Tolerance Academy

Project Name: Tolerance Academy

Project Description: This project aims to bring together 40 youth leaders aged 18 to 25 years from across Nigeria to increase their knowledge and skills related to cultural and religious tolerance. Through an intensive 30-day training program the Tolerance Academy intends to:

  • foster cross-cultural, inter- and intra-religious integration;
  • provide economic empowerment through leadership and entrepreneurship training; and
  • support participants in educating at least 100 other youth leaders in their respective community. Training of the youth leaders will occur by the end of the second month after completion of the training.

Name of Organization: Champions of the Society

Description of Organization:  ‘Champions of the society’ is a membership-based non-governmental youth organization that works to promote a more peaceful and happier Nigeria where people, especially the youth, mutually co-exist irrespective of their religion and cultural background. Membership is open to people of Nigerian descent living in any part of the world. There are currently 85 members spread across 36 states of the country. Key areas of work include: youth education (face-to-face and online), advocacy for youth involvement in decision making processes, youth rights education and activism, cultural promotion, capacity-building programs for youth, and training in youth leadership and entrepreneurship.

Timeframe: 2010.

Country: Nigeria

Email: haywhydydx@yahoo.com

Background: Nigeria is rich in ethnic diversity with about 250 ethnic groups of different culture and language. The project emerges through consideration of the current cultural and religious environment as experienced from field trips to 15 states across the country. Managers identified potential religious and cultural conflicts outbreaks if preventative measures are not taken. The conflicts are likely to be fuelled by the volatile nature of most northern states of the country and the fragile nature of these communities who are still recovering from the civil wars.

Until recently, corruption, government instability, ethnic violence and dictatorship have plagued the country. Since the end of colonialism, the region has been the site of some of the most brutal conflicts, including the Nigerian Civil War and some recent activities in the Niger Delta region. While there is a wide variety of cultures in Nigeria, communities in the region from Kaduna to Lagos share similarities in dress, cuisine, music and culture that are not generally shared outside this geographic area. Social and political cohesion is weak, especially among the youth. There are noticeable cultural and religious divisions among different tribes. This has fuelled many religious conflicts and cultural hatred. For example, Nigeria has recorded about 10 religious conflicts between 1999 and 2009. There are increasing numbers of young people joining Islamic extremist schools in Nigeria. Some of them recently began claiming that Western education is evil. It is particularly important to note that the predominant religion in Nigeria is Muslim.

With the belief that a little goes a long way, this project is recognition of the need for pragmatic and unconventional programs, exploring path-breaking approaches that are capable of shifting the mind-sets of Nigerian young people. The Tolerance Academy is a co-educational academy dedicated to fostering religious and cultural cohesion in Nigeria.

Project Activities: In order to realize the objectives of the project, the following activities will be carried out.

  1. Selection of 40 youth participants from across different ethnic groups of the country. Intensive publicity will make the selection competitive. Promotion will occur through establish networks and leaders in universities, colleges and religious institutions.
  2. Class and field training of participants will use an innovative and comprehensive curriculum including: Concept of Forgiveness, Cultural Integration, Religious Tolerance, African Studies, Dialogue as a Universal Language, Ethics of Leadership and Entrepreneurship.
  3. There will be peer-to-peer cultural and religious learning. Participants will be differently paired three times to share their cultural and religious values and norms. Participants choose which tribe, culture and religion to explore.
  4. As a cultural exchange opportunity, participants will be placed on a two-week internship in different cultural and religious settings, villages and organizations across the country.
  5. Participants are required to pass the knowledge they have acquired to at least 100 youth in their respective communities and report on their progress. There will be some financial support and online/internet-based fundraising training in order assist them in this pursuit.

Results: Project under implementation