Dialogue for Peace
Challenge

Embedded in the basic nature of our movement, by introducing Dialogue for Peace to young people, leaders can enable them to adopt behaviors related to non-violence, mediation, conflict prevention, and resolution from very early in life, fostering peace education, tolerance, acceptance, mutual respect, intercultural and interfaith dialogue, and reconciliation.

It becomes a task for all adults to support our youth by providing safe spaces where they can be in contact with people who look different, have other ways of living, and live through different faiths to explore them through curiosity, appreciation, and respect. Dialogue values transform the experience with others in a safe space to learn and foster friendship and harmony rooted in diversity. 

The Dialogue for Peace challenge is a first-contact learning experience for young people to start their discovery of the principles and practices to become a dialogical person first with themselves and with others and, as a result, appreciative of the diversity of people, cultures, and religions surrounding them. 

The Dialogue for Peace empowers young people by fostering essential competencies that support both personal and collective growth. Participants develop key competencies for sustainable development like understanding and reflecting on underlying norms and values, navigating conflicting situations, and addressing uncertainties and contradictions. 

They enhance their self-awareness skills, they gain insight into their role within their community and society, assess and motivate their actions, and manage their emotions and desires. They become more collaborative through learning from others, empathising 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 personal 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 programme promotes integrated problem-solving competency, enabling participants to apply various problem-solving strategies to complex sustainability issues and develop inclusive, equitable solutions for sustainable development.

This challenge contains entry-level 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, the young people applying for the badge must implement a community service project. The main goal of the challenge is to create a service project 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:

• Listen means to discover yours identity and other people’s identity, culture and beliefs.
• Understand where thoughts and emotions come from, their previous experiences and personal biases, and acknowledge 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 shared interests, and engage to bring dialogue to others in their community.

Young people can combine the Dialogue for Peace challenge with other challenges focused on peacebuilding to complement their journey through Messengers of Peace.

To earn their Dialogue for Peace badge, a young person must follow the below process with the support of their adult Leader.

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

Upon completion of all the activities and the community project of a challenge, the young person will become member of Messengers of Peace and recognised as a global citizen for peace, and receive their challenge badge.

Both young people and adults can explore various combinations, suited for each individual's interests, drawing from other existing peacebuilding 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.

Leaders are the first dialogical person Scouts should look up to emulate, so the first step for you is to start exploring dialogue yourself. You have access to tools and a wide range of activities and you can reach out to a network of dialogue practitioners accredited in many countries and regions in the Movement. Here you can download the Challenge Pack and understand more about the challenge and have the opportunity to select from the activities inside this Challenge Pack. Be sure to support your Scouts in planning their service project, completing it, and submitting in on this platform!