July 5, 2021 – Recently, 11 WPDI Youth Peacemakers located in Mexico’s Chiapas State conducted six conflict resolution workshops in some of the state’s most vulnerable communities. The workshops – which were held over a two-month period – were designed to give children tools and skills in conflict resolution, and they proved very popular, with the Youth Peacemakers ultimately teaching a total of 222 trainees.
As one of Mexico’s poorest and most rural states, Chiapas has long suffered from low-level conflict. Although the situation on the ground is improving in many regards, in order to build a vibrant, long-lasting culture of peace, it is vital to empower youths with conflict resolution skills so that they successfully resolve tensions that may arise in their daily environments. While our cohort of Youth Peacemakers regularly work with children in primary and secondary schools under normal circumstances, the COVID-19 pandemic led them to change their focus and work directly within their communities to provide youths with these tools, which further allows us to help develop the next generation of leaders and peacebuilders – even during a moment of international crisis.
Over an eight-week period, 11 of our well-trained Youth Peacemakers held basic-level conflict resolution workshops in six communities – including Nueva Palestina, Ejido Villa las Rosas, Petalcingo, Yajalón, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, and San Cristóbal de las Casas – throughout the state. Working in coordination with local authorities, they invited local children to participate by publicizing the trainings in schools and other public venues and received an enthusiastic response. Ultimately, 222 children participated in the program and learned how to be active listeners, practice empathy, meditate, and mediate conflicts that they may encounter in their personal lives. As many have been living at home for the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trainings incorporated a special emphasis on family dynamics to help the youths adapt to a new normal.
Both the Youth Peacemakers and the children themselves told us that the trainings were very impactful indeed. Karina, a Youth Peacemaker, noted that “All the children were very open and reflective during the workshops. I was impressed by how they felt confident to share their feelings and what each took away from the trainings. I think they served as a true moment of coexistence and learning.” Sofia, a secondary school student, spoke about how “I discovered I can do many things, that I want to participate, and that I want to help my friends when they feel like they cannot do something. I want to keep finding peaceful solutions to conflicts.”
As Mexico continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, our Youth Peacemakers are hard at work to build peace within their communities. While they will, in the coming months, return to teaching conflict resolution to students in primary and secondary schools, we are impressed – and inspired – by their desire to continue to have an impact in some of Chiapas State’s most vulnerable communities.
