Feature story

Christian Conference of Asia trains Asian youth leaders as Young Ambassadors of Peace

A weeklong training programme, Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia, organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), was held from 7-14 August at in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The focus was “Youth as Catalysts for Peace with Justice in Asia.”

Christians from Japan and around the world joined together

Christians from Japan and around the world joined together in a joint Anglican-Catholic march to the Catholic Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima, Japan, on August 5, 2015, as part of the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the U.S. dropping an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Among the marchers were church leaders from seven countries that possess or claim to be protected by nuclear weapons. They came to Japan to listen to atomic bomb survivors and push for a world free of nuclear weapons.

Photo:
Paul Jeffrey
19 August 2022

Twenty-six prospective young peace activists from various faith traditions across Asia who aspire to build just, peaceful, and harmonious communities attended the training.

The interactive sessions and thematic presentations were designed to enable the young participants to take the role as positive actors and catalysts of change in peacebuilding processes, while also strengthening their engagement in peacebuilding amidst conflicts, violence, and human rights violations in Asia.

The issues and themes covered during the weeklong training included “Religious and Cultural Identities: The Roots of Ethnoreligious Conflicts in Asia,” “Peace and Reconciliation: Religious and Ethnic Intersections,” “Peace and Reconciliation: Communal and Geopolitical Intersections,” and more.

A statement prepared by the participants and presented at the valedictory session of the programme affirmed: “We express our commitment to work for building and living in a peaceful, diverse, multilingual, and multi-religious Asia and the world. We resolve to educate ourselves with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to promote peace and be nonviolent in all approaches,  be active actors in peacebuilding in ways that prioritise community needs and perspectives and use ‘do no harm’ principles, to work for peace, justice, and inclusion of the many…”

Young Ambassadors of Peace is an annual programme initiated by the Christian Conference of Asia in 2016 to train young peace activists in an interfaith perspective. This year, it was attended by young people belonging to Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu religions.