This year’s conference will create a unique space, merging the experience, methodologies and networks of cooperation from fields like conflict transformation, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, community and coalition building. We will establish a space to combine resources, experiences and knowledge to increase the impact of concrete projects and local or global alliances, thereby solving real problems in this world.
Alumni of numerous initiatives around the world will engage in joint programs incubated or inspired by the MJC, Connecting Actions or other collectives using dialogue and safe spaces as pillars of their methodology.
Track 1: Interfaith Projects
Drawing from their experiences as project incubators, the MJC and CA will select and invite fifteen people (a significant number of which will be MJC alumni) who are already running or have conceptualised promising interfaith projects to receive professional development tools and support during the conference. These initiatives will be selected based on geographical representation as well as ambition and feasibility. One of the projects will be selected to receive a € 10.000 seed funding. MJC will oversee the implementation of that project.
Track 2: Local Chapters
The most sustainable way to strengthen a global network of cooperation is to build, support and sustain global, national or regional chapters. Selecting groups of trusted alumni and local leaders to head those chapters and support them throughout their first period of existence can provide local change and connect the activists with the necessary coalitions on the ground, thereby strengthening the global movement. One MJC local chapter will be selected to receive a € 10.000 seed funding. MJC will oversee the set up and implementation.
About 10 people having gone through the experience of MJC in the past will be selected and invited to the conference, resulting in 3 groups of 3 to 4 people from each geographical area.
The young activists, gathered in track 1 and 2, will have the following roles:
- Present their vision of a Local Chapter project and apply for seed funding
- Exchange ideas and join forces in implementing their respective projects
- Provide lectures and / or training to each other
- Provide lectures and / or training to the rest of the conference participants
Track 3: Dialogue Experts
This track will bring a network of experts and established leaders in the field of intercultural, interreligious, interbelief dialogue and collaboration together to work on joint projects, act as mentors and supporters of participants in the first two tracks as well as learn from other attendees’ expertise to enhance their own work.
Those experts will have the following roles:
- Pursue the work of the recently formed coalition – the European Institute For Dialogue
- Empower young activists and their respective projects
- Recruit resources from other participants whenever appropriate and possible
- Advise and mentor the young activists
- Deliver training to each other
- Deliver training to the rest of the participants
This track will gather 10 participants and will be facilitated by Connecting Actions, as a leader of the European Institute For Dialogue.
Track 4: Community & Coalition Building
Other than traditional face to face communication, the internet and social media platforms are forcing us to contend with completely new challenges and opportunities. Learning from the best of both worlds, we use online tools to enable communication and still utilize the value of safe spaces, face to face communication and human co-creation in order to develop necessary channels of connection to begin with.
This track is for artists, innovators, entrepreneurs, experts or beginners in their fields and all other freethinkers who want to co-create around dialogue, interfaith work, activism and community building on an equal basis.
A carefully selected group of participants will be invited to co-conceptualize activities, content and connection, bringing to life a part of this conference as an autonomous group, interacting, supporting, and learning from the other tracks while still being given enough space and time to think, create and act “out of the box”. With less structure and more room for interaction and connection, this track, based on successful networking principles, will attempt to combine the most efficient and impressive approaches to joint action and cooperation we have witnessed so far.