Dialogue Practitioners Co-Operative - DPC

International Day of Peace 2026 acknowledges the importance of investing in peace - for everyone, everywhere, every day.
Let's build peace together - one meaningful conversation at a time.

Please join one of our latest DPC Current Challenges zoom dialogues. Opportunities to share and learn from, and with one another, in spaces dedicated to what matters most. Focused, respectful conversations about the urgent issues facing communities.
Just email [email protected] to register. A zoom link will then be forwarded.

We’re delighted to share some exciting news!

The Dialogue Practitioners’ Co-operative has been awarded funding through the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Reconciliation Fund for our project:

“The Transformative Power of Dialogue – Towards a Shared Future in a Divided Land.”

This support recognises the vital role that dialogue plays in bringing people together across difference, fostering understanding, and helping communities navigate complex and challenging issues.

As a newly established co-operative, we are deeply grateful for this investment and for the encouragement and support we have received over many years. This funding will enable us to strengthen dialogue practice, empower communities, and create safe, inclusive spaces where meaningful conversations can contribute to reconciliation and a shared future.

We extend our sincere thanks to the Department of Foreign Affairs for supporting this important work, and to everyone who has been part of our journey so far.

We look forward to sharing more as the project develops.

Delighted to be part of this impactful and nurturing global community.

Cooperatives employ 280 million people — representing 10% of the global workforce. These community-based businesses not only provide livelihoods and income, but also help drive progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

On Saturday’s International Day of Cooperatives, join us in celebrating their impact and contributions to a better future for all. https://www.un.org/en/observances/cooperatives-day

Co-operatives for a Peaceful World. Our journey continues. 🌈

🌍 Changing the world, one conversation at a time ✨

🕊️ It’s International Day of Co‑operatives! And this year’s theme is ‘Co‑operatives for a peaceful world,’ so what better way to celebrate than by shining the spotlight on our member, the Dialogue Practitioners Co-Operative - DPC.

🤝 For almost 30 years, this pioneering group of peace building facilitators and trainers has helped communities navigate difficult conversations and manage conflict peacefully through meaningful dialogue.

The co‑op began life as a charity during Northern Ireland’s troubles, founded by people seeking a peaceful way forward. The team decided to become a worker co‑operative due to an increasingly tough funding landscape for charities, making the switch so they could sustainably carry on their valuable mission.

“The co‑operative model gave us a way to continue while supporting each other and sharing ownership of the work,” said Director David Holloway.

💚 Today, the Dialogue Practitioners Co‑operative works with communities, organisations and marginalised groups – including LGBTQI+ communities, women, people living with mental ill health and those affected by division and exclusion – helping people find common ground and build stronger relationships.

💬 “We believe dialogue helps people humanise each other,” David said. “When people understand the feelings and needs behind their different positions, it creates shared understanding – the foundation for peace.”

Today, the sun may set on Community Dialogue but what a privilege to have the twenty nine years of living, learning and sharing, now guide our way as the DPC.
This was David, Lyn and Jim last weekend, completing a final CD dialogue and conflict management training residential with students from Loyola University. An amazing gathering.
We are so privileged in DPC, to have such a skilled and experienced growing group of practitioners and we honour the CD dialogue process legacy as we navigate new realities, challenges and possibilities going forward.

In a world brimming with conflict, inequality, and unpredictability, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has cautioned about the dangers of complacency.

Stressing the need to stick to our shared values, the Secretary-General warns: “If we fail to put our common humanity first, we risk losing everything that makes us strong.”

Perhaps one of the greatest skills we can develop is an ease with difference and a deepening of understanding — not only of others, but also of ourselves.

Over recent weeks, DPC has had the privilege of speaking with many dialogue practitioners and peacebuilders from across our communities. One theme that continues to emerge is that those who hold space for others are often carrying a great deal themselves.

Dialogue work asks us to listen deeply, sit with complexity, hold tension, and maintain hope in difficult times. It requires courage, compassion, patience and humanity.

Perhaps part of our practice is recognising that it’s okay to acknowledge when we too are tired, affected, or searching for understanding. Holding space for ourselves is not a weakness; it is part of sustaining the work and the relationships that matter so deeply.

Thank you to all dialogue practitioners who continue to lead with empathy, integrity and care. Your work matters. Your wellbeing matters. And every conversation that builds understanding and connection matters too.

💜💙💚

Yesterday marked the Day of Reflection – a moment to remember those whose lives were lost or changed as a result of the violence and division of the past, and to acknowledge the lasting impact that continues to be felt across our communities.

For those involved in dialogue and peacebuilding, reflection is so important. It is found in the ongoing work of listening, creating space for different experiences, and holding conversations with care, respect and compassion.

The stories, pain, resilience and courage that exist within and between communities matter. Taking time to acknowledge them helps us better understand one another and reminds us of the importance of building relationships across difference.

At the Dialogue Practitioners Co-operative, we believe dialogue creates opportunities for connection, understanding and belonging. In a society still living with the legacy of the past, every conversation that fosters trust and understanding contributes to a more peaceful future.