Türkiye and Armenia: Confidence Building for Peace

The Armenia-Türkiye Exchange Program was an innovative program designed to provide a platform for young professionals to come together and engage in constructive dialogue, exchange ideas and perspectives, and build bridges of understanding. The program sought to facilitate a learning opportunity to examine societies and communities that have made remarkable progress in peacebuilding and reconciliation. A vital part of this program was using digital storytelling to capture the essential component of conflict resolution programs and to disseminate stories of reconciliation and peacebuilding, which can inspire others to act towards peace. For the U.S.-inbound portion, 16 participants from Türkiye and Armenia traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to learn about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States as a case study about the progress that has been made as well as the current efforts and successes in peacebuilding and reconciliation in the African American community. For the outbound portion, the same 16 participants from Türkiye and Armenia traveled to Northern Ireland to focus on a “the Troubles,” a case study about the progress that has been made as well as the current efforts and successes in peacebuilding and reconciliation in the Irish community.