Dialogue for Peace
Challenge

A Culture of Peace

UNESCO’s definition states: ‘The culture of peace and non-violence is a commitment to peace-building, mediation, conflict prevention and resolution, peace education, education for non-violence, tolerance, acceptance, mutual respect, intercultural and interfaith dialogue and reconciliation.’

This means that to establish a culture of peace within communities, active engagement from all members is key. Alignment on the same values and rights like freedom of expression, cultural diversity and cooperation must be achieved in the community. How can we do this? Simply through starting with dialogue! 

A dialogue serves as a powerful tool, enabling people to overcome boundaries and unite as human beings, working together to find inclusive solutions for the challenges they face.

By actively participating and promoting dialogue and non-violence, communities can cultivate an environment where individuals learn to recognize unnoticed similarities and develop a profound respect for differences.

Why the Dialogue for Peace challenge?

The Dialogue for Peace challenge is an opportunity to encourage young people to promote peace, mutual understanding, and empower them to use dialogue as a tool to prevent or address conflict and violence.

This challenge contains engaging activities with different levels meant to expand their worldview, incorporate dialogue in different dimensions of their life, advocate for mutual understanding, identify personal responsibility towards their community, and create a peaceful environment built on the 10 Principles of Dialogue.

As a final step in the challenge, a community service project must be implemented by the young people applying for the badge. Creating a service project is main goal of the challenge, where young people can put the knowledge and skills they gained into practice, leaving a positive imprint on the community.

By taking up the Dialogue for Peace challenge, young people will develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for resolving community issues, achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and being part of a global youth movement promoting a culture of peace.

The Dialogue for Peace challenge takes young people on the learning path of “Peacebuilding” where they will progress through four main milestones: 

• Discover their identity, their rights, and how their good deeds can inspire others.
• Understand where thoughts and emotions come from, their previous experiences and personal biases and acknowledge of other peoples’ experiences, needs, and perspectives.
• Engage to create more peaceful communities by recognizing how personal actions affect others, identifying problems in their community, and coming up with ideas to fix them.
• Collaborate with others by applying the 10 Principles of Dialogue, build on common interests, and engage to bring dialogue to others in their community

To begin each challenge, young people will first undergo a self-assessment to evaluate their current knowledge and awareness regarding the learning paths associated with the challenge.

Upon completion of all the activities and the community project challenge, the young person will become a member of the Earth Tribe and be recognized as a global citizen for the environment. They will receive the Earth Tribe pin and challenge badge.

Both young people and adults can explore various combinations suited for each individual's interests, drawing from other existing environmental initiatives within the NSO.

The learning objectives of each challenge are designed to not only educate and inspire but also empower individuals. They are structured to guide participants through a personalized journey, tailored to their age, ensuring that their knowledge evolves from one activity or project to the next. This approach builds competencies for sustainable development, and empowers young people to lead positive change.

The Dialogue for Peace empowers young people by fostering essential competencies supporting personal and collective growth. Participants develop normative understanding and reflect on underlying norms and values, and address uncertainties and contradictions. They enhance their collaboration by learning from others, empathizing with diverse perspectives, facilitating group problem-solving, and encouraging cooperative actions. Critical thinking is cultivated as individuals question existing norms and practices, reflect on their values and actions, and engage in discussions on sustainability. Through self-awareness, they gain insight into their role within their community and society, assess and motivate their actions, and manage their emotions and desires. Lastly, the program promotes integrated problem-solving, enabling participants to apply various problem-solving strategies to complex sustainability issues and develop inclusive, equitable solutions for sustainable development.