Community
Empowering Young People
Our Mission Statement: Empowering young people, translates as Responsibilitisation des Jeunes in French. The idea of giving young people responsibility remains alien to many communities: elders and parents, rightly, don’t want their precious children to worry their little heads about serious global issues like climate change or nuclear war. But, as Greta Thunberg’s School Strike 4 Climate showed, young people do find out about these issues – and can fall victim to misinformation, unrealistic aspirations or, worst, depression.
Empowering the young people in your community to take responsibility for leading discussions on these serious issues can be deeply enriching and inspirational for all – young and old. Start with something simple – like the Intergenerational Conversation Café – which can be organised by anyone from a school to a scout troop to a community choir. The Community Choir could also organise a simple performance of the Platform version of the UN Centenary Peace Child – with environmental groups and/or UN Associations providing ideas and information for the narration sections.
Communities can also benefit from organising a Model Citizens’ Assembly or a Youth Sustainability Action Forum – events that can be led and hosted by the youth in your community, but also involve the wisdom and problem-solving experience of elders. They can also mentor and empower the young leaders to rise to the challenge of leadership of such activities, holding their hands and offering support which they will inevitably need.
In the early days of Peace Child, in the USA, we had about 50 Chapters – which sprang up, unprompted, in communities in many different states. They were led by committed peace-makers and parents who had watched the impact of a “Peace Child Experience” on their children. These Chapters had choirs that sang in Shopping Malls, at Town Hall Meetings and Faith Community events and parties. Dressed in simple Peace Child T-shirts, their singing injected a shot of positivity and uplift into traditional events – giving the struggle to end violence a powerful new appeal.
Community performances of the Peace Child show by local Drama groups are rare as their members are generally older. But any community organisation intent on recruiting young members, drama group, faith community or any other, would be well-advised to attempt a production of a Peace Child musical. Youth almost always have fun doing it!