Panel: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND COMBATTING INEQUALITY



227_2.4 - WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ACTORS OF DIALOGUE: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE PERIPHERIES OF INSTITUTIONAL DIALOGUES

AUTHORS:
Dini E. (Pontifical Gregorian University - Université Catholique de Lyon ~ Rome ~ Italy)
Text:
We often hear about how important it is to involve young people in various areas. Yet these young people are often sought out simply to participate in what institutional actors offer them, and they have little room for initiative or autonomy. In this paper, I will present some recent interreligious dialogue initiatives aimed at young people—such as the Med 25 - Bel Espoir peace training ship or the "Youth in Dialogue" workshop organized by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in March 2026—and, based on these experiences, I will first offer some reflections on the contributions of young people in terms of the content, methodologies, and dynamics of dialogue. In a context still largely dominated, both in academic and practical spheres, by an adult—if not elderly—generation, we will see how youth is suggesting new directions in dialogue while - at the same time - often remaining tightly connected to established actions or interfaith networks that they rely on.