Structured Youth Dialogue to Empower Peacebuilding and Leadership

Through structured dialogue during Youth Peacebuilding and Leadership Programs, high school and college students from Cyprus, Iraq, Serbia, Armenian, Azerbaijan, Denmark, the U.K., and the United States developed expressive, relational, intercultural, and analytical skills, plus a sense of personal transformation. Well-facilitated peer dialogue promotes self-awareness, compassion, diverse perspectives on current issues, and capacities for social action. Facilitators structure process and content for sessions, creating a mood of safety and openness, focusing topics for appropriate risk and relevance, reconciliation, and empowerment. Participants practice communication skills essential for shared leadership: listening and speaking effectively, recognizing cross-cultural difference, analyzing issues cooperatively, and making decisions collaboratively.

Categorised in: Academic Literature