In the ongoing quest to heal wounds and build a more harmonious future, the community of El Manglito has become the setting for a valuable workshop that promotes the forgiveness and reconciliation.

Driven by Forgiveness and Reconciliation Schools (ESPERE), of the Foundation for Reconciliation Mexico, SUCEDE y NOS Sustainable NorthwestThis program has reached out to the community with the firm conviction of transforming lives and strengthening the community coexistence.

Gabriela Perezrepresentative of WAITsaid that since its inception in 2002 in Colombiawith the Foundation for ReconciliationThese workshops have been a beacon of hope for those seeking to free themselves from the weight of resentments and grudges. With the objective of providing a safe space conducive to personal growth, the workshop focuses on addressing the offenses received from a multidimensional perspective: emotional, spiritual and behavioral.

The father Leonel Narváez Gómeza pioneer in leading these workshops, took his experience and knowledge to Harvard, where he completed his second doctorate on the political virtue of forgiveness and reconciliation. Since then, the methodology developed has been recognized for its effectiveness, earning him the UNESCO like Peace Education in 2006he said.

The three dimensions

Gabriela Perez stressed that the process focuses on three fundamental aspects of the human experience: the personal safetythe sociability and the meaning of life. Through an in-depth analysis of these dimensions, participants explore the impact of offenses on their emotional and relational well-being. It is not simply a matter of reliving the wounds, but of understanding how they affect their perception of themselves, others and the future.

"The input is an offense that I have received, details of the offense are not addressed, but simply how I felt in that offense in three dimensions, in three particularities that we call the three S's," he explained.

Safety: How did I feel about my self-confidence, did it lower my self-esteem, did I feel insecure, did I feel isolated, how did I feel about my self-confidence?

Sociability: Did I isolate myself, did I stop talking to this person, did I stop seeing this group, can't I work in a team, that is, how am I in my ability to socialize?

Sense of life: Do I still long for that project, did I put it aside because it no longer mattered to me, or did it no longer matter to me?

"The workshop essentially works on these pillars of human existence, which is my relationship with myself, my self-confidence, my relationship with others, my ability to socialize and my ability to make a future with others. That is my sense of life," he said.

A 10-module workshop

There are approximately 25 people from the community of El Manglito which from Tuesday, April 2 until April 12 of this month will be taking the Forgiveness and Reconciliation Workshop.

The workshop, consisting of 10 modules of three hours each, addresses topics such as emotional perception, detection of emotions and transformation of the meaning of offenses.

With a gradual and structured approach, it is expected that by the end of the program, participants will have acquired tools to overcome emotional barriers and rebuild healthier relationships with themselves and their environment, said Gabriela Perez.

Through this approach, community leaders and members are expected to become agents of change, capable of detecting and addressing conflicts in a constructive manner.

Experience in other communities, such as The Reformin Sinaloa, has demonstrated the positive impact of these workshops on people's lives and community dynamics.

From personal restoration to participation in collective projects, the benefits extend beyond individual boundaries, creating a stronger and more resilient social fabric.

Gabriela Pérez invited all people interested in transforming their lives from the deepest part of their being to join this valuable process of forgiveness and reconciliation, because, as UNESCO says, peace begins in the heart of each individual and it is there where we must begin to build it.

He stressed that while forgiveness does not change our past, it can transform our future.