Connecting the Disconnect

The European Union-funded ALLY project focuses on amplifying the voices of youth to prevent violent extremism (PVE) in South Asia. Youth are not one homogenous group, however, so for PVE efforts to be not only effective but also inclusive, efforts must be made to ensure each voice does not merely echo each other. Four ALLY fellows in Pakistan are bringing together different voices to spread messages in unique ways as part of their Social Action Plan (SAP) “Connect the Disconnect”.

Amna Khan, Iqra Amjad, Roshini Kumari, and Jayaa Jaggi are building a community of 40 individuals with diverse backgrounds including students from religious seminaries as well as Non-Madrassa Students, and training them to spread counter-narrative messages that promote peace in response to extremist narratives in their communities.

During initial discussions on how best to address their community needs as regards violent extremism, the four ALLY fellows found that a huge gap exists in the understanding of peace among students from religious seminaries and other educational institutes, due to which they are unable to work collectively towards peacebuilding. The fellows created Connect the Disconnect to get them all on the same page, build linkages to sensitize participants toward the need to prevent violent extremism prevailing in their communities, and work collectively and effectively.

Working with students from both public and religious schools, the fellows led online training and dialogues in January and February 2022 to allow youth from different religions and communities to come together so that they are able to eliminate their prejudices, myths, biases, and misunderstandings.  The participants were selected through an online application form having a few questions regarding their understanding and experience of diversity, pluralism, and violence and the urge to work towards building a peaceful society. The group of individuals was selected with varying experiences, some who are at an early stage of their career and do not have much exposure to sessions on such sensitive topics though actively engaged in their community while others had more extensive experience. The online sessions were led by subject experts.