some of these countries has shrunk, making it more difficult for youth facing socio-political exclusion to
access public space.
LPI used the inclusive, participatory process of Sustained Dialogue with diverse groups across the Horn
of Africa, specifically focusing on youth because youth may still be in the process of identity formation
and so this methodology for dialogue might have a more transformative impact. Sustained Dialogue
methodology was originally created by a U.S. diplomat in the 1970s as a conflict resolution tool an d has
since been used in adversarial situations around the world. The purpose of Sustained Dialogue is to address
root drivers of conflict by first improving relationships, addressing identity, interests, power, perceptions,
and patterns of interaction, allowing people to challenge their own stereotypes and build relationships
across lines of division.
Sustained Dialogue is a five-stage process. First, diverse people decide to commit to the process. Next, in
group meetings, participants discuss their experiences in order to understand each other better. Third,
groups identify and analyze problems and root causes of issues in their communities. Fourth, participants
brainstorm collaboratively how to solve these problems, exploring resources, obstacles, and how to
overcome obstacles to build momentum. Finally, dialogue groups design and implement actions within
their broader community.
Across the Horn of Africa, youth led myriad LPI-sponsored Sustained Dialogues. Groups for dialogue
would be composed of 8-15 participants reflecting diversity within the community, facilitated by peer
moderators trained in the methodology. These groups would meet regularly (for two hours at least twice
a month over a seven month period) to build relationships and develop strategies to improve conflicted
inter-group relationships (along various identities such as ethnicity, gender, religion, urban/rural
geographies, or socio-economic status).
Since these Sustained Dialogues were launched by LPI in the Horn of Africa in 2009, this methodology
has been used in 9 universities in Sudan and Ethiopia and 5 marginalized rural and urban settlements in
Kenya. Altogether, these dialogues led by youth have reach 85,000 community members in HOA through
9,000 dialogue sessions with 660 diverse dialogue groups composed of 8,500 young women and men.
The outputs of Sustained Dialogue in the Horn of Africa included many successful community
peacebuilding projects, such as successful advocacy to community elders of West Kordofan, Sudan, by a
student attending Dalanji University in South Kordofan State for dialogue between conflicting groups. On
one of the Sudanese campuses, Muslim participants advocated for prayer space when they found out that
their Christian peers had trouble finding such space. In Garissa County, Kenya, participants lobbied for a
primary school to reopen that had been closed and occupied due to inter-sub clan violence. One of the
graduates of the dialogue process from Addis Ababa University even produced a radio show (Ye’erq) about
reconciliation, reaching millions of Ethiopians.
The sustained dialogue methodology has been useful for including youth as recommended through the
YPS agenda, because it allows youth to shape and define their own challenges in their communities,
overcoming traditional barriers to inclusion in peace processes. Students themselves gained awareness and
became more engaged with important issues, making friends across ethnic and religious lines. A
randomized control trial of Sustained Dialogue took place at Addis Ababa University 2009-2010, finding
that individual participant attitudes improved following participation, with 27% of participants affirming
that ‘most people can be trusted’ as opposed to 17% of the control group.
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