When neighbours stop speaking, schools become divided, and tensions spill into the streets, communities can either fracture—or find the tools to heal.

Khulisa Social Solutions, in partnership with the internationally recognised Society of Mediators (SoM), is launching a pioneering Community Conflict Mediation Training and Deployment Programme to equip grassroots leaders with the skills to resolve conflicts at their source and actively promote social cohesion.

The training forms part of Khulisa’s long-term Catalysing Peacebuilders for Community Cohesion (CPCC) programme, designed to transform local NGOs into trusted peacebuilders who can prevent escalation, rebuild trust, and embed collaboration into everyday life. By placing mediation skills directly in the hands of communities, the initiative aims to strengthen relationships, restore dignity, and build unity in divided spaces.

The three-day training, taking place in Johannesburg from September 16 to 18, 2025, will be led by Jonathan Dingle, founder of the Society of Mediators (UK). Drawing on decades of experience in post-conflict zones, prisons, schools, and divided communities worldwide, Dingle will guide participants through a curriculum that is entirely community-designed. Built from the insights of over 30 dialogue circles conducted using Khulisa’s Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT)-guided narrative therapy process, every module reflects the lived experiences of communities, ensuring that the skills taught are practical, relevant, and immediately applicable.

What the Training Covers

• Community facilitation to create safe spaces for open and constructive dialogue.
• Psychosocial first aid to address trauma and strengthen resilience.
• Restorative justice and mediation strategies rooted in real-world cases.
• Conflict mapping and action planning tailored to local realities.

Participants will include staff, NGO partners, and civil society representatives from seven provinces, forming a diverse network of peacebuilders with a shared aim of transforming division into dialogue and building stronger, more cohesive communities.

A participant from the 2024 pilot reflected:  “After the training, I mediated my first real community conflict within weeks. Having the right tools and confidence meant I could help people communicate with each other again, rather than letting the problem escalate. It changed how our whole community sees conflict.”

By embedding mediation skills directly in communities, Khulisa and SoM aim to reduce reliance on external interventions and strengthen South Africa’s long-term resilience by promoting social cohesion, collaboration, and peacebuilding from the ground up.