Breaking Down the Wall: PeaceGen and EGD Foster Cross-Cultural Dialogue through Intercultural Understanding and Global Dialogue Workshop
PeaceGen.Id - In an increasingly connected world, opportunities to connect with people from different cultural backgrounds continue to grow. However, understanding one another's perspectives still requires space to listen, share stories, and build meaningful conversations.
Driven by this spirit, PeaceGeneration Indonesia (PeaceGen), in collaboration with Education Globale et Development (EGD) Belgium, organized Intercultural Understanding and Global Dialogue Workshop #BreakingDowntheWall. The program brought together participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, United States, and Belgium in a shared space for cross-cultural dialogue, where they could get to know one another, exchange experiences, and broaden their perspectives on diversity.
Building Dialogue through Stories and Experiences
In this forum, each participant was paired with a participant from a different country. Together with a facilitator, they discussed three reflective questions that encouraged participants to share stories about their identities, personal values, passions, and experiences in education and training that have shaped their perspectives on cross-cultural dialogue and global issues.
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After the conversation session ended, each participant introduced their dialogue partner to the group by sharing the stories, experiences, and insights they had gained from the conversation. This process encourages participants to listen attentively, understand others’ perspectives, and retell those stories with respect.
Finding Common Ground Amid Diversity
One of the PeaceGen participants, Shanti A. Rachman, had the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with Rafe Reinstein, a participant from EGD. Their conversation showed that people from different backgrounds can still find common values and shared goals.
“Rafe and I realized that we share the same big question about life, ‘what makes life truly feel alive and meaningful?’ We both love meeting new people, listening to their stories, and learning from different perspectives. Maybe that's what led us to pursue the same path in peacebuilding.”
For Shanti, the experience was a reminder that every conversation offers an opportunity to see the world from a new perspective. Across cultures, there are always shared values that connect us.
Breaking Down the Wall: Building Connections Through Cross-Cultural Dialogue
Throughout the event, participants discussed culture, traditions, religion, stereotypes, and even daily life. The various stories shared then became the basis for collective reflection in the main forum, where participants exchanged insights and saw how each conversation deepened their cross-cultural understanding.
Through Breaking Down the Wall, PeaceGen continues to create spaces for cross-cultural dialogue that bring together diverse perspectives in a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment. Peace doesn’t always begin with grand gestures. Sometimes, it begins with a willingness to listen, understand, and see the world from another person's perspective.
Stay tuned for the next Breaking Down the Wall program with PeaceGen.
