohesion among different social, ethnic, religious, geographical, generational, gender, linguistic groups within all communities.

Who is it for

This toolkit is for anyone who feels motivated to improve relationships and respect in the community, the workplace and even among friends and family. You can use it to improve respect generally or to tackle a specific issue, such as hate speech or inter-ethnic conflict.

Whether you are experienced in facilitating change or are just starting out, this toolkit has been designed and tested for you. Depending on your level of experience of bringing people together and the kinds of issues you’re working with, you’ll find a range of different tools to apply.

The key thing about this toolkit is that is designed to be carried out individually as well – so you, as a peacebuilder, can use this resource to also self-develop and gain a better understanding of how the process and each activity works.

Download the toolkit (PDF)

Explore the toolkit

The logic which underpins this toolkit is called the Respect Process. The Respect Process has been tested in different contexts around the world. In summary it works like this: Through building our confidence and self-awareness and valuing different perspectives (I AM) we can have better conversations with people who are different from us (YOU ARE) which leads to a deeper understanding of the issues and opportunities that exist in our schools, communities and workplaces (WE ARE) which in turn motivates insightful actions and collaboration, transforming the spaces and places we live in (CHANGE) Respect means recognising a person’s humanity and treating them with dignity even when they’re different from you or you don’t agree with them. We are experiencing respect when:

We know it’s okay to express who we are
We feel safe and able to talk about our needs and wants
We feel motivated to learn and share with each other equitably, even when we disagree
We are not controlling other people’s choices
We are helping to foster safe, just and equitable relationships in the home, the workplace and society.

KEY WORD: RESPECT

Learn more on page 5 of the Toolkit

It begins with noticing an opportunity or something you want to change – something that motivates you to act. This section helps you ask the questions:

What do you think needs to change?
Why does it need to change?
Who says so?
What evidence do you have?

This section then takes you through the following steps:

How can I involve others?
Who can support me?
How can I adapt my approach?

KEY WORD: RESILIENCE

Learn more on page 23 of the Toolkit

After the research and planning phase you’re ready to get specific.

This section walks you through the tools you need to deliver a successful workshop. It will help you to consider what kinds of activities and approaches you think will motivate and empower your group. It’ll help you to consider the skills you will require to facilitate the process for others and will take you through the following:

Adapting activities for your group
Valuing differences
Navigating issue-laden situations
Creating a safe space
Fine-tuning facilitation skills
Self-awareness
Thinking like a gardener
Language and framing
Holding assumptions lightly
Asking powerful questions
Giving and receiving feedback
Active listening
Being accessible and inclusive
Dealing with challenges in the process
Facilitating the process online

KEY WORD: EQUITY

Learn more on page 41 of the Toolkit

In this section you can find three personal stories from people who have participated in the Respect Process. Each of the stories reflects a challenge which is connected with respect, such as: Living with relationships which are experiencing tension or conflict.

Unexpectedly learning from or valuing someone who is very different
Successfully building trust between different perspectives.
Facing and / or standing up to discrimination and racism.

Learn more on page 67 of the Toolkit

The activities range from relatively straightforward, to slightly more challenging.

Each activity indicates whether it's suitable for the individual, group or both and can be adapted for online delivery. The activities follow the pattern of the toolkit, as they are split into the 4 key sections of:

I am
You are
We are
Change

Each activity outlines its purpose and intended result for each section, with step-by-step instructions, often with examples, templates and tips. They provide plenty of space for reflection, imagination, discussion and cooperation.
Most of the group activities provide advice on how to debrief, providing questions to ask and ideas to prompt, meaning it should give you the confidence to follow with ease, regardless of your experience. These activities encourage a reflective and engaging process to achieve the intended goal for each of the 4 sections and overall, promote long-lasting respect and change in communities.

Learn more on page 81 of the Toolkit

Countering Violent Extremism