This June, 23 next-generation leaders from across Southeast Asia will meet to build the skills, relationships and practical tools needed to work with faith-based communities in protecting the environment.

The International Dialogue Centre — KAICIID will bring together 23 young leaders, mentors and dialogue facilitators for a regional training on youth leadership, interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and collaborative climate action. Organised in partnership with the Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace (IBHAP) Foundation and in collaboration with the Caravanserai Collective, ‘Dialogue in Action: Strengthening Youth Leadership and Skills in Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue for Climate Action in Southeast Asia’ will take place from 09–15 June 2026. 

With climate and environmental crises increasingly calling for locally grounded and community-driven solutions, young people and faith-based communities are among the region's most committed actors to tackle them. Young people bring drive, urgency and innovation, while religious leaders and institutions bring trust, moral authority and deep community reach. When brought together through the power of storytelling, these two groups can turn shared concern into collective narratives that inspire communities and cities to take practical action for a sustainable future.

From conversation to collaboration 

For over one week, participants will draw on KAICIID's and the Caravanserai Collective's distinctive approach to storytelling for dialogue.  This method allows for participants to learn to use their personal narrative as a tool for building trust across faiths, cultures and generations. With environmental protection offering a shared, non-contentious entry point for cooperation, the programme is designed to help participants find common story and translate it into real concrete projects. 

The Bangkok training builds on the existing commitment of change-makers to the protection of the environment, equipping them to design and implement joint initiatives with faith-based communities. Participants will take part in storytelling labs, action-planning sessions, mentor exchanges and site activities, and will leave with the connections and skills to carry climate action forward at home. 

“Climate action begins with the choices we make together. Young people are already making those choices. By creating a learning space between them and faith-based communities, they can extend their reach to more traditional communities and inspire action across different communities.  In Southeast Asia, we at KAICIID are already seeing a growing ecosystem of dialogue amongst young people. Our responsibility is to strengthen this space, so through interreligious and intercultural dialogue they can have the skills to inspire others and co-create solutions for a more harmonious society across the region.”  

—  Ambassador António de Almeida Ribeiro, Acting Secretary General, KAICIID   

“This training is important because it creates a space where youth, mentors, experts and faith actors can learn from one another and translate dialogue into practical climate action rooted in compassion, responsibility and shared humanity. I hope participants leave Bangkok not only with new knowledge and skills, but also with deeper trust, stronger networks and a renewed commitment to serve their communities.” 

— Venerable Napan Thawornbanjob, Founding Chair, IBHAP Foundation

“This programme creates opportunities for young leaders and faith actors to move beyond assumptions and labels, encounter one another as people, and develop the relationships, narratives and collaborative capacities needed to address complex challenges together. Through mentoring, collaborative projects and continued connection across the network, we hope participants will use the tools of storytelling and dialogue to strengthen their own communities, create new partnerships across differences, and build cultures of trust, belonging and collective action that endure long after the programme concludes.”

— Stephen Shashoua, Co-Founder and Chief Programs Officer, Caravanserai Collective, CERITA Caravan

Part of a wider regional effort 

The Dialogue in Action programme is part of KAICIID's wider work to strengthen the regional ecosystem of youth dialogue practitioners across Southeast Asia. By supporting young leaders in designing and implementing joint initiatives for the protection of the environment, KAICIID is investing in developing shared values, empathy and understanding while promoting social cohesion and peaceful coexistence. 

About the partners 

Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace (IBHAP) Foundation 

Based in Bangkok, the IBHAP Foundation connects Buddhist principles with the Sustainable Development Goals, working across public, private and civil-society sectors to advance sustainable development and peaceful, happy societies. 

About the supporters   

The Caravanserai Collective 

The Caravanserai Collective uses storytelling and dialogue through its CERITA programme to strengthen social cohesion and bring communities closer together across Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.