Evaluation of Child and Youth Participation in Peacebuilding

This report highlights the results of an evaluation of peacebuilding initiatives involving children and youth in three countries: Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Nepal. The objectives of the study are to: explore children and youths' potential as peace builders and their current contribution to peace building, improve existing peacebuilding practices, and build a rigorous evidence base on children and youth participation in peace building (CYPP). The evaluation is a collaborative initiative by the Partnership for Children and Youth in Peacebuilding (which has since been absorbed into the Inter-Agency Working Group on Youth and Peacebuilding),  which is composed of agencies, individuals, institutes, and organisations working collaboratively to support young people's effective participation in peace processes. This Project's Leadership Group consisted of the Peace Action Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR), Save the Children Norway, Search for Common Ground, the United Network of Young Peacebuilders, and World Vision International, and they were supported by two lead evaluators and several children and youth-led organisations and groups in each country.

As stated in the report, the purpose of the evaluation is to:

• “Systematically and rigorously assess the impact and effectiveness of Children and Youth Participation in Peacebuilding - what is working, how and why; and by what criteria.
•  Learn and understand what is being done, and document how young people affected by war and violence have transformed into agents of peace
•  Better understand how to positively impact CYPP; develop a deeper understanding of how CYPP contributes to benefitting younger age groups and society.
•  Identify, make visible and make sense of achievements, gaps, challenges, difficulties and keys to the success of CYPP programs.
•  Identify concrete measures and practical steps to improve the quality of our future work with CYPP, as well as in peacebuilding, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peace processes and peace consolidation.”

The report is organised into 3 parts: Part 1 provides a brief introduction to the present state of child and youth peacebuilding (CYP) globally and, specifically, in Colombia, the DRC, and Nepal. It then introduces the evaluation’s methodology, its application in each country, and what was learned about the evaluation process. Part 2 shares key findings from the evaluation. It introduces the types of CYP initiatives evaluated (such as those that use peace education; or culture, arts, media; or technology, sports or recreation; or those involving young people in governance structures or policies), their impact, factors influencing impact, CYP quality, and overarching findings. Part 3 offers CYP recommendations to different stakeholders, proposes future research, and draws general conclusions.

The report outlines the impact of child and youth participation in peacebuilding initiatives in four key areas: 1) young peacebuilders often became more aware and active citizens for peace; 2) young peacebuilders increased peaceful cohabitation and reduced discrimination; 3) young peacebuilders reduced violence; and 4) young peacebuilders increased support to vulnerable groups.

To summarise some of the findings, the report states that “working as active citizens for peace, children and youth have primarily contributed to peacebuilding in their communities, schools, and families. Significant changes were most frequently reported at the individual level with positive changes in children and youth's attitudes and behaviour, which increased their peacebuilding actions, and improved their relationships. Many children and youth involved in peacebuilding underwent significant personal changes and imbibed the value of non-violence. Girls, boys, female and male youth increased their courage, motivation, and skills to prevent and respond to different forms of violence and discrimination, and became role models for others.” Overall, children and youth have contributed to reduced violence, reduced discrimination, and increased peaceful cohabitation.

The evaluation identified the following eleven key factors which hinder or enable the impact of child and youth peacebuilding efforts, with a strong interplay and dynamic relationship among the factors:

1. Attitudes, motivation, and commitment of children and youth, and their organisations: Good role models, effective communication, teamwork, and the responsibility and commitment of individuals were identified as key success factors.
2. Capacity, knowledge, skills, and experience of children and youth: Through their CYP initiatives, some children and youth in different contexts have gained increased opportunities to access training on child rights/women’s rights, peacebuilding, conflict management, and leadership skills.
3. Family attitudes and support: Parental support for children’s participation in peacebuilding was crucial.
4. Cultural attitudes, beliefs, and practices: Cultural attitudes and traditions concerning gender equality, marriage within tribal groups, and inheritance rights were mentioned as factors affecting peacebuilding efforts in the DRC.
5. Key stakeholders motivation, commitment, and support: In some communities in Colombia, the DRC, and Nepal, children and youth reported a lack of willingness and commitment from the local government authorities and other relevant stakeholders to engage children and youth in peacebuilding.
6. Awareness raising, sensitisation, and campaigns among key stakeholders: Significant awareness raising and sensitisation has been required - both to change attitudes regarding the positive roles that children and youth can play in peacebuilding and to change the attitudes and practices of different stakeholders that contribute to violence and conflict.
7. Culture, theatre, arts, and sports as a means of engaging children and youth: Creative methods are being effectively used to engage and sustain the motivation of children and youth in peacebuilding and to promote awareness and peacebuilding messages.
8. Existence and implementation of government laws, policies, strategies, and provisions: In line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, numerous laws, policies, and directives have been developed to protect people from different forms of violence and discrimination including child marriage, child labour, trafficking, discrimination, etc.
9. Financial and material support given to CYP efforts: Child and youth peacebuilders in the DRC emphasised that financial means allowed them to reach a larger number of participants in peacebuilding, in more numerous and remote places.
10. Income generation support for marginalised groups: In Nepal, evaluation participants reported that efforts to reach and engage marginalised youth and children in their CYP efforts were more successful if their programmes included income generation or skill development opportunities for youth or family members.
11. Conflict, political instability, and insecurity: In the context of Eastern DRC, violence and conflict were identified as an important hindering factor. Implementation of peacebuilding activities created risks for child and youth peacebuilders.

When measuring the quality of child and youth participation in peacebuilding, the evaluation used eight principles which measured the degree to which participation was: transparent and informative; relevant and respectful; promoting diversity and inclusion; sensitive to gender dynamics; supporting of intergenerational partnerships in young people’s communities; accountable (information is fed back to those concerned); and involving young people in all stages of peacebuilding and post-conflict programming. The results varied across countries and across initiatives evaluated within each country, but gave an indication of the strengths and gaps related to child and youth participation in peacebuilding initiatives, and highlighted areas that required attention and improvements.

Based on the findings of the study, the report offers a list of recommendations for different stakeholders: political authorities, agencies supporting peacebuilding or child-/youth-related programming, community members, child and youth peacebuilders, the media, and donors. The following are just a selection which are relevant to the field of media and communication:

Recommendations for Community Members

• Promote peacebuilding, non-violent communication, and gender equality in families, schools, and communities and stop discrimination on the basis of religion, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, and other factors.
• Encourage child and youth participation in school, community-based, local, and higher-level governance mechanisms and establish child- and youth-friendly feedback and complaints systems to more efficiently address their concerns and increase accountability to children and youth.

Recommendations for Child and Youth Peacebuilders

• Engage more female and male children and youth in peacebuilding and participation initiatives, making special efforts to involve: children and youth with disabilities; children and youth who are involved in gangs or political groups; and children and youth from ethnic minorities, the economically poorest families, and/or those who live in remote areas.
• Inform and involve parents, guardians, community and religious leaders in peacebuilding and promote intergenerational dialogue with adults to foster trust-building, mutual understanding, social cohesion, and collaboration.

Recommendations for Media
Media journalists using print, television, radio and social media are encouraged to:

• Disseminate information on CYP efforts to increase awareness and avoid showing violence and using media to fuel conflicts among groups.
• Develop and disseminate more programmes, news, and information for adults and for children about: peacebuilding; gender equality; human rights; good governance; dialogue and nonviolent ways for citizens to resolve conflicts and promote social change.
• Support skills training of children and youth to use different forms of media, including social media, as peacebuilding tools and include “spaces” for child and youth to produce peacebuilding media.