SALAAMindanao and Beyond 2025 is designed to deepen understanding of how dialogue, shared learning, and community-based practices can strengthen peacebuilding efforts in diverse contexts. Through a combination of learning sessions, cultural activities, and community immersion, participants will explore how youth-led initiatives can create safer and more cohesive communities in Southeast Asia.
“Davao and Samal will welcome delegates from across the Philippines, especially from Mindanao, and from Southeast Asia for this regional exchange. We hope the gathering will deepen understanding and give context to our shared work for peace,” said Datu Mussolini Sinsuat Lidasan, Executive Director of the Al Qalam Institute for Islamic Identities and Dialogue in Southeast Asia of the Ateneo de Davao University.
He added, “Mindanao has a long history of conflict and efforts to achieve and maintain peace, and we have many lessons to share. Our diversity of cultures, traditions, faiths, and religions has shaped Mindanawons into true peacebuilders.”
The three-day program opens in Davao City with a learning session on storytelling for interfaith, intercultural, and interreligious dialogue. This session will invite participants into a discussion on how narratives can shape public understanding, promote empathy, and bridge divides across communities with different identities. Facilitators and sharers will share approaches that have been effective in conflict-sensitive settings and show how storytelling can support long-term peacebuilding.
Participants will also take part in a cultural immersion and community visit in IGaCoS. This activity will allow participants to learn directly from community leaders and local partners who work on peace and social cohesion in the city. The visit allows delegates to encounter real-life local realities, highlight community resilience, and offer a space for reflection on shared challenges across the region.
The main gathering, SALAAMindanao and Beyond 2025 Summit, will be held on November 26, 2025, at the Samal Island City College in the Island Garden City of Samal. This event marks the official opening of the Mindanao Week of Peace, a long-standing observance that brings together different sectors to promote harmony, understanding, and solidarity in Mindanao. The program will feature presentations from youth participants, regional discussions on peacebuilding practices, and opportunities for cross-country collaborations.
“We are excited to bring this initiative to Davao during the Mindanao Week of Peace, a city whose legacy demonstrates the transformative power of dialogue in peacebuilding. By introducing these interregional models of youth-led, dialogue-centred engagement, we hope to inspire fresh ways of imagining peace and to encourage young people across Southeast Asia to learn from one another’s experiences. This work in Davao forms part of a broader regional effort to use dialogue as a tool for building joint, coordinated peacebuilding initiatives, recognising that many of the challenges and grievances our communities face are shared across borders. We believe that the exchanges taking place here can spark deeper collaboration and more cohesive peace-building efforts throughout the region,” said Mitra Modaressi, Senior Program Manager for Asia at The International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID.
The Summit aims to bring a clearer appreciation of the importance of dialogue and regional exchange. Over a hundred participants will learn how shared experiences and best practices can strengthen youth networks and support long-term efforts in peacebuilding, interreligious dialogue, and community resilience. The Summit will highlight various peace projects in the Southeast Asian region and to spark new partnerships among young leaders who are working toward inclusive and peaceful societies in Southeast Asia.
“It’s important that approaches like dialogue and storytelling continue to be passed on to the next generation, not only as tools, but also as mindsets and skills for peacebuilding. With Mindanao as a powerful setting for learning resilience among diverse communities, SALAAMindanao and Beyond 2025 serves as a vital platform to strengthen these efforts. I’m excited to be part of this gathering and look forward to meeting young leaders from across the region who share the same commitment.