Empowering youth to initiate, lead and implement community-level actions to prevent violent extremism.

Pathways to Change

Through calls for proposals, HELVETAS Sri Lanka will select eight to 30 grassroots organisations as sub-grantees to: 

• Promote communal harmony and prevent violent extremism by engaging with Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim religious institutions.
• Work with role models to promote mediation and set positive examples.
• Put youth in the driver’s seat to lead community-based reconciliation and participate in decision-making.
• Enhance dialogue between youth and community-level government authorities, including authorities on the rule of law.
• Promote critical thinking among youth in educational institutions by strengthening relations between mainstream and religious educational institutions through inter-institutional activities.
• Counter hate speech through online and offline engagement.

Social Cohesion

Empowering youth to engage in community level PVE initiatives and dialogues with Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim religious leaders and institutions to promote tolerance, understanding, and peaceful coexistence.

Promote youth participation in decision making at community level and enhance the dialogue with government and rule of law authorities.

Promoting mediation and setting positive examples by involving celebrities and other role models in PVE initiatives, amplifying their stories through media, school activities, or community dialogue to contribute to youth empowerment and resilience to radicalisation to violent extremism.

Sense of Purpose

Promoting critical thinking of youth in educational institutions (schools and madrasas) by strengthening relations between mainstream and religious educational institutions through inter-institutional activities.

Engaging teachers and students in various inter and intra-school activities, such as sport and cultural events, debates, and competitions to promote critical thinking, mutual respect, and tolerance.

 Countering hate speech and enhancing critical thinking skills through online and offline engagement with youth, positive messaging and media literacy enabling people to differentiate between fake news, rumours, and real news.