December 3, 2021 – Last week, WPDI gathered, at two distinct graduation ceremonies, 496 young people from communities across the Cape Flats neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa. Representing a great stride towards the goals of our flagship program, the Youth Peacemaker Network, the two events featured trainees who had successfully completed WPDI’s Conflict Resolution Education and Business & Entrepreneurship trainings.
As one of South Africa’s most vulnerable communities, Cape Flats has long suffered from a variety of issues ranging from high rates of unemployment to educational disparities, many of which can be traced back to South Africa’s Apartheid era. For decades, the combination of these problems has created a seemingly endless cycle of marginalization and exclusion, which WPDI is seeking to address through empowering young people with the tools and skills they need to positively transform their communities.
These two graduations represented a significant milestone in that regard, as these young people received their diplomas in the presence of officials and local leaders, signalling the importance that the community attached to their potential as drivers of change. The first ceremony, held on November 23 in the presence of former Mayor Dan Plato, who has been a great support to the project from its beginning, celebrated 178 trainees. Under a partnership with the City of Cape Town, these youths completed certified courses in Conflict Resolution Education and Business & Entrepreneurship. The second graduation was held for 318 youths originating from some of the most violent townships in Cape Flats, who have been extensively trained by our cohort of 42 Youth Peacemakers, thanks to our long term partnership with BNP Paribas and the RCS Group. Youths were trained in Conflict Resolution Education and Business & Entrepreneurship, and will now work closely with our Youth Peacemakers to bring about positive change in their communities.
After the two graduations, our partner Kieran Fahy, BNP Paribas South Africa Head of Territory, said “It was such an inspiring week graduating all these young peace ambassadors. What struck me most is the challenges these graduates have overcome in achieving this milestone. I am proud of BNP Paribas’s support for this program and humbled to hear first hand from these graduates as to what the program means for them individually and for their communities in terms of the empowering effect of positive change. A big congratulations to all of today’s graduates and to all involved”.
Sylvester, a Cape Flats youth who just graduated in Conflict Resolution Education and Business and Entrepreneurship, told us after receiving his certificates “I am very proud and honoured to graduate today. It took some hard work and sacrifices, but I really want to say thank you for the opportunity. As an underdeveloped and underprivileged community, we want to say thank you because peace is powerful. Let us unite, stand together, and be the role model for other youths. Let us change the narrative.”
If the enthusiasm expressed at both the graduation ceremonies is any indicator, these youths have embraced their roles as changemakers. Whether they choose to start businesses, mediate conflicts, or pursue further studies with WPDI, we are confident that each will have a positive and transformative impact not only on themselves as individuals, but on their communities.
