Interfaith Dialogue, Collective Trauma Healing, and Youth Peacebuilding in the Global South: A Comparative Study of Trustbuilding Programs in Indonesia and Kenya

This study examines the role of the Trustbuilding Program (TBP) in fostering interfaith dialogue and healing collective trauma among youth in Indonesia and Kenya. The research aims to explore how youth, often viewed merely as victims or perpetrators of radicalization, can become key agents of peacebuilding when provided with safe spaces and creative dialogical methods. A qualitative research design was employed, combining participatory observation and document analysis, including stories of change, program reports, videos, and modules. The first author participated directly in TBP camps in Indonesia, while program managers in Indonesia and Kenya contributed practitioner perspectives. The findings reveal that TBP in both countries emphasizes four pillars: starting with self-transformation, healing historical wounds, engaging in honest conversations, and building diverse teams. In Kenya, the program is implemented through universities and strengthened by religious leaders, while in Indonesia it is carried out through community-based camps that integrate creative tools such as storytelling, board games, and reflective practices. Both approaches enabled youth to articulate inherited traumas, build trust across faith lines, and create inclusive narratives of coexistence. The study contributes to peacebuilding scholarship by foregrounding collective trauma as a central variable in interfaith dialogue and demonstrating the flexibility of TBP methods across different socio-historical contexts in the Global South. Practically, the results suggest that sustainable interfaith dialogue requires not only global frameworks but also local adaptations that address historical grievances, social polarization, and structural inequalities. The originality of this study lies in its comparative perspective on TBP in Indonesia and Kenya, highlighting how trauma-informed dialogue methods enable youth to transform historical wounds into resources for reconciliation and pluralism. Unlike previous studies that focus either on theological values or grassroots activism, this research situates trauma as both a challenge and an opportunity for interfaith peacebuilding.