April 17, 2023 – WPDI’s Youth Peacemaker Network program is the backbone of our global mandate to create lasting peace between and within communities through individual empowerment. The domino effect we aim to spark means turning young people into proactive citizens who can foster long-term social cohesion and stability in areas that have long suffered from internal violence. Through WPDI’s Conflict Resolution Education programs, we provide committed young activists with the tools they need to effectively spread a message of peace and harmony within their communities, helping to resolve local conflicts without turning to violence, and guide community leaders through a process of positive transformation.
As we seek to leave no stone unturned, we have made it central in our peacebuilding strategy to deliver peace education programs in primary and secondary schools, where future citizens can be prepared for their responsibilities as peacebuilders. In the Karamoja Sub-Region of Uganda, for example, WPDI ran, from October to December, 2022, a Conflict Resolution Education program for 662 students from 11 primary and secondary schools. The regular training sessions were aimed at inspiring the young learners with strong habits and at helping them to understand the values and attitudes that must be cultivated at the grassroots in order to attain lasting, sustainable peace in their communities.
A graduation ceremony was held in February 2023 in recognition of the success of the program and the progress achieved by all participants. “I am grateful to WPDI for giving us an opportunity to learn about Conflict Resolution Education. I have learnt that it is good to avoid fighting with friends, because you can hurt them,” said Amuge Evaline, 14, from Lia primary school, Katikakile Sub-County, Moroto district.
WPDI has been running a wider CRE program in Uganda and further afield since 2015, with another graduation ceremony recently taking place for 90 students in the Acholi Sub-Region. In 2022, we reached over 10,000 students across 82 schools in the country.
In 2023, our Conflict Resolution Education initiatives will remain a pillar of our action to foster lasting peace through pedagogical action. Thanks to the support of our international and local partners, the implementation of concrete measures with quantifiable results* have continued to demonstrate how education can provide unique opportunities for promoting a culture of peace conducive both to tangible results in the present and long-term impact that can help marginalized communities achieve peaceful futures.
*Read our annual report here.
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