Dialogue and Negotiation Lab

Building a culture of dialogue in and beyond Belarusian society

DobraCoLab — the Dóbra Dialogue Lab. We help Belarusian organizations, activists, and initiatives develop communication and negotiation skills — within the community and across cultural boundaries.

Why this matters

The potential is there. The skills are not.

Belarusian civil society holds enormous potential — inside the country and in exile. But it remains far from fully realized. Organizations operate in parallel. Negotiations break down. Teams fall apart over conflicts that could have been resolved. This is not a motivation problem — it is a deficit of practical skills and a historically rooted communication culture.

01

Broken trust

Experience of conflict, repression, and forced exile has destroyed familiar mechanisms for working together. Rebuilding them means starting over — in new conditions, with new people.

02

Missing skills

How to frame a proposal. How to listen actively. How to handle objections and resolve conflict — these are not taught anywhere.

03

No lasting mechanisms

Structured formats for ongoing dialogue and cooperation between organizations barely exist. Every interaction starts from zero.

04

The cross-cultural gap

Organizations in exile negotiate simultaneously within the Belarusian community and with European partners — different cultures, different languages of agreement.

About us

The Dóbra Dialogue Lab

DobraCoLab — the Dóbra Dialogue Lab — is a team of experts and activists researching Belarusian communication culture and creating space for practical dialogue skills development.

We see it every day: coalitions fail because there is no shared language. Grant applications lose not because of weak ideas, but because of the inability to present them. Teams lose people over conflicts that could have been resolved.

The lab was built to change this — not through words about the importance of dialogue, but through the practical development of specific skills.

Founded in Lithuania in 2026 · Working with organizations in Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, and across the EU

Mission

Restoring broken connections through effective communication.

Vision

A Belarusian society where people can reach agreements even in the most difficult situations — where conflicts lead to solutions rather than broken relationships.

What we do

How we work

Online courses

Practical programs in negotiation, communication, and conflict resolution. Accessible from anywhere in the world.

In-person trainings

Intensive work for teams and organizations. Group practice, real-case analysis, live interaction.

Dialogue platform

Structured formats for difficult conversations — between organizations, within teams, with international partners and donors.

Simulation lab

Negotiation simulations and debates in a safe environment. Case analysis and expert feedback.

Research

We study Belarusian communication culture: the factors shaping how Belarusians negotiate, build trust, and resolve conflict.

Our approach

Negotiation is a skill. It can be learned.

If you practice the right way. We believe communication and negotiation skills are built through practice with real cases — not abstract exercises.

01

Practice over theory

Every session is built around participants' real situations — negotiations they need to conduct right now. Not abstract exercises, but live cases.

02

Belarusian context

We work with full awareness of the Belarusian experience: how to build trust after conflict, how to negotiate under pressure, what actually works here and now.

03

Safe space

Confidentiality, secure communication channels, and respect for personal boundaries are baseline conditions — not optional extras.

Who we work with

For those who want to reach agreements

Belarusian NGOs and initiatives

Organizations that want to learn how to negotiate with donors, partners, and each other.

Activists and leaders

Those building teams, forming coalitions, and conducting negotiations under difficult conditions.

Diaspora and exile organizations

Belarusians abroad building new connections — within the community and with partners in host countries.

Business (in development)

Belarusian businesses in exile — negotiation and professional communication in new environments.

Contact

Get in touch

We use secure communication channels — standard practice for organizations working on Belarusian issues.