ASEAN Youth Organization
Strengthening Youth Peacebuilders Resilience:
Countering Malices in the Digital Space
The following article is written by ‘iDover’ Agatha Lydia Natania
A report from the World Economic Forum (ASEAN Youth Survey 2020) stated that youths from ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) adjusted to the COVID-19 environment by significantly increasing their digital footprint by 87% of youths adopting a new digital tool during the pandemic. This phenomenon exposed youth to a massive flow of information, including hate speech, hoaxes and misinformation, black campaigns, and online radicalization, which together contributed to the growth of intolerance and violent extremism in the digital sphere. Furthermore, hate speech on social media increased the vulnerability of minorities, leading to further social exclusion, discrimination, and hindrance in receiving essential services. Thus, capacity building in the digital sphere to counter these challenges with positive narratives is much needed to strengthen the resilience of individuals and communities.
Accordingly, the iDover-led project together with ASEAN Youth Organization (AYO) aims to 1) build a network of youth organizations and religious-based communities in the Southeast Asian region; 2) build resilience of social media administrators of youth organizations; and 3) strengthen digital literacy skills on the substantive and technical aspects to better promote peace messages and counter extremist narratives via social media.
The first workshop titled ‘Youth Dialogue in Countering Violent Extremism, Hate Speech and Hoax in Digital Platforms’ convened on June 18, 2022. Several youth peacebuilders, including iDovers from different African countries were invited to share their experiences in CVE online. The discussion showed that youth peacebuilders from different continents have similar experiences and struggles in implementing their work.
The second workshop took place on July 2, 2022, under the theme ’21st Century Skills Essential for Peacebuilders: Digital Literacy and Critical Thinking.’ The participants learned how to utilize critical thinking in identifying hate speech, and hoaxes on digital platforms as well as verifying sources and data in identifying red flags. The event was attended by the representative of Indonesia to the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR) who delivered an encouraging speech to the workshop participants.
The third and final workshop titled ‘Develop Our Digital Initiatives: Effective and Impactful Digital Peace Narratives Strategy’ convened on July 16, 2022. This virutal workshop aimed to teach how to utilize algorithms to convey peace messages more effectively on social media. The participants were encouraged to create more digital initiatives while taking into account the power of algorithms and other digital features.
AYO is currently developing an online learning course related to online hate speech. The aim of these courses is to increase youth’s participation in promoting peace narratives and CVE on digital platforms. AYP Academy’s online courses are available here. For more information about AYO, you can visit their website.
The information contained in the article represents the views and opinions of the author and not necessarily of the Peacemakers Network or iDove project.
About Agatha Lydia Natania
As an intercultural enthusiast, Agatha has extensive knowledge and experience in intercultural and interfaith programs, particularly in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. With eight years of experience in this field, she has conducted and participated in international and national events aimed to promoted tolerance and youth development. Agatha is an international relations graduate with a focus on International Organizations and Regimes. Currently, she works as a staff at ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation Indonesia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. She also holds a position in ASEAN Youth Organization as the Executive Director. They provide networking opportunities and personal development for ASEAN youths.
About the iDove Programme
The iDove programme and capacity building support program on Interfaith Dialogue and prevention of Violent Extremism provides youth-driven, innovative, and context-specific responses to preventing violence. The program activities are implemented by selected seven local organizations associated with iDovers, who are youth peacebuilders from Europe, Asia, and Africa. The program contributes particularly to the advancements of the small-scale projects while supporting iDovers engagement more broadly. The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers supports the actions implemented by the iDover-associated organisations to enhance their organisational capacity building to ensure timely and effective youth-led responses to preventing violence.
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