Ufra Mir presents "Peace-psychology: a Frontline Practitioner Perspective from Kashmir, South Asia."
As a frontline peace-psychology practitioner, Ufra works to: facilitate culturally-relevant, contextualized and decolonized approaches of healing & peacebuilding; counteract the enforced normalization and dehumanization of conflicts; create community safe and empathetic spaces for expression and dialogue; advocate for ‘mental is political’; and destigmatize emotional and mental health conversations in conflict zones. Focusing on the conference theme, ‘Who builds Peace?’ Ufra’s talk will further elaborate on these topics. Sharing reflections from her decade-long practice on the ground in Kashmir (and possibly other places in South and Southeast Asia), she will briefly talk about her individual efforts and initiatives through which she has been contributing to the community to which she belongs, which remains affected by armed-political conflict for decades now. She will reflect on what it entails psychologically to strive for ‘peace’, while living in and through one of the most intractable conflicts.
Additionally, Ufra will briefly highlight the increasing need to integrate empathetic and holistic mental health and psychosocial support service (MHPSS) based wellbeing approaches into peacebuilding; including for peacebuilders on the ground, who often lack privilege and support systems to care for themselves amidst daily chaos.
