Bridging communities, building futures

Community , Reconciliation , Storytelling , What's Your Story?

"When someone shares their story with you, you realise that you’re on the same wavelength, and I’m not alone in this thing. This made it easier for me to trust people. I feel I can work with them - they understand my story, and no one is better than the other. This makes it easier to rebuild the walls,” said Lezandré*, who works for the South African Police force.

Lezandré was one of the 26 participants at the Building Futures (BCBF) bridge engagement, held from 24 to 26 August near George. This event was the first in a broader series of events in the two-year-long BCBF programme, which ultimately aims to strengthen and increase collaboration in communities such as George.

The BCBF programme is in its pilot phase and this first cohort comprises a diverse group of 26 leaders from various sectors including the South African Police Service, community-based organisations and the business and faith sectors, united by their desire to follow Jesus and because of that, to serve the community of George. Two more cohorts are planned for George over the next two years.

“Manuel’s story encouraged me a lot… We connected because he’s got a similar background to us,” said Thandiwe,* a community worker from Thembalethu in George. As she spoke, Manuel fought back tears, moved by how Thandiwe recounted the adversity he had overcome in his childhood.

The BCBF Bridge engagement is a crucial step in the BCBF programme as it aims to deepen understanding and trust among participants by using tools such as personal story-sharing, which requires participants to be vulnerable. Once the trust was built, the group could connect over their common interest: a desire to help build a better community. The thinking is that working together to address collectively identified community issues – no matter how small – over time will increase the potential for collaboration on a larger scale.

What made this Bridge engagement different from the others was the addition of introductory sessions on lament, the 12 Habits of a Reconciler and biblical reasoning. These sessions were conceptualised and led by a team from the Rose Castle Foundation, an organisation based in the United Kingdom that equips leaders with skills, tools and habits needed to transform conflict. Participants of the three cohorts will be invited to apply to join for a programme specifically focusing on conflict transformation.

The next step in this pilot phase of the BCBF programme is for participants to meet to further discuss and strategise on the areas of community impact they have collectively identified.

Heartlines is immensely grateful to the participants for committing to be part of this process, and also to the funders for making this possible.

*Names have been changed for the sake of privacy.

Feedback from the participants

"I always used to listen

to everyone else’s stories, but had never thought about my own story. I never made time to reflect on my own life."- R

"It has been so incredibly valuable

to meet incredible people who are already doing amazing things in the George community... by holding hands there is power. "- L

"This made it easier

for me to trust people. I feel I can work with them... This makes it easier to rebuild the walls."- R

"The highlight for me

was getting back to the basics in understanding lament... we need to be completely honest with ourselves and also within the community."- D

"One thing

that I’ve put down to work on – stop and really spend time listening to people."- J

"If we could

accomplish this and feel so safe with one another and not be afraid to talk about differences... just imagine what is possible if we do this sustainably going forward."- L

"It allowed

us to really seriously look down into our own lives."- N

Some pictures from our time together

Simone Gregor

Simone is the What's Your Story? Project Coordinator at Heartlines and is also the Project Manager for the Fathers Matter ECD project.

Her background in law, philanthropy and marketing strategy helps her live out her passion for equipping people with knowledge that helps them flourish.