YOUNG INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOG
YOUTH FORUM OF RELIGIONS
Religion is a driving force, especially at the age of finding one’s identity. It helps young people to discuss and work on religions and their own religiosity together: This enables them to find their own position and also become visible with their own convictions. For this reason, the Global Ethic Foundation promotes exchanges between young religious actors as well as exchanges with politicians and representatives of religious communities.
Do you want to work more closely with young believers in your community? As a representative of a youth initiative, are you interested in the work of the Youth Forum of Religions?
Where can people from different religious communities enter into interreligious dialogue with each other and promote intercultural communication? Ideally, of course, where they are already active: in their municipalities and cities. In order to promote this exchange, the Global Ethic Foundation, together with the state, initiated the project “Getting Local Councils of Religions Off the Ground.” This is unique in Germany.
Since 2017, the Local Councils of Religions has supported and facilitated comprehensive integration, social participation and successful coexistence locally, across religious boundaries.
TASKS AND GOALS
Around 15 to 20 people aged between 16 and 26 are currently members of the Youth Forum of Religions. They represent state-wide religious youth initiatives such as the Evangelical Youth Organization (EJW), DITIB Baden or the Jewish Student Union Württemberg (JSUW). Representatives of the Baden-Württemberg State Youth Council and the umbrella organization of local youth councils are also part of the forum.
In addition to exchange and networking, the Youth Forum has the central task of bringing the socio-political concerns of young people of faith from Baden-Württemberg to the attention of politicians and representatives of religious communities. This takes place at the annual state congress of the Councils of Religions of Baden-Württemberg. In future, representatives of the Youth Forum will also be represented at the Baden-Württemberg Round Table of Religions.
Aims of the youth forum:
Making issues of religious youth visible, e.g. holidays, prayer rooms, school
Strengthening the participation of religious minorities
Making democracy learnable and tangible
Making self-efficacy tangible on a socio-political level
Thematic exchange and interreligious dialog
Solidarity and visibility for the general public, e.g. through joint statements
ENCOUNTER & NETWORKING
Young religious people met for the first time in July 2023 in Tübingen for the Youth Forum of Religions. Representatives from state-wide and supra-regional youth organizations of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith communities as well as from the umbrella organization of youth councils in Baden-Württemberg took part.
They developed content-related and organizational principles in order to develop the Youth Forum of Religions into a sustainable network. The focus was on encounters and networking as well as the question of the visibility of religions and the socio-political concerns of the participants.
INTERFAITH COOPERATION PROJECT
Global Ethic & THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS, HEALTH AND INTEGRATION
