Peace does not emerge automatically. It must be learned, practiced, and protected through encounters that allow people to listen to one another. UIII’s Youth Training for Peace, titled From Strangers to Brothers, placed young people at the center of this process by inviting them to move from unfamiliarity toward empathy and solidarity.
The Faculty of Islamic Studies team designed the activity around a powerful idea: people who begin as strangers can become brothers and sisters when they are given space to talk, reflect, and understand different experiences. This is especially relevant for young people who live amid rapid information flows, identity tensions, and social polarization.
The training likely combined dialogue, reflection, and participatory learning. Peace education is strongest when it is not only delivered as a concept, but also experienced through interaction. Participants learn how prejudice forms, how conflict escalates, and how communication can reduce fear and suspicion.
For UIII, the program reflects an Islamic and humanitarian commitment to dignity, justice, and reconciliation. It also shows how community engagement can contribute to long-term peacebuilding by preparing young people to become mediators, connectors, and ethical voices in their own communities.
A feature story can be built around the emotional journey of participants: how they arrived, what assumptions they carried, and how the training changed their understanding of difference. Final publication should include participant quotations, facilitators’ reflections, and a description of training activities. The core message is that peace begins when young people are given the tools and courage to meet others as human beings rather than categories.