United Religions Initiative with their Cooperation Circles Youth for Peace International and Cultural Education and Environment Organisation (CEEO) India, conducted a 5-day long immersive workshop for community leaders on 21st-century skills and adaptive leadership in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir from June 7, 2023, to June 11, 2023.
Through this program, 15+ dedicated participants from Anantnag, Pulwama, Poonch Jammu, Srinagar and other districts across Jammu and Kashmir, and diverse faith communities came together to strengthen their holistic leadership skills. The workshop curated an immersive learning experience covering themes such as gender, inclusivity, dialogic communication, artistic expression, wellbeing and peacebuilding amongst others.
The workshop was facilitated by Saumya Aggarwal, Co-founder of Youth for Peace International, Tanya Sablok, Expressive Arts Facilitator and CC Liaison officer for United Religions Initiative in North India, and Mannat Dhillon, Program Coordinator at Yfpi.
Post the workshop, participants expressed that they felt ready to reimagine and redesign youth-led initiatives in their communities.
“Throughout the program, I had the opportunity to interact with like-minded individuals from various backgrounds and communities.
The diversity of perspectives and experiences enriched the discussions and fostered an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding,” said one participant.
Another participant mentioned that before attending this workshop, he used to feel anxious and now feels present at the moment and has tools to manage his anxiety. Many people also had the opportunity to deeply understand and transform the socio-cultural narratives that their lives were affected by.
Participants will be implementing their learnings and leading programs for societal transformation in their respective communities.
The community of young people from Jammu and Kashmir will be coming together to further the vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, and building cultures of peace, justice, and healing. This program's participants hope to receive the support, resources, and space to engage more actively in their communities and decision-making spaces.
