Faith and Community: a Dialogue
The Faith and Community: A Dialogue exchange program brought together young religious and community leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia – empowering them to promote dialogue and build tolerance among youth of different faiths in their home communities.
The program was funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and was carried out in conjunction with the International Multi-religious and Intercultural Center (IMIC) in Sarajevo and the International Visitors Council (IVC) of Philadelphia.
This project is now closed.
Goals
• Increase dialogue between individuals and communities to foster mutual understanding and enduring interfaith relationships.
• Strengthen the capacity of community leaders to reduce and prevent religious tension, especially among youth.
• Equip participants with new models, skills, and methods to promote communication across religious boundaries.
Project Activities
• Youth religious and community leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia visited Washington, DC and Philadelphia to learn from and collaborate with American individuals and institutions committed to interfaith solidarity and religious pluralism, increasing their understanding of faith in various community contexts.
• Participants developed action plans to promote dialogue and build trust among people of different faiths in their home communities. IREX offered small grants to partially fund the proposed activities.
• American religious and community leaders nominated by the participants visited Bosnia and Herzegovina to learn about their communities and assist with ongoing projects.
