Name of organization:
Standing Together to Enable Peace (STEP) Trust
Description of organization:
STEP works towards building a free, just, non-violent, sustainable, equal and mindful society through education, advocacy and action. Established in 2009 in Delhi, STEP works mostly with teachers, youth and children, especially in at risk communities, to directly empower leadership, democracy and innovation.
Project description/context:
STEP wished to address the pervasiveness of crimes in the capital city of Delhi, as well as the continued political violence and conflict in Manipur and Kashmir, two states termed as “disturbed areas” and administered under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA) of 1958 and 1990.
To do this, STEP proposed to support young people from the three states in developing the tools to understand, analyze and engage with the complexity of their environment and nation through nonviolent means. More specifically, the project seeks to prevent young people from getting manipulated and trapped into a cycle of violence and victimization by working with them to explore critically the real or perceived sources of conflict, such as economic resources, gender inequality, religious, ethnic and regional identities. As an alternative, STEP trains youth peer-educators in photography and peace education to enable them to critically engage with the topics, share new narratives about their surroundings with local students, initiate dialogue and foster community.
Expected results:
By the end of the project, STEP expects to:
- Hold 3 workshops to train 45 peer educators in Delhi, Kashmir and Manipur (15 in each state) in peace education and photography to create public dialogue, identify stereotype and prejudice in one’s life and break the notions which hinder peaceful co-existence.
- Enable 45 peer educators to develop and deliver their own training modules and photo exhibitions in local educational institutions, targeting a total of 300 children and youth (100 per region). Modules seek to reduce stereotypes and foster dialogue.
- Create a platform for youth across 3 states in India to learn and work together to promote multiculturalism and an inclusive society
- Hold a peace and photography workshop in Delhi for the 45 youth peer-educators from 3 states to collectively and collaboratively enrich their work on breaking stereotypes.
- Produce and launch a coffee table book with handbook which can be used as a resource for dialogue between different identity groups in India and beyond.
Project coordinator: Mr. Samuel Poumai
Contact information: admin.sttep@gmail.com OR khsamuel@gmail.com
Website: www.takeastep.net