The Youth Peacemaker Network

Project Summary

Our Youth Peacemaker Network (YPN), launched in the Equatorias region of South Sudan in 2014, empowers youth to serve as mediators, educators, and entrepreneurs.

Youth Peacemakers are recruited from local communities and trained for one year in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, ICT, and business. Over the past 10 years, we have trained 53 Lead Youth Peacemakers, who then have trained 345 peers from their communities, resulting in a total of 398 Youth Peacemakers trained and supported. Once trained, the Peacemakers lead community dialogues, teach conflict resolution in schools, and launch businesses.

In 2024 alone, over 70,000 people participated in peacebuilding activities led by Youth Peacemakers, including 13,759 students trained in schools, 1,171 leaders trained in mediation and conflict resolution, and more than 8,000 community members reached through advocacy campaigns.

Presentation of the Organization

The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) is a non-governmental organization founded in 2012 by artist, social activist, and UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace Forest Whitaker. Committed to fostering peace and resilience in conflict-affected areas, WPDI operates in six countries across three continents, implementing a wide range of programs that empower underprivileged individuals, especially youth and women, to become mediators, educators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.