What YOUth believe - Interfaith Dialogue in Youth Work

The increasing cultural diversification within contemporary Europe also leads to a greater variety in religious terms. Whereas the individual freedom of religion is legally protected in the democratic constitutions it doesn't automatically lead to a peaceful coexistence between religions. In the recent years increasing tensions between religious groups can be registered and resentments based on misconceptions and stereotypical perceptions of 'the other' form a common concern in many European countries. One way to prevent the resulting discrimination on religious belief certainly is the initiation of an inter-faith dialogue, during which participant can get a deeper understanding of other religions and also explore the numerous inter-connections between them. This is a topic to be addressed especially among young people, who are still in the process of forming their views on the world, therefore resulting in a long lasting impact on them. Taking into account the described context the proposed training course "What YOUth believe - Interfaith Dialogue in youth work" will therefore gather youth leader/workers dealing with or interested in interreligious dialogue activities to further investigate concepts of interfaith dialogue and to raise their capacities in realizing projects for young people in this thematic field. It will include program as well as EECA partner countries, which will add to the variety of the religious landscape and will form a base for future cooperation between the two regions.