Colombian Kelly Diaz was just a child when terrorists shot and killed her father. Now, 22 years on, she's meeting his killer in prison. She wants to forgive him and finally make peace with it all. For years now, a unique reconciliation project has been helping her prepare for that moment. It's an initiative launched by Stuttgart-based social entrepreneur Tobias Merckle. "It's a liberating process for both sides. Victims can leave hatred and thoughts of revenge behind, while perpetrators can take responsibility for their crimes and experience forgiveness," he says. Their journey doesn't end there, though. Both victims and perpetrators will go on to work together rebuilding places destroyed by civil war - what are known as "villages of reconciliation." 

Concern is also mounting over increasing political polarization in the United States. Republicans versus Democrats, right against left - the rifts in society seem to be deepening. The Braver Angels initiative is using dialogue as an attempt to turn that trend around. Since 2016, it's been running workshops where participants practice active listening and respectful debate. The goal is constructive exchange across the political divide.

Munich-based YouthBridge has made it its mission to prevent polarization from ever taking hold in the first place. It brings together young people from various backgrounds, from many religions and different walks of life. Jewish and Muslim college students engage in dialogue, alongside other young people from other cultural backgrounds. Can bridges be built to connect different communities? Is hate and exclusion preventable? "Our society is very divided, everyone retreats into their own bubble," says 18-year-old Begüm Tan. "We need to reach out again to one another, even if we don't always agree." YouthBridge trains young people to become multipliers who can develop their own social, cultural and media projects — promoting peaceful coexistence.

 

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