Background of Peace Lab For Religious Leaders & Thinkers (PLRT)

Malaysian youth are a vital segment of society with aspirations to build a progressive and inclusive nation, aligning with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018), and 2535 (2020), which recognise youth as agents of peace and security. Like in any nation, racism, extremism, and intolerance pose constant challenges to social cohesion and national security. With increased internet and technological usage, malign actors, including terrorist and extremist groups, exploit these tools to spread hate, violent narratives, and potentially recruit online users.

INITIATE.MY aims to address radicalisation risks from this trend and promote social resilience within Malaysia’s multi-religious and multi-ethnic society through a youth empowerment programme called the Peace Lab for Religious Leaders & Thinkers (PLRT). Building on the success of the Peace Lab for Youth (PLY) in 2021, PLRT is a flagship programme of INITIATE.MY. In PLY, 30 youth participants from across Malaysia graduated, and 20 participating organisations from various sectors contributed insights. By the end of PLY, participants produced 19 counter-narrative projects to promote religious freedom and tolerance in Malaysia.

This year, PLRT, an upgrade to PLY and in collaboration with the Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) and Malaysian Youth Diplomacy (MyDiplomacy), will train at least 20 religious leaders and thinkers aged 18 to 30 with strong records in advocacy and academia from diverse gender, geographic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. Over four months, participants will explore critical inter-religious and inter-ethnic issues and practical strategies to address them collectively.

PLRT curriculum is designed for advanced participants to foster in-depth learning and knowledge exchange on topics such as freedom of religion and belief, radicalisation, advocacy skills, tools, and project implementation. Additionally, more than 20 organisations from various sectors will engage with participants during PLRT. By the end of the programme, participants will have the opportunity to receive a seed grant to develop their own counter-narrative projects on TikTok and showcase their work to the Malaysian public.

Online Workshops
(May 2024)

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A one-month workshop equivalent to at least 20 credit hours is designed to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills. The initial focus is on knowledge-building through interactive lectures and discussions, aiming to familiarise participants with the Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) framework and related issues such as radicalisation and hate speech. Group exercises will encourage participants to apply their knowledge and foster closer interactions with their peers.

The second focus is on skills-building, equipping participants with advocacy tools and skills to champion FoRB and counteract intolerance. Key advocacy tools include social media content creation and video campaigns, with TikTok as the primary platform for advocacy and storytelling. Essential advocacy skills encompass project management, monitoring and evaluation, and legal and security awareness, which are crucial for managing projects effectively and enhancing marketable capabilities beyond PLRT.