On 6 February 2025, Tegyünk Együtt az Ifjúságért Alapítvány (TEIS) piloted the Conflict Resolution Role-Play Cardsfrom the Peace by Piece toolkit with a group of 16 participants over an intensive eight-hour session. The aim was to create a safe learning space where participants could experiment with different ways of responding to conflict, reflect on their own reactions, and build confidence in handling tense situations in everyday life.
Stepping into conflict situations
The session introduced the role-play cards as a structured way to explore conflict from multiple angles. Working in small groups, participants drew cards describing short conflict scenarios and took on assigned roles within those situations. Each scenario invited them to navigate disagreement, tension, and miscommunication while trying out different resolution strategies in a safe and supportive environment.
By stepping into these roles, participants were able to “rehearse” how they might respond in real life—testing out approaches such as active listening, de-escalation, boundary-setting, and seeking compromise. The fictional framing helped reduce defensiveness, while still allowing for very real emotions and responses to emerge.
Reflection, emotions, and learning
After each round of role play, the group paused to reflect on what had happened. Participants discussed:
- how they felt in their roles,
- what triggered frustration, defensiveness, or withdrawal,
- which responses seemed to escalate or calm the situation,
- and how power dynamics and assumptions influenced their choices.
This reflection helped them connect the exercise to their own experiences in families, peer groups, schools, and organisations. Many noted that the scenarios felt “realistic” and recognisable, which made it easier to see how the skills practised during the workshop could transfer into everyday interactions.
Participant feedback on the tool
Feedback on the Conflict Resolution Role-Play Cards was highly positive. Participants described the tool as:
- engaging – it kept them active and involved throughout the session;
- realistic – the situations reflected challenges they actually face;
- useful – it offered a concrete way to practise different conflict responses rather than only talking about them in theory.
They also appreciated the chance to process their feelings and emotions after each scenario, recognising how important emotional awareness is in conflict situations. During the final feedback round, participants suggested a few safety measures for future sessions—such as careful scenario selection and clear debriefing—to ensure the activity remains emotionally safe and inclusive for all.
Conclusion
The TEIS piloting showed that the Conflict Resolution Role-Play Cards are a powerful and versatile tool for youth work and non-formal education. By combining structured scenarios with guided reflection, the activity enabled participants to experiment with new ways of responding to conflict, better understand their own patterns, and develop strategies they can bring back into their communities and everyday relationships.
As part of the Peace by Piece toolkit, this method offers practitioners a practical, adaptable resource for supporting young people and adults alike in navigating conflict with greater awareness, empathy, and skill.
“The Missing Peace” project is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Program (Pr. Nr.: KA220-YOU-055CD22D).
Reference:
- The Missing Peace – WP4.A3. – Piloting reports.