31 August 2010

Monrovia, Liberia: As part of the Liberian Volunteers for Peace Programme (VPP), 16 male and 15 female volunteers were sent to all 15 counties of Liberia. The programme trains volunteers as Peace Ambassadors to work towards its mission of diffusing potential conflicts at the community level.

31 volunteer Peace Ambassadors were recruited from a pool of about 1,000 candidates. They were responsible for identifying and diffusing potential violent conflicts in communities. After an initial one-month training in Monrovia, the volunteers set out in pairs to their respective counties of assignment.

In the first year, the Peace Ambassadors motivated youth in their communities. By recognising themselves as change agents, they were able to actively partake in the initiative and lead various activities; including peace dialogues, campaigns, radio talk shows, and sports activities.

The activities were planned, coordinated, organised and implemented by the national volunteers with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Support’s County Coordinators, Civil Affair Officers from the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY).

The Peace Ambassadors began their activities by paying visits to a number of communities within their counties. The visits to schools and youth groups in communities conveyed peace messages through talks about Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. These discussions attracted more than 6,000 youth participants around the country.

The Peace Ambassadors found that one of the most effective ways to transfer peace building and nonviolent conflict resolution strategies to youth is through the Training of Trainers (ToT), targeting potential youth as leaders in their communities.

The first ToT workshop took place in provincial capitals with some 700 potential youth leaders that the Peace Ambassadors met in the community. The workshop was held for two days and included sessions on conflict resolution and management, gender-related issues, human rights and rule of law, and event organization.

After the workshop, the Peace Ambassadors formed youth peace committees, which included youth participants from the workshops. The committee members conducted conflict analysis in their communities. The analyses showed the conflicting parties, their interests and needs, the root of conflict and its effects. Based on the results, the committee members planned activities enabling youth to realise their role in resolving problems and encouraging unity at the community level.

The first activity conducted by the Peace Ambassadors and the youth leaders was a peace campaign. Some 4,000 participants took part in 60 campaigns launched and implemented throughout the country. The Peace Ambassadors chose targeted campaigns to raise awareness on the problems affecting each community.

The campaigns focused on different topics; including youth involvement in decision making, early marriage, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, environmental education, youth unity, gender equality and volunteerism.

After the success of the original ToT workshops, three additional ones were at the district level, targeting youth where the committees were established. All the committee members participated in the training as facilitators. The Peace Ambassadors’ knowledge on peace building is transferred to youth in communities, as they use the knowledge gained in the first workshop to lead discussions.

These activities allowed the Ambassadors to strengthen their personal organisation and facilitation skills, and to use those skills to train new youth leaders.

“I feel happy and satisfied with what I am doing as Peace Ambassador, and I like working for the young people,” said Sam Juwillie, Peace Ambassador in Nimba county, after completing a two-day ToT workshop in Tappita district.

The ToTs in districts also give youth leaders the opportunity to enhance their coordination skills by working independently with the support of the Ambassadors. A member of the Youth Peace Committee in Weala, Gibi district, Joseph Beyan, successfully led a session on facilitation skills to youth in his community in Margibi county.

“It is really beneficial that the Peace Ambassadors did the ToT in our community, and I am happy that I am contributing to its success,” he said.

The Ambassadors will officially complete their assignment in a few months, but the skills and good spirit will remain with the youth leaders in communities around Liberia.