Global Exchange on Religion and Society

Global Exchange on Religion in Society (GERIS) is a two-year project of networking, societal capacity building and social media engagement. The goal of the projectis to contribute to social inclusion and societal resilience by setting up a global community-based exchange initiative. Through this action, a global exchange will be set up to connect positive experiences of coexistence among people of different faiths, and none, in societies across the globe. It will facilitate the spread of best practices for promoting respect for one another and fostering social inclusion by creating a transnational network of actors from wider civil society and different faith traditions. It will also help these actors acquire new skills, scale up their activities and reach out to a larger audience.

GERIS will explore a specific model for engaging with civil society actors whether secular or faith-based. The project objective will be achieved through building an exchange platform with the aim to contribute to the global conversation on diversity, coexistence and social inclusion in society; on civic engagement and a more active, participatory and shared sense of citizenship across boundaries of belief and worldviews.

Project Purpose

  • Facilitate the cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiential learning between project participants about their best practices related to promoting respect for diversity and fostering social inclusion.
  • Create transnational networks of community-based actors (faith based or not), civil society organisations, practitioners, religious leaders, expert and academics working in the same thematic area (e.g. education, community development, conflict resolution).
  • Provide these actors with ideas and skills to help them scale up their activities and reach out to a larger audience.

Expected Results
The Project envisages three expected results:

  • Contribution to the global conversation on diversity, coexistence and social inclusion in society, on civic engagement aimed at exchanging views and a more active, participatory and shared sense of citizenship across boundaries of belief and worldviews.
  • Creating an alumni network of participants in the Exchange, sharing a similar understanding of how to enhance societal resilience, social inclusion, conflict resolution and civic engagement considering faith or non-faith contributions.
  • Greater dissemination of positive experiences of coexistence among actors of different faiths, and none. This will be achieved through improved communication skills and specific communication activities/products by the participants in the Exchange, as well as through increased visibility for positive experiences.

Region/Country: Global

Timeframe/Dates: April 2020 – December 2022

Lead Partner: PARTICIP

Funder: European Commission

Partners: Media Diversity Institute, PARTICIP

Website: https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/global-exchange-on-religion-in-society-geris-