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February 22, 2021\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Last month, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) in Tijuana held its first Community Dialogue of the year. Focusing on \u201cHuman Rights and Their Contribution to Peace,\u201d the virtual event brought together 40 participants and special guest Miguel Mora, the Director of Baja California\u2019s Human Rights Commission.<\/p>\n Community Dialogues are a key aspect of WPDI\u2019s peacebuilding activities, especially in conflict affected and otherwise vulnerable communities like Tijuana, because they create a safe space to address complex issues, such as youth empowerment, gender equality, and human rights. Based our youth-empowerment approach, WPDI gives its Youth Peacemakers leading roles for organizing and facilitating Community Dialogues. It is our tenet that young people can be transformative changemakers\u00a0if\u00a0<\/em>they are given the tools and responsibilities to do so. In this light, preparing them to conduct dialogues is integral to their one-year training with us. Additionally, as community members themselves with knowledge of local realities, the youths are often best positioned to gain the trust of others and help their fellow citizens find common ground in addressing their problems.<\/p>\n While these events normally take place in person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted our Community Dialogues to take place virtually, as many issues they seek to address have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Last month\u2019s dialogue \u2013 focusing on human rights \u2013 was especially prescient, as Tijuana and Baja California have seen increases in cases of domestic violence and other concerning issues.<\/p>\n
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