Youth Peace Camp 2017

Aims & objectives

The Youth Peace Camp engages young people and youth organisations from conflict affected regions in dialogue and conflict transformation activities based on human rights education and intercultural learning during and after the camp.
Objectives:
- To develop awareness and basic competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of participants in human rights education, conflict transformation, intercultural learning and dialogue, including a critical understanding of personal and collective identities and their role in conflicts
- To enable participants to share personal experiences of conflict and violence and coping strategies in a positive and safe atmosphere of living and learning together
- To introduce and share existing youth work practices and experiences of young people working on dialogue and conflict transformation in their home communities
- To motivate and support participants in their role as multipliers and peer leaders in peace-building activities with young people encouraging them to implement follow-up initiatives
- To present the Council of Europe, in particular its youth sector and its efforts towards strengthening youth work in the field of conflict transformation and intercultural dialogue.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

The 2017 Youth Peace Camp will bring together 70 young people from the following conflict affected communities:
- Kosovo*, participants coming from Albanian, Serbian and other backgrounds
- Ukraine, especially from border regions and from Luhansk and Donetsk
- Cyprus (Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots
- South Caucasus, in particular from border regions and ethnic minorities.
* Reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Training methods used & main activities

Our programme was based on non-formal methods and informal cooperation, such as work in small groups, active listening, interactive presentations and exercises from the Council of Europe manuals Compass, Bookmarks and T-Kits ( "Front Page",
“Derdians and engineers” , etc.).
I used CoE manuals to engage, involve and motivate young people to live, learn and act for Human Rights and Democratic Citizenship.

Outcomes of the activity

We engaged young people from conflict affected regions in dialogue and conflict transformation activities based on human rights education and intercultural learning during the camp and motivated them to realize their peacebuilding initiatives after. Evaluation was based on the analysis of sessions processes among colleagues, data from every day` reflexion groups and final surveys of participants.
https://www.coe.int/web/youth-peace-dialogue/youth-peace-camp-2017

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

Facilitator (junior trainer).
Tasks and responsibilities:
-­ participate in the preparation meetings
-­ the promotion of the activity for potential participants
-­ the selection of the participants and be a contact person for the participants in preparation for the Youth Peace Camp
-­ the preparation of the Youth Peace Camp detailed daily programme, methodology and working methods
-­ running or facilitating or co-­facilitating working groups and workshops, where relevant
-­ running the informal parts of the programme
-­ the evaluation and follow-­up process.

I worked on this training for 8 days as a full time trainer.