ACWAY Youth Forum 2021: Solidarity in Action (online)

Country: United Kingdom

Venue: online

From: 25 February 2021

To: 25 February 2021

Partners

  • Stirling Foundation
  • We The World
  • G20 Interfaith Forum
  • GenLab
  • United ReligioInins Initiative (URI)
  • Parliament of World Religions
  • Religions for Peace

As we enter into the new year, A Common Word Among the Youth (ACWAY) hopes to continue creating opportunities where we can come together in solidarity. We firmly believe that it’s at times like these that we must rally together to give and to share, and to support and reflect, both in spirit and in action. A pandemic might stop us from coming together physically, but it should not prevent us from building community socially, spiritually, and virtually.

In 2020, we delivered local activities as well as five virtual sessions to bring young people together to exchange experiences and skill-building conversations. ACWAY fellows shared their own initiatives, ranging from COVID community outreach to interfaith hackathons to refugee support.

On February 25th 2021, as part of the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week, we conducted our 5th ACWAY Forum (with this being our first virtual forum), under the theme of #SolidarityinAction. ACWAY is pleased to have participated in UN WIHW since 2016, delivering local activities around the world under one common theme. Our aim is to promote global collaboration through local action for a more peaceful and harmonious society between people of different faiths, cultures, and communities.

ACWAY FORUM 5 Program (PDF)

Objectives

The aim of the Virtual Forum is to provide a platform for young people to share ideas, experiences and opportunities to engage in promoting peace, understanding, and solidarity among different communities.
  • Discuss tools and techniques to build and sustain interfaith and intercultural engagement in your communities
  • Participate in breakout room discussions to address key issues in your community and put forward policy recommendations to be presented to the G20 Interfaith Forum and other key stakeholders
  • Network, connect and collaborate with young people from around the world through interactive tools and breakout sessions
  • Present interfaith/intercultural activity or project
  • Learn about opportunities to get involved with ACWAY, including volunteering, upcoming events, and joining the ACWAY team
  • Compete for the opportunity to win a fully-funded place at our next face-to-face Forum or partner conferences
  • Hear about our next round of ACWAY Community Activism Awards for an opportunity to apply for up to $1000

Outcome

  • One of the biggest online events for young people to inspire and talk about action in promoting interfaith harmony. Over 86% of the attendees were young people aged between 18 -35, engaging in intergenerational dialogue and facilitated trainings.
  • ACWAY is an organization that is led and driven by a team of young volunteers who invested their time to organize the interfaith forum for their peers.
  •  According to testimonials, this Forum was “the best organized online event in the past few months”. Out of 170 people that joined, over 150 stayed for the full 2.5 hours.
  • The Forum did not just promote solidarity between representatives of faith/philosophical traditions, but it also brought together in cooperation several interreligious organizations that collaborated in organizing the breakout sessions.
  • Key takeaway from the Forum (based on testimonials): “Solidarity is Responsibility”. It is in difficult times like this we should stand up in solidarity and do what we can in our respective communities to promote peace and mutual understanding.