July 24, 2023 – WPDI’s Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) program is at the heart of our global strategy to foster peace through the empowerment of individuals. This is why our Youth Peacemaker Network is so important. Leveraging the knowledge and know-how of local actors with a deep understanding of the nuances and particularities of local issues in the name of peacebuilding has proven to be a successful approach. Young people are far more likely to absorb information on new attitudes and behaviors if the information is relayed by peers and familiar faces.
In the jungle zone of Chiapas state, Mexico, social instability is exacerbated by economic frugality and the continued threat of gang violence. Young people have grown up in communities plagued by violence and insecurity, as cartels often run riot, bringing deep sorrow to communities located far from state security structures.
This is why WPDI has deemed it so important to run a CRE program in these marginalized communities. “Talking about peace in the jungle area is very difficult, because conflicts are very frequent in the communities. But starting to talk about peace with young people and children, which WPDI promotes, helps to somehow start to become aware of how we act and with small actions we begin to transform conflicts. This program allows us to have more allies to continue sharing in more spaces and places,” explains Dany, one local WPDI Youth Peacemaker.
We ran such a program for the three months up to June 2023 for 314 students from 4 schools across 3 municipalities of the Chiapas jungle zone. The training sessions were fronted by WPDI-trained Youth Peacemakers, committed to sharing their experiences, knowledge and tools that can help lead to peace and harmony in their communities. The direct collaboration between these peacebuilders and young people in the local communities is a direct way to tackle conflict resolutions and the rejection of violence as a means of settling disputes.
Teachers and students alike are able to learn about approaches to peacebuilding in the framework of the program. One teacher, Ismael Lopez, underlined the real social issues and threat of violence that young people are forced to deal with on a daily basis: “In high school, there are many people who are in organized groups that generate violence, those who shoot guns, burn cars and cause fear, because if you are alone, it is not safe. Sometimes, they even force you to join a group like that. If we could all learn that resolving conflicts is possible to avoid violence, another reality would be possible. What I have learned today helps me a lot to be able to think if it is good or not what is in fashion, to feel power feels good, but it is better to feel with a clear conscience.”
We are lucky and proud to have such a committed team of Youth Peacemakers on the ground, able to reach these communities who otherwise would not have had access to such transformative training programs. “These workshops help people change many aspects of their lives and to value themselves as people, which is fundamental to our human existence. Being personally well, at peace with oneself, means we are open to sharing our experiences and that is how we begin to achieve a learning community cohesion, and where we begin to build peace. I am sure that continuing with these workshops will be very good for changing our society,” said Dany.
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