The programme will give young Anglicans from Africa, Asia and Latin America a chance to look at ways to prevent conflict and build the role of women in peace-building initiatives.

Focussing on the role of conflict as a barrier to development, it will give the young people a chance to share best practice and experiences across the Anglican Communion.

It takes forward the commitment from the Anglican Alliance’s global consultation to put peace and reconciliation at the heart of its work. The programme will be run in conjunction with the Community of the Cross of Nails, established at Coventry Cathedral after its wartime devastation.

The Peacebuilders’ Exchange: Transforming conflict, Changing Lives will be a ten day programme designed to develop the peacebuilding skills of young Anglican leaders. It will explore the challenge of conflict as a barrier to successful pro-poor development and allow participants to share examples of best practice in conflict transformation across the Anglican Communion.

The initiative will allow young people to develop peacebuilding leadership skills and ask them to identify how they can be resourced, sustained and affirmed in their current roles.

Participants will be challenged to consider the influence of the past on understanding conflict in the present, ways of building peace in multicultural and interfaith contexts, and the role of the church in building sustainable peace. They will also examine the role of woman as mediators and sustainers of peace and help take forward plans for an Anglican model of conflict early warning.

For part of the programme, participants will join forces with the Community of the Cross of Nails at Coventry Cathedral, a coalition of faith partners working for peace, justice and reconciliation, who are celebrating their Golden Jubilee, marking the 50th anniversary since the Community was founded to heal the wounds of conflict after World War Two.

A call for participants from Africa will be launched later this week and calls for participants from Asia and Latin America will follow.