My Peace: No filters, just truth
First-hand blogs from youth living through crisis and conflict
Peace means different things to different people. But one truth is universal: peace is not something done to or for young people; it must be built with them.
With 50 percent of the world’s population under 30, this generation is the driving force of our future. Yet, many of them - often comprising the majority of those displaced and denied essential services - are living through crisis and conflict. But they are far from bystanders; they are the active peacebuilders, mediators, educators, artists and innovators on the frontlines of peace.
Here are some of their voices.
Building peace also means restoring hope - A young leader in Argentina
For young Scout leader AnahĂ Sol Medina, peacebuilding starts with listening. Read how her community work in Argentina is transforming the lives of vulnerable children by restoring the one thing they need most: hope.
Young people are not waiting for peace - A young leader in Palestine
Peace is more than the absence of violence—it’s about dignity and opportunity. Read how Palestinian Scout leader Ahmed Alsadeq is empowering youth and advocating for young people to be treated as genuine partners in building a lasting peace.
Refusing to let violence become normal - A young leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Refusing to let violence become the norm, young Scout leader Crispin Kulimushi is taking action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read how local, youth-led initiatives are bringing displaced children back to the classroom and building peace from the ground up.
Being a refugee is not a barrier - the resilience of a young sports leader in Uganda
When 19-year-old Congolese refugee Stephane Kulimushi looks around his basketball court in Uganda, he sees more than players. He founded the Refugee Basketball Academy to help youth channel their potential. "We don't just train basketball players, we are building leaders. We are building people motivated to change their lives," he says.
Peace starts with me but will never end with me – notes from an everyday peacebuilder in Rwanda
“Peace starts with me, but it will never end with me,” says Jacques Kwibuka, a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights advocate, and the founder of Informed Future Generations, who has dedicated his life to empowering youth in Rwanda through health education and awareness.
Choosing humanity before headlines – reflections of a young Lebanese storyteller
"Peace is being able to imagine a future without fear interrupting it,” says twenty-three-year-old Lebanese storyteller Joyce Horkos reflecting on living through crisis at home, battling misinformation, and why responsible journalism is an act of humanity.
The war we inherited, the sanctuary we build - the journey of a human rights activist in the United States
“My generation must ensure peace continues in the lives of those who inherit war long after the world has moved on." For many refugee and immigrant communities like Jonathan Lam's, peace is rarely just the absence of war and violence; it is a daily, generational practice of survival that can grow into a movement for change.
When protection reaches the last village—an activist's fight for everyday peace in Nepal
For many in Nepal, peace is not a signed treaty or a political speech; it is a lived condition entangled with caste, class, gender, and geography. For 28-year-old Aishworya Shrestha, a Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, "real peace shows up before tragedy." It's about investing in people and giving voice to those "who live with its absence in ordinary ways, every day."
Carrying the voice of young people to build peace – convictions of a Congolese former child soldier
Former child soldier Muhindo Kamate's journey is an extraordinary testament to courage. After putting down his gun and leaving the armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he refused to let the scars of war define him. Instead, he founded the Association of Ex-combatants for Youth Support to offer thousands of other young people an alternative to the violence.
Climate, conflict and courage - a Yemeni activist's fight for change
For Olla Alsakkaf, the fight for peace and climate justice is deeply personal. Now in its tenth year, the complex crisis in Yemen, fueled by conflict, economic collapse and climate shocks, is what drove the 30-year-old economics student into activism.
Refusing to be erased - a volunteer’s voice from Gaza
"We are not just numbers or headlines. We are people: mothers, fathers, children—trying to survive and protect one another in impossible conditions. The world must see us, hear us, and stand with humanity. Support humanitarian work. Advocate for safe access. And most importantly, don’t let Gaza be forgotten," says twenty-seven-year-old Dr. Tasneem Aboalkomboz serving as UN Volunteer in Gaza.
There is no peace without inner peace — a young leader's mission to put people at the centre of recovery
We talk about rebuilding cities. We talk about economic recovery. We talk about systems and policies. But we do not ask: are people ready, internally, to rebuild their lives?” asks Jin Dawod, the founder of Peace Therapist—a youth-led, refugee-founded mental health and peacebuilding initiative based on a simple but powerful belief: there is no lasting peace without inner peace.
Resilience alone is not enough - A young peacebuilder’s pursuit of sustainable peace in Haiti
Peacebuilder and environmental activist Adelin Pierre calls his home “my beautiful island of Haiti,” where people are warm, enthusiastic, resilient, and passionate about life. Despite the country’s political and socioeconomic crises, what drives his peacebuilding work every day is the strength of his fellow youth leaders and the conviction that real change is possible for all Haitians.