Study Session, Budapest 2008

“Applicability of peacebuilding in youth work”

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders has organized a Study Session “Applicability of peacebuilding in youth work” to discover how to apply peacebuilding theories in different settings. It has been organized in cooperation with Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR) Youth Action for Peace (YAP) and Earth Charter Youth Initiative. It wass supported by the Council of Europe (COE).

The study session has taken place from Sunday 2 till Sunday 9 March, in Budapest at the European Youth Centre of the COE in Budapest.

Dealing with conflict situations and stress, young peacebuilders often do not have the time to reflect upon their highly valuable work. Thinking critically about peace and conflict in the context of youth work however, gives important insights and is crucial to improve our work. Additionally it is useful to exchange experiences with other people who work in the same field, as it illustrates how practices differ and what is effective. In this way, we can explore the applicability in youth work and see how methods, theory and practice can have different effects in different cultures and conflicts. By doing this, we can build on existing theories and practices and each others experiences to improve practices in different settings and contexts. And finally, by promoting cooperation amongst different organisations and networks, will give perspectives for follow-up projects in the future.

Subsequently, the overall aim of the study session was to enhance applicability of Peace Building practices in youth work. The specific objectives were to:

Have a critical reflection on Peace Building;
Exchange experiences in Peace Building and Conflict Transformation among youth;
Explore the applicability of Peace Building in youth work;
Develop Peace Building practices in different settings or contexts;
Integrate different tools and resources into the study session;
Promote the cooperation and networking on organizations and networks working on Peace Building.

For more information on the successful study session, see the newsletter of March 2008. We hope to improve our skills and knowledge and work on peacebuilding together in the future!