The Buddhist group Weaving Peace Together (WPT) is the focus of the project. The purpose of the group is to build a common understanding amongst different tendencies and groupings within the Buddhist community that will lead on to constructive efforts by the group to contribute to conflict transformation in the South. In order to empower the group, strategies and activities are developed jointly by them and the project partners. To further enhance the ownership of, and commitment to WPT group by its members, specific sub-projects proposed by WPT members are managed directly by sub-groups of WPT.

The members of WPT have organized their activities under four working themes:

1. Buddhists’ cohesion for peace,     
2. Buddhist-Muslim relations,
3. Participation in peacebuilding
4. Social Communication and Connection

The key activities under each theme are summarized the following graphic. Details of the activities, and the theories of change underpinning them, are explained below.

1. Buddhists’ cohesion for peace

• WPT meetings for reflection and dialogue
  Buddhists feel threatened and need a safe space to speak out their frustrations and to express different views. Through facilitated deep dialogue in a safe space, in-group cohesion can be strengthened and more constructive views developed that can enable group members to transcend to constructively engage other communities.
• WPT capacity-building workshops
  Capacity-building workshops help to build a positive mindset and skillset for conflict transformation amongst WPT members. This support them to work together more effectively and equip them to engage in joint “problem-solving” activities with counterparts from the Malay Muslim community and the authorities. The capacity-building workshops include Buddhist understandings of conflict dynamics and the psychological dimensions of conflict, self-reflection and developing WPT organizational culture, and dialogue and non-violent communication.
• Field project: “Rebuilding community lives”
  This sub-project, led by WPT members, aims to support the return and regeneration of a Buddhist community to live alongside Muslim neighbors, in order to inspire WPT members’ confidence in the possibilities for peaceful coexistence. The possibility of supporting the return of Buddhists to other villages also be studied by the IHRP researchers.  
• Youth leadership

The workshops aim to equip youth with knowledge about Buddhist concepts applicable to everyday life (self-knowledge and a decent interaction with others) and Leadership to encourage and enhance youth’s participation in social activism and peacebuilding. 

2. Buddhist-Muslim relations

• Field project: “inter-community dialogue at district level”
  Dialogues organized between Buddhists and Muslims in local communities with the aim of developing joint activities in an area of common interest, e.g. health. Through engaging in dialogue and joint activities understanding and trust can be built between Buddhists and Muslims living in the same area.
• Field project: “visit victims of violence”
  Members of WPT visited to Muslim and Buddhist victims of violence. By demonstrating empathy with victims, regardless of their identity, both victims and members of WPT were better appreciated the effect the conflict has on all communities, regardless of identity. This can strengthen interest in cross-community action to transform the conflict.

3. Engagement with the peace process

• Party C sub-project:
  The “Report on Interview Results on Feelings and Demands of Buddhists in the South toward the Peace Dialogue Process” that was presented to Party A (the Government) and Party B (the delegate of the movement). Further exchanges between WPT and Party A and Party B were conducted. This sub-project enhanced political decision-makers aware of Buddhists’ concerns thus reducing their feeling of marginalization.
• Engagement with local CSO working on peace process
  WPT seek to regularly exchange, and where possible, collaborate with local Muslim and Buddhist CSOs that were also working to promote civil society participation in the peace process such as the Peace Resource Collaborative, Council of Civil Society Organizations in the South, the Insider Peacebuilders Platform (IPP, supported by Berghof Foundation). Through these contacts local CSOs were more aware of Buddhist recommendations regarding the peace process and WPT members also were better informed about the peace process and how CSOs are seeking to influence it.

4. Social Communication and Connection
 

• Outreach to Buddhist social and political influencers:
  Formal and informal meetings held with the senior monks of the south and the center, e.g., chief monk section 18 and provincial chiefs to inform them of the purpose and achievements of WPT can persuade senior monks to use their influence to encourage monks and Buddhist lay people to engage in peacebuilding activities. To avoid unnecessary resistance at administrative levels, the support from the religious leaders is crucial to implement Buddhist-Muslim activism.  In addition, by informally engaging and keeping different actors informed, their potential negative influence can be mitigated and positive influence encouraged.
• Outreach to Muslim leaders
  Regular contacts with Muslim leaders in the South will be maintained in order to 1) avoid misperceptions about WPT (e.g. that it aims at dividing Muslims and Buddhists), 2) identify potential for collaboration around common interests, especially in managing cases of a build-up of cross-community tensions.
• Outreach to authorities
  Regular contacts will be maintained with authorities (SBPAC, ISOC, NSC) in order 1) to ensure that the authorities remained supportive of the activities and purpose of the project, 2) WPT members feel that their concerns were being heard and taken seriously by the authorities.
• Outreach to other CSOs working on inter-community cohesion:
  To link up with other local conflict transformation initiatives such as Religions for Peace, Inter-Religious Council of Thailand (supported by Religions for Peace International and IHRP). This activity aimed at providing opportunities for WPT to be acknowledged as a representative of the local Buddhists and also at developing and strengthening the Buddhist-Muslim relation through the civil society activism and platforms.