(Commonwealth)_ The third annual Commonwealth Faith Festival Peace Talks will be held online, remaining an innovative platform for discussion and co-operation. Since its inception as a monthly web series last year, this program has been a default platform for young changemakers and seasoned leaders from the Commonwealth, where they come together, think together, hear each other out, and create action plans on some of the most critical issues of our time, such as minority rights, youth mental health, and peacebuilding.
Structured in association with the Khalili Foundation and the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network, the Peace Talks Series offers an open, non-confrontational environment where people can hear, learn from, and motivate one another. It is designed to generate compelling discussion that opens one’s eyes and builds a sense of international community among youth leadership, policymakers, and peace organisations.
This activity is of enormous significance as it coincides with International Peace Day. The event organisers have teamed up with the Commonwealth Youth Council, Think India, and the National Youth Council of Pakistan for this event. These associations are a reflection of the shared vision to empower subsequent generations and organise forums for positive debate along and across national, religious, and cultural lines.
The workshop will discuss how new digital technologies are reshaping intercultural relations and peacebuilding. Virtual reality and extended reality technologies are opening up new spaces for individuals from various religions to meet and interact with each other through new immersive and interactive experiences. By establishing common experiences and fostering empathy, these technologies are recognised as transformative tools for bridging divides. Trainees will be taught how such technologies can help bring people together, allow individuals holding different opinions to communicate, and ultimately foster the values of respect, tolerance, and inclusion.
Aside from their use in peacebuilding, VR and XR are also proving to be useful in advancing diversity in general. By providing an experience that engages immersion, the technologies enable us to put onto centre stage the voice and the perspective of the marginalised such that narratives of resilience, struggle, and diversity of culture are heard. The workshop will discuss mechanisms whereby such methodologies can not only deconstruct stereotypes but also establish solidarity and support among communities.
Among the highlights of this edition will be guest columnist Troy Richards, co-founder of the Museum of Diversity. Richards has been at the heart of creating the Commonwealth Virtual Museum, an effort that shows the potential for digital technologies to build and remember cultural heritage and make it accessible to the world. His achievement here shows how new programmes have the power to unite people into a consciousness of commonality and call forth respect for difference in a positive and multilevelled way. The forum will also include a panel of distinguished speakers who will share their personal and professional experiences on this subject.
Abongdoh Maluyane Titus, e-Mentor Founder and Commonwealth Peace Award holder, has been highly recognised for his peace education work and youth empowerment. Fakhar Jabran, Kashmeta.io founder and Commonwealth Peace Award holder, will be speaking from his practice at the crossroads of social development, technology, and community development. Harriet Bartlett, Only XR founder and technology advisor, will discuss the evolving face of immersive technology and how it can be leveraged to build social change. Speakers will engage with participants to consider how technology can be a tool of connection, not fragmentation, utilised for the purposes of peacebuilding and in opening up spaces for more intercultural exchange. The session will focus on best practices, case studies, and new concepts that showcase the potential of digital technologies to be used responsibly in promoting global interconnectedness.
The Commonwealth Faith Festival Peace Talks will not be a series of webinars. It is an international forum where youth receive a better voice, initiate intergenerational dialogue, and place technology on centre stage to solve issues that the world faces. With the theme of International Peace Day as the backdrop, the current year’s edition will again highlight the power of collaboration and innovation in building an inclusive, multicultural, and peaceful world.
