In June this year, Sri Lanka Unites was honored to be given an
opportunity to share lessons learnt from our work with youth peace building at
the
“ International Conference
on Trends in Youth Radicalization in South Asia” organized by the Regional Center for Strategic
Studies (RCSS) and Global partnership for the prevention of Armed Conflict
(GPPAC). We thank RCSS, GPPAC and especially UNOY (United Network for Young
Peace-builders) for giving us a platform to share our learnings.
Since the conference was on tends in youth radicalization, the
following points were presented by Neluni Tillekeratne, Co-National Director of
Sri Lanka Unites at this event as comments to support the conversation. The
points which were raised on behalf of SLU at the event are elaborated in this
blogpost.
Upon understanding
reasons for youth radicalization, SLU tried and tested three catalysts for reconciliation.
The transformative process of a racist student is one which we
have been studying for a while now, and we have invested a lot of time
understanding what it really takes for a young person to reconcile along ethnic
and religious lines. In Sri Lanka where the war ravaged across the country for
three decades, it is not surprising that Reconciliation does not happen
overnight. Based on our experience, there are numerous factors that we must be
cautious about when designing modules on peace building for young people.
The following
are three factors that facilitate counter-radicalization. Young people are less
prone to be radicalized when the following three factors are experienced and
understood
1.
Closure through
forgiving and being forgiven
It is extremely important for SLU to share this belief of ours
with everyone because we do believe that forgiveness should be mainstreamed as
a crucial pillar of youth reconciliation. SLU has been practicing this approach
since 2007 and it is by far one of the most powerful turning points in a young
person’s journey towards healing and reconciliation. In our experience, we see
that forgiving another community for what they have done to your community,
while simultaneously asking forgiveness for what your community has done to
theirs in the past gives young people new hope and a blank slate to start with.
Its easier said that done, requiring hours of very deep, reflective, emotional
conversations, but it is possible. SLU
facilitates these conversations at events throughout the year.
In the context of
Sinhalese and Tamil youth, after the war, we observed observed that the act of
forgiveness becomes some sort of a “truce”, that the older generation failed to
come to. However, the inclusion of forgiveness in as an approach to reconciliation
does not by any means undervalue or ignore the need for conversations on
justice, unanswered questions or addressing on-going grievances. Forgiveness is
observed as a means of merging two groups of young people into agreement,
giving them a platform off which they could launch to take up each others
causes and do what they can to correct the faults and mistakes of the previous
generation.
2.
The next most important factor is for young people is to understand the manner in which
identity politics fuels conflict
We have observed that a vast majority of young people urgently
need to learn how to read politics better and to understand for themselves, of
the spill over of politics into religious and ethnic conflict. We explain to young people how many atrocities
and injustices in the past are rooted in the power struggles of politicians and
not in the genuine hate of one community towards, another. This is also where
we bring in an element if inter-generational dialogue where the older community
explains the history of our conflict, by analyzing the role of politicians in
brewing it. When young people come to understand the role of political
influence in politics, it allows them to breakdown stereo types and prejudices
that they hold against an entire group of people just because they mistrust
politicians who represent this group.
(Original cartoonist unknown)
3.
The third factor is when
they envision a future together and see the possibilities of shared economic prosperity
Reconciliation
among youth is extremely different to how older people reconcile, based on our
observations in Sri Lanka. We believe, the older generations looks at
memorialization and the need for justice as a core-requirement for
reconciliation while youth, especially the vast majority in rural areas, seek
the assurance of security as they move into the future They question if their
counter parts of the same age, of other ethnic/religious groups, could ensure
and promise to never allow Sri Lanka to go back into a dark era of conflict We
do believe that young people want to trust other young people, and this trust
is where hope stems from.
Racist young people of all religious and ethnic groups share
their believes with us. Racist students fear that they are in competition with
other racial/religious groups for economic success. They find reason to block
the economic prosperity of others given their own insecurities for the future.
The rising cost of living in Sri Lanka fuels young people, who in many
instances are bread winners for their families, to find someone to blame.
Politicians allow the blame to be transferred to other groups instead of to the
government.
When SLU was faced with this question, we tested out envisioning
activities. After many years, we confirm that when young people envision a
future where all proper and thrive, they are far less prone to radicalization.
Once we show them the possibilities of a future with shared prosperity and
encourage different groups to prosper by working together instead of against
each other, their hope is renewed.
Written by
Neluni Tillekeratne
Co-National Director
June 2018
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