IMAGINE CENTER FOR CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION
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The Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation (Imagine Center) is an independent, non-political organization and is dedicated to positively transforming relations and laying foundations for lasting and sustainable peace in conflict-torn societies.
Goals of Imagine Center
- Transform negative attitudes of conflict-torn societies towards the conflict and each other and promote cooperative and mutually beneficial view of the conflict
- Generate joint learning, analysis and ideas that take needs, concerns and hopes of all sides into consideration and that can be used in the peace process
- Create and sustain networks of professionals across conflict lines committed to peace building process
Imagine Center's Activities
- Creating opportunity for constructive dialogue among various groups in conflict torn societies and positively transforming attitudes through innovative dialogue program
- Engaging young leaders and professionals in conflict transformation work by providing skills and building networks
- Encouraging and enabling collaborative work in studying and analyzing conflict between researchers and civil society leaders from countries in conflict.
History
Imagine was started by conflict resolution practitioners from Armenia, Azerbaijan and the U.S. in an effort to address the absence of communication between the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Determined to bring together the representatives of two countries for an open dialogue about needs, concerns, fears and hopes of two sides, the founders put together a retreat and dialogue program.
First Imagine took place in May of 2007 with support from the United States Department of State six young professionals from Azerbaijan and six from Armenia participated in a 10-day dialogue and retreat program in Maine, U.S. During the program, the participants explored their understanding and thoughts about the conflict and each other and discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Since then, the Imagine Program has come a long way. The one time dialogue project has been transformed into a network of young Azerbaijanis and Armenians committed to working across borders towards creating linkages and improving understanding of their societies. The Imagine network has grown to be a uniting platform for joint work and is always expanding its reach into other areas of conflict and initiatives such as conferences and educational projects.
'Imagine' is a non-political organization and has no particular position or preference in regard to the final settlement of the Armenian - Azerbaijani conflict.
Website: http://www.imaginedialogue.com
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