What is humanitarianism to you, and why is it important for people of all generations to engage in humanitarian work? What can the first steps be in case you wish to engage in humanitarian efforts? And what is your message to people who have gotten tired and lost hope in doing humanitarian work? That is what moderator Jacqueline Mallari wanted to know from the two honored guests of our third and last “Intergenerational Dialogue” prior to the conference in October.
Dr. Vinu Aram, Co-Moderator of Religions for Peace’s World Council, and Dr. Renz Argao, Coordinator of Religions for Peace’s International Youth Committee, are happy to give answers that are inspiring and profound and useful. The 70 minutes long conversation between the three is characterized by personal appreciation and a lot of joy and humor.
“You really need to have a strong believe in the advocacy you are fighting for”, Renz Argao explains, “if you do not have the strong believe of what you fight for, it is very easy to lose the heart for what you are doing.” In a youth event, he recalls to have said before: “You need to be patient in humanitarianism. You will face a lot of pushbacks. But be open minded to learn from others.”
„If the mind is primed with empathy and mutual respect, your mind and your heart will always demand to take action.”
Dr. Vinu Aram
“If the mind is primed with empathy and mutual respect, your mind and your heart will always demand to take action. And that is when you know, that your mind and your heart are responding to humanitarian work”, Vinu Aram tells the audience. “I list all my concerns that define me as a person. I list them all out. And then I use another prism and llok at my concerns and say: What is it that I can do? And where is it, that I can make a difference? So I have my areas of concern and my areas of impact. That has been comforting for me, because I know that my heart is responsive. But also I feel a sense of empowerment, because I know there’s at least one thing I can do. I encourage everyone to do that.”
Ela Gandhi and Eda Molla Chousein are the two guests on the first “Dialogue of the Generations” video talk. They discuss how their two generations think differently and in the same way about environmental protection.
Jeffrey Sachs takes the old generations to task: those who are now in power must act. Read also why a decision by the German Federal Constitutional Court should set a precedent worldwide.
Philbert Aganyo is the team leader from Religions for Peace’s Youth Media Team. But considering his age, one might say es is not that young any more? But is age the crucial factor for leadership? Learn what he thinks about the difference between age and youth.
“How do you feel about the future? What do you see ahead of us? Are you confident or are you doubtful?”, moderator Ana Clara Giovani asks the two guests of our Intergenerational Dialogue on Peace and Security right in the beginning. The answers differ.
Human Rights can never be “won” because there are always people who will fight hard to reverse any gains made, says Andrew Gilmour. Learn, why the head of the Berghof Foundation thinks nations should prepare their population mentally for a rising migration.
What is humanitarianism to you, and why is it important to engage in humanitarian work? And what is your message to people who have lost hope in doing humanitarian work? Two of many questions Dr. Vinu Aram and Dr. Renz Argao were happy to answer in our third “Intergenerational Dialogue”.
Human trafficking is a business that is flourishing all over the world, even in Europe, because it has low risks and high profits, as Spanish social worker Alejandra Acosta explains. She is the founder of the organization “Break the Silence” that fights against trafficking and modern slavery.
Jonathan Granoff is the president of the Global Security Institute based in New York. At the 2021 conference, he presented a paper calling for religious institutions to use their financial resources in harmony with their values. We talked with him about whether there is such a thing as a moral return in addition to financial returns.
