From forgiveness and reconciliation to social capital and psychosocial well-being: An evaluation of a multisite intervention in Colombia

Abstract

In 2016, the Colombian government signed a historic peace accord with the FARC-EP after 50 years of armed conflict. Still, widespread obstacles to forgiveness and reconciliation remained. The current study explores the potential of reconciliation centres (RC) in Medellin to help counteract a return to violence. These seven RCs included three branches of programming about forgiveness and reconciliation to support community well-being and social capital. A between-group analysis, as part of a quasi-experimental design, demonstrated no significant growth in participants’ understanding that restoration is different from reparation or awareness that reconciliation involves approaching the other to rebuild. There was enhanced acceptance that forgiveness is not forgetting and is a personal decision. While social capital increased, the perception that the community likes to help others and that community work benefits others decreased. The findings demonstrate the complicated relationships between reconciliation, community well-being and social capital, especially for community-level interventions in violent contexts.