The COVID 19 this year has paralyzed a lot of activities and programs. This is true in the life of the big and small groups, and so Silsilah Dialogue Movement is forced to slowdown and do what is possible to continue the mission of dialogue and peace and be a sign of hope.
In this situation, a group of young Muslims and Christians who have been formed by Silsilah along the years have decided to put together their energy, dreams and aspirations to organize the Young Leaders for Dialogue and Peace (YLDP). This is a new beginning in Silsilah, at the same time it is a fruit of many years of formation.
Now the YLDP emerges as “A Voice of Harmony” of the youth of tomorrow. All of them are professionals and committed from different private and public institutions but living in the spirit of the Culture of Dialogue that is Dialogue with God, with the Self, with Others and with Creation.
We present here the major points that the group shares in their brochure in preparation for the official launching on August 2, 2020.
Background:
The Silsilah Dialogue Movement (SDM) has become an instrument in giving interreligious formation to different ages and sectors of society especially to young Muslims, Christians, and of other living faiths. These young people were given much attention starting in the early ’90s through various youth programs to hone their expertise and interest like media, arts, leadership skills and even community involvement.
Today, the Silsilah youth of yesterday will come together to share their dreams and aspirations as young professionals in their chosen field of specialization in harmony with the Vision and Mission of SDM living in the spirit of the culture of dialogue as a path to peace. The YLDP shall be the prime movers of Inter-Faith leaders of tomorrow.
The YLDP will give priority to the formation of young leaders through effective learning and experiential learning of dialogue and peace formation course.
In order to understand the current social issues of today the group will convene monthly to discuss and identify challenges of today that require YLDP interventions in the hope that these issues will no longer hamper the social development of the future.
The involvement of the YLDP member is on a voluntary basis that renders their valuable time and effort to support the Vision and Mission of Silsilah.
Main Goal:
To advocate the culture of dialogue that binds a peaceful and harmonious society strengthened by values of collaboration and friendship among young peace leaders.
Objectives
To achieve its mission, the program is expected to:
- Promote the Silsilah spirit among young people across cultures, religions, and beliefs;
- Strengthen the role of young people as positive agents of change in peacebuilding;
- Transform society through effective activities in the media, arts, and sports;
- Engage and collaborate with other organizations and local communities in promoting peace especially among the vulnerable youth in the communities;
- Promote the effective personal and social formation activities for young people with a high preference to the minority sector; and
- Leverage the impact of living and working together in the life-in-dialogue by communicating stories of change among young leaders.
Proposed Activities
- Young leaders formation and regular meetings
- Seminars and trainings on the impact and role of social media
- Kapihan or public lecture on special issues
- Article writing and contributing news articles to local newspapers and publications
- Youth music festival
- Literary writing and documentary film on the stories of change
- Interfaith youth peace camp
- Recognition of outstanding youth leaders and youth organizations
Sharing the new beginning of the YLDP, we wish to encourage all to overcome the temptation to lose hope in this critical situation. History tells us that in difficult times, there is always a new group willing to put together their energy and aspiration to build a better future.
The YLDP is one of the signs of hope today and ‘A Voice of Harmony” in the midst of divisions and conflicts.
Silsilah welcomes them with a big, Padayon! (Move on).