In January, youth workers from across Asia, Africa and Latin America were reunited in Yaoundé (Cameroon), for a training in Inclusion and Dialogue. This training event was the second in our ambitious two-year global project Building Bridges: Youth Work for Peace and Dialogue, which aims to initiate a cross-continental exchange to promote peace education and dialogue through youth work. Building Bridges is generously supported by the European Commission.
Reuniting the youth workers!
In Yaoundé the youth workers, who had already worked together at our Peace Education training in Asuncion (Paraguay), came together to explore the role of youth work in fostering inclusion and combating polarisation in society. The participants also shared their experiences of planning and delivering the local projects, on topics ranging from anti-bullying, and raising awareness on gender-based violence and menstrual sanitation, to human rights activism. Head to our Facebook page to watch our participants explaining their local projects and the impact they had! You can also find more information about the projects on our Instagram.
What did they get up to?
The programme for the week-long training used interactive and non-formal education methods to facilitate a space for the youth workers to reflect on identity, inclusion and exclusion, mediation and dialogue. In the second half of the week, the youth workers were supported in developing input for the ‘MOOC’ (Massive Open Online Course) and planning a concept, timeline and logistics plan for the regional projects. The youth workers had opportunities to give feedback to their peers, so the regional project planning was a truly collaborative process in which our participants were able to apply the knowledge they have gained throughout the whole project.
What’s next?
The youth workers will implement their projects in their regions between February and July 2020. These projects centre around delivering educational activities centered on peace, inclusion and human rights education in their regions. We will be sharing updates about the regional projects across our social media, so keep your eyes peeled!
The next phase of the project is the MOOC where you will have the opportunity to learn about peace education online! We will be sending you updates on how to register for the MOOC via email, and on social media later this year, so make sure you stay tuned.
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