The project which is funded by Aid to the Church in Need aims to bring together youths from various religious, political, and ethnic groups to learn about dialogue, reconciliation, and peacebuilding. This initiative is part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos’s pastoral plan to address the destruction of lives and property, polarization of settlements, and revenge mentality among youths in Jos.

A baseline study revealed that despite the absence of violent confrontations, frequent attacks have left communities traumatized. The polarization of settlements has created a gap and increased mutual suspicion among groups. People are in dire need of a safe space to meet, develop, and mend broken relationships.

The project seeks to address perceptions fueling the crises, such as biases against certain groups and deliberate exclusions. Constant dialogue and efforts towards reconciliation are necessary to alleviate these concerns.

The project’s objectives include reducing the risk of violence and recruitment by insurgent groups, strengthening incentives for individuals to contribute constructively to their communities, and promoting peaceful methods for addressing grievances.

The project’s theory of change is that by supporting communities in Plateau, Nigeria, to become more socially inclusive and increasing their capacity to mitigate conflict, they can reduce the push and pull factors leading individuals to depend on violence and join insurgent groups.

The project will focus on themes such as conflict transformation, interfaith dialogue, entrepreneurship, leadership skills, trauma healing, and sports and arts for peace. The training will be structured to accommodate different education levels, using adult learning methods, teaching aids, and role-plays.