Regularising the dialogue process The formalities for acquiring authorisation to work in communities vary, as some provincial and district offices have strict regulations while others have less stringent ones. Seeking authorisation will involve a varied number of meetings with community leaders and district council staff in the province. This will be particularly important for rural communities as they are closely governed by either district authorities or traditional leaders and it will be important that the process gets the buy-in of these leaders. Sensitisation meetings Communities will be sensitised to the concept and practice of the dialogue process. At this stage, the community will be taken through a community-conflict analysis that will assist it in understanding its own community dynamics. This will involve using conflict-analysis tools to identify conflict issues, as well as their root causes, effects and timelines of events. The community members will then have the opportunity to decide which conflict it will need assistance in resolving and how it wants to do this. Co-opting community leaders into the facilitation team As a way of ensuring legitimacy of the process, transferring skills to the parties in conflict and inculcating a sense of ownership on the part of both community leaders and the parties to the conflict, there will be a need to identify and co-opt them into the facilitation team. This is the first stage in ensuring that the dialogue process will be sustained, as it will be inclusive both within the facilitation team and among the stakeholders that will take part in the dialogue. It is, however, important to check to what extent the community leaders are involved in the conflict in order to achieve healing. PHOTO 2 » Co-facilitation with community leaders 48 Community Healing: A training manual for Zimbabwe