Tolerance for Dummies

2.3.2.2 (What’s this number?)

One of the key terms of my PhD research is ’social integration’. In the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, the United Nations listed 3 agenda headings as a priority for action, one of which was ‘enhancing social integration’ – alongside ‘decreasing poverty’ and ‘reducing unemployment’.

The United Nations defines social integration in relation to 2 approaches:

1) Social integration as an inclusionary goal: for greater justice and equality of life particularly targeted towards minority groups and deprived communities

2) Social integration as heightened solidarity and mutual identification: for promoting tolerance and harmonious interaction at all levels of society to decrease the likelihood of violence

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to meet Elie Awad, the founder of Lebanese NGO Youth for Tolerance. This NGO is concerned with both approaches to social integration. Their statement reads:

“We at Youth for Tolerance, or Y4T in short, work to promote a culture of tolerance that will result in respect, acceptance and appreciation of religious and political diversity in Lebanon, as well as in a better inclusion of all socially marginalized groups.”

Youth for Tolerance, as their name suggests, focus on the stage of tolerance. They break down the social integration process into small steps:

1) Noticing differences

2) Finding differences amusing

3) Finding differences enriching

4) Seeing beyond differences

One of their many interventions to achieve this is a small simple booklet: ‘Tolerance for Dummies’, a guide for young Lebanese to achieve tolerance.

Although it is rigorous and highly grounded in conflict management theories, it is written in an easily accessible, engaging and entertaining voice. It contains tips, anecdotes, warnings, fun exercises and lots of humour for ‘achieving tolerance nirvana’ as the subtitle states. To make the reader’s experience even more interesting, it asks him/her to flip the book over if they disagree with any of the tolerance statements. What’s on the back? ‘Civil War for Dummies’! So the second half of the book is a detailed simple process, again with lots of humour and interactivity, couterarguing tolerance and explaining how simple anti-tolerant steps can quickly instigate the other extreme: A civil war.

Front and back covers

I highly recommend reading this booklet. It demonstrates how the typical everyday behaviour of every single young Lebanese can inflict a snowballing effect on Lebanese integration or segregation. ‘The whole is the sum of the parts’.

If you would like a PDF copy of the booklet please leave your email address in the comments, or get in touch with Elie Awad at info@youthfortolerance.org.