“No religion teaches violent extremism … at the heart of every religion is peace”, said one of the youth leaders.

On the third day of the Regional Youth Forum on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), participants visited the Jamia Mosque and the International Christian Centre (ICC), in Nairobi. Jamia Mosque is the biggest mosque in Kenya and the International Christian Centre (ICC), has one of the largest youth congregations in the country.

Youth Visit At The Jamia Mosque

During the interfaith visit, Muslim and Christian youth participating in the forum had an opportunity to interact with religious leaders, and learn more about the community development programmes provided by both religious institutions.

Youth Visit At The International Christian Centre

The visits also enabled participants to learn, appreciate and respect the religion of the “other”, while focusing on the connectors that religion offers in peace building. Through interfaith dialogue and community action, youth from Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda, will boldly take steps to build peace and counter violent extremism in their respective countries.   

The forum concluded with the presentation of country action plans, by the youth participants, followed by a cultural dinner event.

The 3-days Regional Youth Forum on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) is the beginning of a long-term process to develop the leadership capacity and skills of youth, towards building sustainable peace in the region. The forum was organized by Arigatou International’s initiatives, End Child Poverty and the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC); in collaboration with the Norwegian Church Aid and ICCO Cooperation.

For more information on Arigatou International’s CVE and peace building programme, Community Resilience Against Violent Extremism, visit the GNRC website.

Regional Youth Forum on Countering Violent Extremism: Day 3: 31 August 2016