Summit of Youth Religious Leaders, Warsaw

Young Religious Leaders from across of Europe, will meet in Warsaw, pledging for multi-religious cooperation as an answer to challenges of multiculturalism/migration and critical issues troubling peace, welfare and coexistence in Europe.

22 Young Religious Leaders representing the biggest European youth organizations of Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian faiths, will meet in Warsaw, 16-19 September, for 3 day summit and training, pledging for multi-religious cooperation. While several European leaders have recently declared that multiculturalism in Europe has failed, the violent attack in Oslo assaulted Europe’s immigrant culture in the extreme way, and the economic crisis strengthens the hostility toward outsiders, young leaders representing faith communities will try to develop a common strategy, based on multi-religious cooperation, that could be an answer to challenges of multiculturalism/migration. They will discuss how religions can play a positive role in building more inclusive societies in Europe and how multiculturalism can help societies thrive. In the face of the rise of extreme right-wing, nationalistic, xenophobic and racist parties in Europe, growing religious persecutions of members of different faiths, targeting of immigrants, discrimination against the Roma people, and other serious violations of human rights, happening now in Europe, there is a need for the young religious leaders to take a stand and take actions against current developments and policies leading to radicalization and violence.

Apart from taking part in discussion sessions led by international experts in the field of interfaith and ethnic coexistence, multiculturalism, migration, refugees and Arabic Spring, the young leaders will be trained in advocacy, developing skills on: how to use mass media for advocating for social cause, how to run an advocacy campaign on social media, how to lobby politicians, how to use possible legal procedures and approaches that could help promote interfaith cause. There will be also trained in mediation skills, mediation as a conflict resolution method for solving intercultural conflicts.

The Warsaw youth summit is organized by Religions for Peace, European Interfaith Youth Network (RfP, EIYN). EIYN serves as a platform aimed at bringing together youth organizations and young individuals from all religions present in Europe, advancing common action for peace.