March 16, 2016
The Youth Peacemaker Network (YPN)—WPDI’s flagship program—is designed to foster widespread engagement and participation in the communities where it operates and to facilitate grassroots change from the bottom up. The YPN functions as an ever-expanding network, where the high-level leaders trained directly by WPDI are constantly recruiting new members in their communities to join the YPN.
A few months ago, the YPN in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State took an important step forward when its 18 high-level trainers of trainers (ToTs) enlisted 156 youth—two from every payam (an administrative division below the county) in Eastern Equatoria—to join the YPN.
In February, with the support of WPDI staff in South Sudan, the ToTs led a series of ten five-day trainings—attended by all of the payam youth—that introduced these new members of the YPN to important concepts in transformative peacebuilding, conflict mediation, diversity, human rights and gender equality, and life skills. Over the course of this year, the ToTs will work closely with the payam youth to continue to develop their abilities as community leaders and peace advocates.
In addition, in the coming months, the payam youth and the ToTs will spearhead community-building projects in their neighborhoods and villages that will engage hundreds of additional young women and men in the peacemaking process. These projects will be complemented by youth-led small businesses, which will provide financial support for the peacemakers’ work and bring productive work and employment opportunities to many under-employed and vulnerable young people.
Existing community leaders and organizations throughout Eastern Equatoria have been very receptive to the youth peacemakers’ efforts through the YPN and are important participants in this process. In all 10 counties and administrative divisions of the state, the youth peacemakers are supported by an advisory council, a group of mentors comprised of prominent local figures such as government officials, professors, clergy, and civil-society leaders. Almost 50 members of the various advisory councils throughout the state took part in the recent trainings. These community leaders shared some of their knowledge and important perspectives with the payam youth and also themselves benefitted from many of the sessions conducted by the ToTs.
The next series of trainings in Eastern Equatoria are scheduled for April and May.