The Youth Cafe is part of UNOY Peacebuilders, a network shaping the global agenda for youth, peace and security in partnership with 93 locally grounded organisations. We have members in over 50 countries! We create a safe space for dialogue and enhance members’ ability to transform confict. United around the vision of a world free from violence, our far reaching network empowers and enables young peacebuilders to keep pushing for, and cultivating, peace in their communities. Basically, we are like a big family of youth-led organisations who believe that young people play a crucial role in promoting peace and preventing violence. We also contributed greatly in the advocacy for the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (UNSCR 2250) on Youth, Peace and Security, becoming the youth-led peace network now championing the implementation of this resolution.
PROCESS BEHIND THIS TOOLKIT
This toolkit is the result of a direct request from young peacebuilders in UNOY Peacebuilders’ network who wanted to have access to trainings resources, with very concrete examples of programmes and methods, particularly from areas where opportunities to participate in on-site trainings on confict transformation & peacebuilding are rather limited.
Based on solid experience in designing and delivering trainings on those topics, UNOY peacebuilders, together with the main author, conducted an online questionnaire and collected recommendations, suggestions, lessons learned and best practices from 75 respondents, both individual experts and trainers in the feld of youth and peace, as well of youth driven peacebuilding organisations.
This toolkit has therefore been developed based on the responses gathered that primarily requested a “youth friendly toolkit”, which is “comprehensive” and “easy to use” and “with focus on both methodologies and content”.
In addition, this toolkit has been piloted and reviewed with participants in UNOY Peacebuilders’ events and activities, such as the Training of Trainers on Transforming Narratives (from June to August 2018), UNOY Peacebuilders Forum (September 2018) and UNOY Peacebuilders member organisations and other youth-led organisations in Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, France, India, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Turkey, along with feedback and several reviews from experts, ensuring diversity of contexts and culturally sensitive approaches.