Hindu Council UK’s Executive Member – Miss Sneha Roy (responsible for the forthcoming Hindu Report & Hindu Youth Empowerment) attends the KAICIID’s SOUTHEAST ASIA FELLOWS PROGRAMME IN THE PHILIPINES”
On behalf of Hindu Council UK, I participated in KAICIID Fellows Programme successfully launched by International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) from 22nd May to 4th June, 2016 in the beautiful coast city of Davao in Philippines.
The programme was in collaboration with Mindanao Peace Institute (MPI) that prepares peace-builders to actively take part in the process of sustainable harmony and conflict prevention. The Fellows training model encourages trainees to share experiences and insights on interreligious dialogue in their countries, which are too often beset by tension and conflict. Through this process of sharing, the fellows are able to learn from each other’s’ experiences and best practices for conflict resolution and mitigation that have worked in different geographical context.
KAICIID is an inter-governmental and inter-religious organisation founded in October 2011 by King Abdullah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its mandate is to promote the use of dialogue globally to prevent and resolve conflict to enhance understanding and cooperation among people of different faiths and cultures by bridging animosities and instilling mutual respect.
Over the period of two weeks, we had sessions of theoretical understanding of conflicts, real world problems, reconciliation and then discussed cased studies. The course had very well incorporated activities that lucidly explained the objectives. Towards the end of the training, each of us had to develop a project that is to be executed in our home countries.
To summarise the entire experience will be tough because indeed, it was a lot more than just a conference and training. For me, personally, it was a journey towards self-discovery.
The room we would sit in was a mosaic of people from many an ethnic and religious backgrounds and one simply cannot but appreciate the diversity of cultures. Yet, there was a single thing that bound each of us together- the wish to make a change, the wish to make peace- within and around. Facilitated by Mrs. Deng, Mr. Anas Alabaddi, Dr. Patrice Brodeur and Mr. Mike Walter, the sessions were extremely well processed, interactive and brilliantly conducted.
The curriculum for the Southeast Asia Fellows training included dialogue and facilitation, communication and presentation skills, community problem-solving and outreach, peacebuilding and conflict transformation as well as monitoring and evaluation techniques. The training also included visits to religious sites of different religious traditions.
The final sessions were spent developing peacebuilding projects with support and feedback from experts from KAICIID. Attending such a conference is not just a professionally rewarding experience, but also provides an excellent opportunity to socialise with colleagues from other institutions/faiths and share ideas and explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration.
The reason I chose to represent the biggest Hindu umbrella organisation of the UK – Hindu Council UK (HCUK) is not only because I have been associated with it for long now but because the mandate and vision of this organisation very well fits into the directives of any inter-religious and peace-making congregation. Hindu Council UK is striving hard to collaborate and initiate programmes that promote knowledge and understanding of the other and foster harmony. I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate Hindu Council UK, KAICIID and MPI for making me journey of learning and peace process so very memorable.
Sneha Roy
Executive Member
Hindu Council UK