© 2020. Illustration by Peace Dialogue NGO
In September, 2020 Peace Dialogue NGO (PD) and its German partner, OWEN e.V. have launched a new initiative called CONTACT 2.0: Equipping young people from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict-affected area with social media skills to reframe prospects for peace. This is a three-year initiative aimed at contributing to conflict transformation efforts in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
The COVID-19 outbreak worldwide at the beginning of 2020, evoked a global migration of social and educational events to the online dimension. Online technology and social platforms have become an indispensable part of modern reality. They have become an uncontested environment for the peer-to-peer communication, trainings, workshops, working discussions and conferences. On the other hand, online platforms are becoming a space for spread of hate speech and war propaganda; especially targeting the youth. Therefore, the CONTACT 2.0 project strives to develop a safe platform for young people to start a dialogue on human rights related challenges in their respective contexts including discrimination (gender-based and other forms), violence, identity, acceptance of diversity and tolerance toward ‘others. Moreover, the project intends to empower young people and equip them with capacities and skills in using new social media tools for engaging their peers and fostering inter-societal dialogue on the impacts of war, radicalization, nationalism and militarism.
Project’s German Partner – OWEN – Mobile Akademie für Geschlechterdemokratie und Friedensförderung e.V.
The project CONTACT 2.0 is supported by the zivik (Civil Conflict Resolution) programme of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) with means from the German Federal Foreign Office.
