Deadline: September 3, 2018
The Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove) invites applications for participation in the 2nd Intercontinental Youth Forum 2018 taking place October 3-5, 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This year’s Intercontinental Youth Forum will focus on the occurrence of violent extremism among youth in Africa and Europe.
Special attention will be paid to ungoverned spaces, such as border regions and marginalized areas, where youth are particularly vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. Understanding the interplay between political and economic grievances, social exclusion and hinterland neglect, and how these feature in youth extremism in border regions and marginalized areas will be the prime objective of this year’s Youth Forum.
About
In February 2017, the Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove) pilot project was co-launched by the African Union Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (AUC-CIDO) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to highlight the importance of the soft power of religion in the field of preventing violent extremism (PVE) through innovative youth-led approaches.
iDove is based on the assumption that violent extremism is a global issue. Whether it has political, ideological, or religious backgrounds, the problem of youth radicalization affects African as well as European societies in the same way. Security interventions addressing the problem are only effective to a certain extent and come at a high cost both financially and in human lives. Thus, PVE requires a comprehensive “soft power” approach that focuses on the root causes rather than on the symptoms of violent extremism. Sports, arts, cultural events and activities offer effective tools of dealing with differences within a community. Innovative approaches in these areas foster mutual understanding and support cooperation between different social and religious groups.
Eligibility
- 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
- 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:
- Developed projects related to this topic
- Participated in projects related to this topic
- Conducted formal research on this topic
- Participated in workshops, conferences, etc., related to this topic.
Application
This call 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?
They 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 their YouTube and Facebook pages.
Applications must be submitted by midnight EAT September 3, 2018. Please submit your applications to [email protected]copying [email protected]. Successful applications will be notified in the second week of September.
For more information, visit iDove Intercontinental Youth Forum.
