August 29, 2023 – Leveraging the power of youths as proactive agents of change has always been an essential part of our approach to peacebuilding at WPDI. Our CEO and founder Forest Whitaker stressed it in his blog published on International Youth Day, recounting how meeting former child soldiers in Uganda changed his understanding of the human condition: “These youths possessed the seeds for long-term resilience and transformation, but their quest still required access to skills, to guidance, and to resources. And even more importantly, they wanted my trust – both in their vision and in their capacity to enact it. They wanted to be acknowledged for the positive lasting changes they can bring about in their present – not in their future old age – but today, when they are young and boast dreams that seem impossible to many adults.” The power Forest saw in youth has driven how we approach peacebuilding in regions of conflict where we operate.
On International Youth Day, our team in South Sudan championed this vision through an advocacy campaign involving 350 students and government officials in Yei River County. The objective of the event, organized in partnership with the Education Above All Foundation, was to disseminate values, attitudes and behaviors of peaceful coexistence in a country torn apart by civil war, continued insecurity and economic hardship. The idea was also to tap into the main theme of the day as promoted by the United Nations, “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World”, or the role of youths in the ecological transition and the fight against climate change. In this light, the event featured special focus on “making Yei green” and promoting a tree planting campaign.
The event was animated by peace songs, peace messages, essay writing, drawings, dances, games and debates. Children and youths from our school-based programs also planted trees and our young leaders participated in local radio talk shows reaching over 10,000 people to advocate for environmental protection in keeping with the theme of the day. The County Education Director called on the young people to embrace peaceful coexistence and work together towards sustainable development: “Learners in schools are the ones to positively transform the world to be a peaceful and prosperous place for all. I encourage you to plant more trees to keep our schools and homes green and beautiful,” he said.
Striving to unlock the power of youths is not easy in areas fraught with violence and insecurity, but it is essential for building sustainable peace today and in the future. In this spirit, advocacy campaigns demonstrate that, if young women and men are the ones who take the lead in transforming their communities for the better in the future, nothing can prepare them better than changing the world today.
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