Are you between 18 and 25 years old? Are you a citizen of a South Caucasus and Central Asia (SCCA) country, and/or do you currently live in this region? Are you interested in participating in an intercultural learning experience with other young people from SCCA region and improving your actions to promote peace? Are you part of a youth-led organization, network or initiative? Do you want to increase your ability to contribute to peace and social inclusion in your community, country, and region? Are you in the beginning stages of your involvement in this type of work and want to learn more? If yes, apply now for a chance to be selected for a fully funded participation in the 8th edition of the UNAOC Young Peacebuilders programme, taking place in the SCCA region (2024-2025).
The 8th edition of the Young Peacebuilders programme in South Caucasus and Central Asia (SCCA) 2024-2025 is designed to strengthen the skills of young people from the region in tackling stereotypes, prejudice, and xenophobia while providing them with access to regional and global peacebuilding networks and raising visibility of their innovative and effective peace work. The long-term goal is the integration of young peacebuilders in governmental peace processes/policies.
This 8th edition will be implemented in the framework of Peace4Culture Global Call, an initiative launched by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan in partnership with UNAOC.
The aim is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies, tackling the drivers of violent extremism.
Programme Components
Part 1: online phase (3-4 months). Participants access the course through an online collaborative platform provided by UNAOC. UNAOC and other trainers facilitate the modules, allowing participants to get to know each other before their first in-person meeting. They start getting exposed to tools and concepts, engage in discussion, and begin reflecting on their future peace actions. Time commitment: 4 to 5 hours per week to complete the modules (some work can be completed offline).
Part 2: face-to-face workshop (+/- 7-8 days). All participants travel to complete the training and experience how peacebuilding is successfully implemented through a local field visit. They work on the development of their action plan.
Part 3: applied learning (+/- 3 months). Implementation of a personal peace initiative: participants are guided by UNAOC’s professional trainers and stay connected with other participants while reporting on the implementation of their projects.
Part 4: results sharing symposium (2-4 days). Participants are invited to travel and participate in a symposium where they share their experiences, lessons learned, achievements, and recommendations with a broader audience of practitioners, policymakers, media, and the general public. In addition, they engage with this audience on topics related to intercultural dialogue, peace, and security.
During the programme, 20 selected participants will:
Learn about stereotypes and how to critically analyze them to reduce their prevalence;
Understand different perspectives in identity-based conflict and gain tools to develop solutions at local, national, and regional levels and transform conflicts peacefully;
Identify push and pull factors creating conditions conducive to violent extremism;
Develop competencies to use different forms of media or expressive arts as a way to create alternative narratives, reduce polarization and promote social inclusion;
Learn how to successfully design and run your project.
All selected youth participants will be provided with:
Round-trip travel (international or domestic flight, economy class) to the city of the face-to-face workshop and to the city of the symposium;
Accommodation in the city of the face-to-face workshop and the symposium
Meals and coffee breaks during the official duration of the workshop and the symposium
Shuttles or reimbursement of transportation to/from the airport and hotel in the city of the face-to-face workshop and in the city of the symposium.
Eligibility Criteria
Age: Be 18-25 years of age for the total duration of the project. To be considered eligible, applicants must be born between September 1999 and September 2006.
Region: Be a citizen of and live in one of the following SCCA region countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Organization: Be active (staff, volunteer, etc.) in a non-government and non-for-profit youth-led organization, network, initiative or movement (led by youth for the benefit of youth) and have the ability to consult with and reach a wider group of young people, audience or network, including at the grassroots and community level.
Commitment: Demonstrate commitment to diversity and pluralism, nonviolence, and peaceful and inclusive societies.
Language: Command of English is sufficient to participate in the online phase and in-person workshop. The applicant understands English very well; possesses intermediate to fluent levels of English, which allow her/him to participate in the conversation and provide input.
Prior experience: The applicant has never taken part in a programme of UNAOC (Summer School, Youth Solidarity Fund, Intercultural Innovation Hub, PLURAL+, PeaceApp, Youth Event at the UNAOC Global Forum, Fellowship Program, Young Peacebuilders, #YouthWagingPeace, Sport and PVE youth fora, EDIN, #DigitalGamesforPeace, Sport for One Humanity).
Passport: In order to be accepted in this programme, selected applicants must hold an international passport valid until at least December 2025. Failure to provide a copy in due time will result in cancellation of participation.
The application is duly completed, submitted by the deadline and contains all supporting documentation, requested as part of the call. Half-complete applications or applications filled in other languages than English will not be reviewed and considered.
