Deadline: 3 September 2018

African Union has announced a call for applications for its Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove) 2nd Intercontinental Youth Forum October 3-5, 2018 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The first phase of iDove commenced with an Intercontinental Youth Forum, which hosted 40 young leaders in PVE, activists, policy makers, scholars, creatives and disengaged individuals. The forum provided a platform for sharing experiences, ideas and knowledge on constructive strategies for PVE. The rich discussions shed light on the different types of radical ideologies (political, identity-based and religious) and provided insights into the deep-rooted beliefs and ideologies of extremist groups through the narrative of disengaged individual’s real-life experiences. The forum led to a diverse range of unique local initiatives, including four small-scale projects, which were selected and given financial support. The projects cover communication, virtual and community initiatives, such as mediatraining, capacity building, arts and sports, and are currently being implemented in Mali, Kenya, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The second Intercontinental Youth Forum will again focus on the occurrence of violent extremism among youth in Africa and Europe. This time around however, special attention will be paid to ungoverned spaces, such as border regions and marginalized areas, where youth are particularly vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups. The Sahel Sahara Border Region, the Lake Chad Basin and the Horn of Africa are prime examples of border regions that have experienced marginalization and significant neglect due to the absence of effective state control, which led to the spread of violent extremist networks. Moreover, when considering the geographical distribution of racial sentiments and right-wing extremism on the European continent, it can be observed that these are frequently concentrated in rural and marginalized areas. Therefore, understanding the interplay between political and economic grievances, social exclusion and hinterland neglect, and how these feature in youth extremism in border regions and marginalized areas will be the prime objective of this year’s Youth Forum.

African Union encourage applicants to be innovative with their submissions and include visuals, story lines, comic strips, videos, graphic designs etc. Please include a copy of CV with their application. The top 10 most innovative submissions will be featured on African Union’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Applicants need to do:

This call asks all creatives, academics, policy makers, and community workers to think outside the box and submit creative applications incorporating the following elements:

• A brief description of their professional background and current work and why applicant have chosen to apply to this forum.
• Describe applicant’s previous experience in PVE initiatives in their respective communities (Experience in border regions and marginalized communities is an asset.)
• How does applicants think applicant can contribute to this forum?
• What skills and knowledge do applicants hope to gain from this forum and how will applicants translate these into practical activities in their country/region?

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be between the ages of 18-35
• Citizen or resident of a European or an African country
• Fluent in either English or French
• Proven interest and experience in interfaith dialogue, preventing violent extremism, building social cohesion, and a specific background in border and marginalized communities, as evident from having:
  • Developed projects related to this topic
  • Participated in projects related to this topic
  • Conducted formal research on this topic
  • Participated in workshops, conferences, etc., related to this topic.

How to Apply

Applicants can submit their applications at the address given on the website.

Eligible Countries

• African Countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo DR, Congo-Brazzaville, Cote d Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
• European Countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City State), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia And Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

For more information, please visit Call for Applications.