Photo credit: Ramon Sanchez Orense/Saferworld

Supporting young people

In many fragile and conflict-affected places, young people make up a huge proportion of the population. These young people have enormous potential to build peace in their communities but they are often denied the opportunity. Instead, they are frequently stigmatised, seen as agitators of conflict, excluded from political processes, and not given a say in decisions that affect their lives.

Our work

In the countries where we work, Saferworld supports young people in leading the charge to create safer communities. Young people’s efforts to promote understanding, tolerance and peace – often in areas that are hard to reach – are vital, and their work demonstrates adaptability, pragmatism and creativity. They are laying the groundwork for peacebuilding, and they are contributing to the social fabric of their communities.

Saferworld works closely with youth groups and organisations, supporting them to research, design and deliver projects that keep them and their communities safer, create more equal opportunities and help tackle injustice. We also encourage and push for young people’s input in influencing the actions of government and local authorities. Our support takes different forms – such as bringing people together to discuss the issues that affect them, training young people on conflict and gender sensitivity, providing micro-grants for peacebuilding initiatives, and bringing young people’s voices and perspectives to the international arena.