“Meet a Jew,” Germany's New Scheme to Convince the Country That Jews Are People

The Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse, or Yiavha, brings together Nigerians from ethnic groups with a history of conflict and violence to help them find common ground through community storytelling. The organization has held more than 60 storytelling sessions in Nigeria’s Plateau state and has trained more than 300 youth to become peace ambassadors tasked with organizing their own storytelling events.

High school junior Ezra Beinart founded an initiative that invites Palestinians to speak with young American Jews via video chat. The goal of the project, which has hosted six speakers so far, is to introduce Jewish teenagers to perspectives on Israel-Palestine that they may not be exposed to within their communities.

The Philos Action League dispatches Christian volunteers to offer support and solidarity to Jewish communities when antisemitic attacks occur. The organization has more than 2,000 volunteers who have responded to 128 incidents since 2021.

The city of Stockton police department has embarked on a number of initiatives in the hopes of building trust between them and the communities they work for. With initial funding from the Department of Justice, the department began truth-and-reconciliation processes, including workshops, departmental reforms, public apologies, and community conversations. Actual reconciliation is hard to measure, and yet their efforts to atone for their part in historic and systemic racism have shown positive results.

Young individuals who have lost loved ones to violence and live in violent areas are likely to perpetuate these trends. 'Becoming a Man' and 'Working on Womanhood' are programs that involve mentorship, behavioral therapy, and other skill development in order to help teenagers find a healthier path.

The Middle East has long been the site of conflict, but 'Jerusalem Double' is trying to ease tensions by having people from all backgrounds come together to play in backgammon tournaments. These tournaments have been very successful in sparking empathy, mentorship, discussion and bringing groups together.

Grassroots organizations are helping Palestinians and Israelis to meet and discuss their experiences with each other, often for the first time. Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian, co-runs one of these groups with two Israeli settlers. He describes their center is a place where “the enemy is transformed into a neighbor,” a process he says must happen before lasting political solutions to the conflict can be reached.

Richmond's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Oakland's Department of Violence Prevention use credible messengers, targeted intervention, and coordinated city infrastructure to interrupt cyclical gun violence. These tactics helped both cities achieve record-low homicides in 2025, with Richmond so successful it may no longer qualify for state violence-reduction grants.

In response to public safety concerns and understaffed police departments, community ambassadors are working to improve public safety by building relationships with local business owners and residents, mitigating conflict without force or violence, providing support to people in crisis and keeping the city clean. Since community ambassadors began patrolling the area, local business owners have reported noticing fewer robberies and crime in general.

After years of war left the city of Mosul without the greenery it had come to be known for, an initiative called Green Mosul organized a volunteer tree-planting campaign that aimed to bring together people of different backgrounds and religions and rebuild community bonds. Through the project, volunteers planted roughly 17,000 trees, and plans are in the works to replicate the effort in other post-conflict cities.