By Sara Belhay | PeaceJam UK Project Manager
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.
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