Getting young people together is always an invigorating, if somewhat risky, experience – especially when they come from two different countries and five different faith traditions.

Recently, UMN hosted 20 young people from Pakistan and Nepal for an eight-day programme, including Training sessions, visits to schools, cultural and religious places, interaction with different faith communities and ministries, a cultural programme and panel discussions with religious leaders. The young people represented five different faiths: Hindu, Muslim, Kirat, Buddhist and Christian.

It was lovely to see young people from such different backgrounds enjoying each others’ company, laughing and joking together, and even becoming Facebook friends! The Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction stated that events like this should be useful in promoting intercultural and inter-religious peace and reconciliation. We hope that these young people will be encouraged through the learning and sharing of the past week, and look for opportunities to promote interfaith peace and co-existence in their own communities.