In the peacebuilding field, visibility is considered a crucial element for achieving sustainable peace. In order to empower youth workers and create a network of skilled professionals, a project has been developed with the aim of effectively engaging young people in peacebuilding activities and fostering a culture of peace in communities. The ultimate goal of the project was to contribute to the development of a more peaceful and inclusive society by promoting active youth participation in peacebuilding processes. This will not only empower young people to take an active role in creating positive change, but it will also help to create a ripple effect of peace and understanding throughout the community. By investing in the training and development of youth workers, the project is equipping them with the necessary skills and tools to engage with young people in a meaningful and impactful way. By building a network of trained professionals, the project is creating a support system for youth workers to collaborate, share best practices, and learn from each other.
We applied for the project in order to address the fact that traditional education and youth work methods are not attractive to modern young people, especially those with fewer opportunities in post-conflict environments. The project aimed to equip youth professionals with practical tools to support the active participation of young people with fewer opportunities, with a focus on youth inclusion in peace processes and the significance of youth leadership as peacemakers. Additionally, the project aimed to reinforce the international dimension of youth work and the capacities of partners, as well as to promote and invest in youth leadership in peace processes through meaningful partnerships, capacity building, and protection. The motivation for the project was to make youth workers capable of engaging and bringing youth in touch with European youth policy frameworks and resources to support youth policy development and implementation across Europe. Ultimately, the project aims to support youth workers in engaging youth to co-shape youth policies in theory and practice within the framework of the EU's youth strategy and the Council of Europe's Agenda 2020.