In February 2017, the Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove) pilot project was co-launched by the PaRD member African Union Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (AU-CIDO) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic cooperation and Development (BMZ) to highlight the importance of the soft power of religion in the field of preventing violent extremism (PVE) through innovative youth-led approaches.
By building on existing initiatives and supporting young people’s engagement and ideas, iDove strives to develop non-violent approaches to problem solving that strengthen social cohesion and to create a forum for exchange and mutual learning.
The 2nd intercontinental Youth Forum will focus on the occurrence of Violent Extremism in so-called ‘ungoverned spaces’ – i.e. border regions and marginalized areas, where youth are particularly vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. The Sahel Sahara Border Region, the Lake Chad Basin and the Horn of Africa are prime examples of border regions that have experienced marginalization and significant neglect due to the absence of effective state control, which led to the spread of violent extremist networks. Moreover, when considering the geographical distribution of racial sentiments and right-wing extremism on the European continent, it can be observed that these are frequently concentrated in rural and marginalized areas.
Prime objectives of the Forum will be to understand the interplay between political and economic grievances, social exclusion and hinterland neglect and how these feature in youth radicalization in border regions and marginalized areas.
Do you want to apply?
The call for proposals asks all creatives, academics, policy makers, and community workers to think outside the box and submit creative applications incorporating the following elements:
- A brief description of your professional background and current work and why you have chosen to apply to this forum.
- Describe your previous experience in PVE initiatives in your respective communities (Experience in border regions and marginalized communities is an asset.)
- How do you think you can contribute to this forum?
- What skills and knowledge do you hope to gain from this forum and how will you translate these into practical activities in your country/region?
We encourage you to be innovative with your submissions and include visuals, story lines, comic strips, videos, graphic designs etc. Please include a copy of your CV with your application. The top 10 most innovative submissions will be featured on our YouTube and Facebook pages.
Who can apply?
- Applicants must be between the ages of 18-35
- Citizen or resident of a European or an African country
- Fluent in either English or French, in addition to fluency in another language
- Proven interest and experience in interfaith dialogue, preventing violent extremism, building social cohesion, and a specific background in border and marginalized communities, as evident from having: (a) Developed projects related to this topic, (b) participated in projects related to this topic, (c) conducted formal research on this topic, or (d) participated in workshops, conferences, etc., related to this topic.
Applications must be submitted by midnight EAT September 3, 2018. Successful applications will be notified in the second week of September.
iDove is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.