PoG Participant in Kudus. July 2024. Farid and Risa Organizer. Photo: Petrus.
Peace Place Pati is a place that supports the interfaith youth movement to get out of the barriers of prejudice through AVP Justice and Peace training and Stories of the Power of Goodness. During 2024, Peace Place Pati held two facilitator training sessions with 14 participants. After the training, they facilitated mini-workshops for youth, teenagers, and children in Yogyakarta, Semarang, Pati, and Kudus. This is a movement led by interfaith youth people to realize peace in society.
Farid speaks
(Farid is an alumnus of the College of Usuludin, IAIN Kudus. )
Peace Place Pati is a place that brings together young people of different religions, especially Muslims and non-Muslims. We have the awareness and drive to eliminate prejudice and listen to each other to establish harmonious relationships by understanding each other and providing a safe space for everyone. Ethical relations between Muslims and non-Muslims are the foundation for creating healthy and meaningful social interactions. We build mutual understanding, respect, and empathy, demonstrate acts of equality, and how to realize justice.
So far, Muslim groups are often viewed as exclusive, extremist groups and have a frightening concept of jihad. Our presence and that of other Muslim friends at Peace Place Pati change this frightening negative stigma. Together, we train and practice life in a non-violent way and we agree to practice in a cooperative agreement to be open to transforming power. In the training process, we read the points of the cooperative agreement, dissect them together in each point, and then build a commitment to which points of the cooperative agreement we want to practice in our lives. Then we make additional agreements to provide a safe and comfortable space so that the atmosphere becomes more relaxed. In the process, I feel that there are no more barriers due to religious differences, but we are willing to create a peaceful and just culture and social order. The direct practice carried out in the training is when the call to prayer sounds, activities are stopped, as well as when it is time for prayer, or worship at the mosque, or to church. When there are friends who do not want to touch the opposite sex the light and lively activities are given freedom for participants to choose comfortable play partners. This made me interested and I joined the facilitator team at Peace Place Pati.
Nadhif (glasses) Blanket game at Peace Place Pati, January 2025. Photo:Zenden
Nadhif speaks
The first day of orientation was my first experience living in a diverse environment. There were three teachers who did not wear the hijab, two teachers who wore the hijab, and a male teacher who played the guitar. This situation further challenged me and made me want to join this place.
When I started the AVP Justice and Peace training, I felt something had changed in me. AVP Justice and Peace became a tool that helped me to know myself better and also trained me to live in society. I feel that I can appreciate others more, everyone has their own time to think, and each can think and process. In the past, I felt uncomfortable if someone didn’t respond immediately when I asked a question. Now I realize that if they don’t answer, it doesn’t mean they don’t know, but are in the process of thinking.
I realized many changes in myself, in the past when I didn’t like someone, I didn’t want to meet them, but now I realize that the main problem is myself, not other people. I realize that I am only able to control myself, not other people. Now I am more friendly, and not easily offended and hurt when faced with violence. I always practice offering hospitality by visiting the homes of relatives or other people whom I rarely greeted before. This change in me has made many people in my extended family and my village ask me to accompany school children in the village. Previously people never cared about me but now they ask me.
There is another new thing that changed me. One time I did a Power of Goodness activity in the church. This was my first experience setting foot in a church building. At first, I was afraid of being rejected because I was wearing a Hijab. When I entered and people greeted me by inviting me in, it made me feel more comfortable. In the big circle, a participant who wore a cross necklace was crying and saying that she had had a painful experience when she was called an infidel because she was a Christian. I felt sad to learn that she also experienced violence.
As a Muslim, I feel ashamed, why did this happen, even though in my religious teachings there is no teaching to badmouth others? This opened my awareness that violence can happen to anyone and anywhere. And this made me aware to support the peace movement, especially between religions in life in society.
An unexpected response occurred, when I shared a photo of Power of Goodness activities with Christian friends in church, many of my friends questioned why Nadif had changed, now she is friends with Christians and even participates in activities in the church, which they say are forbidden. I am increasingly aware that my friends around me are still very enclosed in religious conformity, very sensitive about making friends with people of different religions and about doing anything in other people’s places of worship. This incident made me aware to try to help my friends and the people around me open up and eliminate prejudice against people who are different, especially those of different religions.
This is part of my life experience after I got to know the non-violent approach to life through the Story of the Power of Goodness. I realized that the trauma of violence must be released to eliminate prejudice and return to conscience because everyone is good and capable and I believe peace is possible.
AVP Basic Training january 2025 at Peace Place Pati. Photo: Petrus