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YOUTH FOR PEACE

2021-1-TR01-KA152-YOU-0000207492021Mobility of young peoplefinalized
Countries: TR|FR|IT|PL|LT|HU · Grant: €19,703
Prevention of conflicts, post-conflict rehabilitationEuropean identity and valuesDemocracy and inclusive democratic participation

Objectives

Current conflicts which appear and escalate through Europe bring to the raise of hatred in the European communities. Within the last ten years the amount of hot spots have increased and young people are growing up in regions affected by conflicts, enduring the consequences of extreme forms of physical and structural violence. They are often confronted with dramatic life forming experiences, emotions and challenges. Such experiences may strongly influence their views and actions towards their own and other communities. The conflicts in Europe brought to the increase of people fleeing from the homes and searching for places where they will feel safe and protected. However, the differences in cultures bring misunderstanding between newcomers and representatives from hosting communities. The conflicts, which take place in the neighboring states, make other states reinforce their defence as an example is Lithuanian and Poland which affected by the conflict in Ukraine-Russia situation. A similar situation is with the old conflict between Armenia and Turkey, that still has impact on the relations between people in both countries, so the current hate and anger are a consequence of the past. Many young people, despite these circumstances, choose however to engage in constructive initiatives and dialogue instead of becoming themselves the multipliers of hatred and rejection which fuel prejudice and the conflict. Therefore, we wanted to show to young people that there is an alternative way, a way that follows the perspective of peace and how they can be involved in the development of the culture of peace in their communities. It is crucial to support and recognize the role of young people as promoters of peace and peer leaders, to show them their capacities to involve other young people in dialogue, intercultural communication, conflict transformation and peace work projects, so we created a safe space to better understand conflicts and start a process of conflict transformation through learning, living and acting together, and while doing that our objectives were; - To share and to learn from each other as young people who are coming from conflict stricken communities; - To develop awareness and competences of participants in peace education, conflict transformation; intercultural learning and dialogue, including a critical understanding of personal and collective identities and their role in conflicts; - To share among participants their personal experiences of conflict and violence and their coping strategies in a positive and safe atmosphere of living and learning together; - To explore new ways of communication and dialogue through creative and innovative activities; - To learn about young people’s realities in the participating countries; - To motivate and support participants in their role as multipliers and peer leaders in peace building in their local communities.

Project partners (6)