Muslim World League joins forces with Tony Blair Institute to help 100,000 young people

Project will help youths develop global citizenship and dialogue skills

Former British prime minister Tony Blair is working with the Muslim World League to deliver an educational programme to 100,000 young people. AP

The Muslim World League is forming a partnership with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change to deliver an educational programme to 100,000 young people.

The project aims to bring together their shared vision of a future generation of educated, empowered and open-minded global citizens.

The Generation Global initiative plans to equip 100,000 teenagers across 18 countries with the skills of critical thinking and dialogue in a bid to empower them to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the future, it says.

Mohammed Al Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, said the move will help create a “better” world.

“As leaders, we must provide the next generation with the tools they need to be good citizens of their societies and valued participants in the global conversations that will define our future,” he said.

“Young people need to learn how to listen and express themselves, to learn and to educate, and to operate with empathy and humanity to shape a better world.”

The move is part of World Youth Skills Day, which took place on July 15.

The initiative will train more than 2,400 teachers in global communications to deliver the course.

It is envisaged that the project will connect young people with their peers around the world through virtual exchanges to share ideas.

“We need to educate the next generation of young people so that they feel comfortable living in a fast-changing world and where diversity is seen as a strength, something to be welcomed and not something to be feared,” Tony Blair said.

“The driving purpose of the Generation Global programme is to use tech connectivity to reach as many students as we can and give them the ability and capacity to think in an open-minded way towards those that have different backgrounds and beliefs.

“Generation Global has a proven track record in facilitating greater understanding of how the world is changing, the importance of respecting and understanding others to build bridges across the boundaries of faith, race and culture. Young people can help communities become fairer and more inclusive through the mainstreaming of global citizenship education. And educating the next generation in this way will also help to plant the seeds of peace.”

It is hoped that the programme will break down cultural and religious barriers, and build interfaith and intercultural dialogue.