Create 4,000 UK Young Leaders from Deprived Areas

Over the last three years, thanks to support from the Erasmus+ programme through the European Union, PeaceJam has expanded its programming across Europe, strengthening the ideals of peace, non-violence, inclusion and cohesion. As part of the project, an online Pan-European conference was organised for the first time, by the European Youth Team with support from PeaceJam: Belgium, Greece, Romania, Luxembourg, Netherlands and UK. 

The online conference themed ‘Youth Take Action for an Inclusive Europe’ was attended by two hundred young people from across Europe, sixty of which were from the UK. Participants attended predominantly youth-led Q&A sessions, panel discussions, interactive workshops and small group discussions, focusing on education, environment, equality, health and migration. Young people also spent time brainstorming ideas to advance inclusion and promote peace in Europe. These ideas will be presented to MEP’s as part of the project’s final report. 

In addition to learning from Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams, young people heard from other inspirational changemakers including: International Children’s Peace Prize winner Sadat Rahman, The Rt Hon Stuart Lawrence, Dr Mya-Rose Craig and prominent youth activists from across Europe. Below are some highlights from the conference.

“When I know I’m doing the best I can with other people who care about the same issue, I feel stronger. Complaining with our friends is not a strategy for change. Strategy for change is based on action” Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams

"I believe a superhero lives in all of us! Speak up and change the world, just try! I didn't know 6 months, 3 months, 1 month ago that I would be at the Hague and receive the Peace Prize from Malala. You are the change!" International Children’s Peace Prize Winner Sadat Rahman

“Any little thing you can do matters. Going out, making your voice heard, attending protests and signing petitions are all important.” Dr Mya-Rose Craig, environmental activist

“I'm making changes that reflect the intersectional world we live in.” Natasha Chilambo, member of Student Action for Refugees

Reflecting on the impact the conference had on her young people, a Secondary School teacher from Bolton said, “Thank you so much for organising a wonderful conference. It was so good for the students to come together and take part in something fun, that could restore some normality in such a difficult and turbulent year. 

They were thrilled that some of their questions were answered by the Children's Peace Prize winner and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams. All the students felt inspired, uplifted and went home smiling. One of my students who can be difficult to engage even said, 'This was better than playing my xbox!’”

We really appreciate your support over the last year, particularly given the challenging circumstances and the impact this had on everyone. Without donors like you, we would not have been able to support young people from low-income backgrounds access the online Pan-European conference. Thank you so much for supporting PeaceJam UK’s project to create more young leaders, we look forward to sharing more updates with you next year. 

Links:

• PeaceJam for an Inclusive Europe Project Website
• PeaceJam Pan-EU Conference Welcome Video

PeaceJam UK recognise that many of the issues that young people experienced before Covid-19 have amplified. Over the last few months PeaceJam UK have been adapting the way we work in order to respond to the needs of young people in an appropriate and accessible way. To better understand how we could help, we consulted our Youth Leadership Team and learnt that young people are experiencing anxieties around their futures, the loss of structure, social contact and connection. 

The direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic and death of George Floyd has had a big impact on communities in the UK. In response, we created an online community and safe space to build resilience and help young people process their thoughts on some of the issues that have emerged in their lives, their communities and across the world. 

We also provided PeaceJam’s Compassion in Action curriculum and online training for free, to equip teachers, youth group leaders and social workers with the skills and resources needed, to help navigate these difficult issues. To date, thirty schools and youth groups have received PeaceJam’s curriculum and online training for free, and we will continue to provide this for the foreseeable future. 

Our Youth Leadership Team are in the process of devising a new fun initiative to support and engage young people during this time, particularly those that do not have access to a device or the internet. We have been really impressed with how our young people are pulling together during this time and serving their community. 

Without the invaluable support of our donors, we would not have been able to support young people and communities during this challenging time. Thank you so much for supporting PeaceJam UK’s project to create more young leaders. We look forward to sharing more updates with you about our pioneering activities to inspire, empower and transform young people.