Young people comprise a large proportion of the world population, in conflict regions often forming the majority, thus, they should be treated as partners for peace. GPPAC values highly the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda and recognizes the necessity to work on developing platforms for youth inclusion in peacebuilding processes. The GPPAC project “Cameras in Hands”, funded by UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and led in four regions of Kyrgyzstan, is a perfect example for showing that young people can bring great changes to peace processes, especially if they have the right tools and access to decision-makers.
Children from different social, ethnic and gender backgrounds were trained in the participatory video methodology, brought to Kyrgyzstan by one of its creators, Clive Robertson, and the Organization “Middle East NonViolence and Democracy” (MEND), a GPPAC member from Palestine. According to the project manager in the “Foundation for Tolerance international” (FTI), the implementing partner in Kyrgyzstan, through videos participants “can showcase the social problems in their communities” and convey their messages to policymakers. Youth engagement and participation in dialogue is also one of the key pillars mentioned in the UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on YPS. In the project, cooperation and trust are being built through meetings with local, national and international decision-makers as well as through social media campaigns.
Even before the end of the project, the participants exceed all the expectations and act as agents of change. For example, one of the participants, Melis Azimov, started conducting trainings about tolerance and peace with his friends, which helped to bridge the divides in his community. Some gender stereotypes were eliminated – boys recognized the necessity to cooperate with girls on equal terms and raised the problem of gender-based discrimination in the movie. The case of Kyrgyzstan proves that, if the contributions of young people are supported, they can do a lot for building a peaceful future, even more than expected.
