Fifteen young leaders, peacebuilders, and storytellers from across Southeast Asia gathered in Yogyakarta from June 12 to 17 for the Cerita Trainer’s Training on Transformative Storytelling, a week-long initiative led by the International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID in collaboration with the Ceravanserai Collective. The training aims to strengthen interreligious and intercultural dialogue by equipping participants with tools to harness the power of transformative storytelling in advancing peacebuilding efforts in the region.

The training brought together participants from diverse faiths, cultures, and professional sectors who are committed to building more inclusive and peaceful communities in their respective countries.

“Storytelling has the power to create opportunities for people to engage with one another, to build bridges, and to overcome differences. We are investing in storytelling so that young people can have the tools to build bridges amongst their communities and be able to tell and hear each other’s stories,” shared Mitra Modaressi, KAICIID Senior Programme Manager for Asia.

At the heart of the program were sessions focused on personal narrative-building, allowing participants to reflect on how their individual life stories shape their work and advocacy. Through facilitated sharing and dialogue, they discovered how storytelling not only bridges differences but also reinforces shared values across cultures and religions.

Sharing his experience during the training, one of the participants, Keo Piseth, who works as a deputy editor-in-chief in a local news outlet in Cambodia, said, “The reflection sessions were deeply meaningful for me. They allowed me to pause, connect with others on a personal level, and truly internalize the values of interfaith dialogue."

Participants also took part in cultural immersions across Yogyakarta, including visits to historical temples, heritage sites, places of worship, and community art spaces. These excursions provided a deeper understanding of how local history and culture are preserved and passed down through stories, traditions, and lived experiences, giving insights that are important to the dialogue and peacebuilding process.

“Cultural exposure is essential as it directly awakens our awareness of diversity. These encounters open our eyes and hearts, helping us recognize that diversity is inevitable and something to be embraced and celebrated,” stated Neny Agustina Adamuka, a participant who works for a national non-government organization in Indonesia.

“The more we engage with differences, the more we come to understand our own identity”, she added.

The Cerita Transformative Storytelling training, a pilot initiative of KAICIID in Asia, is part of the Centre’s broader regional efforts to promote dialogue, understanding, and cooperation across faiths and cultures. In Southeast Asia, where cultural and religious diversity is deeply embedded in everyday life, initiatives like this aim to equip young leaders with the skills to foster mutual respect through authentic human connection and impactful storytelling.