Great Lakes Youth Network for Dialogue and Peace. Our Diversity – our Opportunity! Has been started on the 1st of February 2021 and is running until January 2024. The project is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German political foundation Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Together with it’s five partners Pole Institute (DRC), Vision Jeunesse Nouvelle (Rwanda) Cornerstone Development Africa & Leo Africa Institute (Uganda), and Actions for Democracy and Local Governance (Tanzania) the project is implemented in the four countries in the Great Lakes Region, specifically, focuses on the following cross-border regions and provinces:

The project aims to strengthen groups and initiatives of young people who engage in multiple sectors that contribute to peace, gender equality, environment (including natural resources) and climate change, political representation, democracy and good governance, land and heritage, employment and economic stability, media, education, culture, and religion and forced migration.

The project focuses on the positive role that youth play as an actor in peacebuilding (which, among others, is recognized by national governments, the United Nations, the EU, and the African Union) and the observation that the youth suffer from the many challenges that limit their roles. This project seeks to build into the momentum through dialogue and exchanges opportunities for youth organisations and other key actors. It is to be a crossroads between youth groups and local, national and international stakeholders in politics, the private sector, civil society, NGOs, academia and the media.

The obstacles are internal and external, a lack of internal organizational capacity and a lack of external contacts and connections to make their work known and their voice heard.

Thus the project offers a broad spectrum of activities for the target group of 100 youth groups and initiatives in the four countries. The main components are:

Capacity Building: Internal capacities of Youth Initiatives on organisational development, media, communication, visibility and the use of new technology, advocacy and policy dialogue, seminar techniques; conflict management; public speaking, debating and critical thinking; gender equality. Knowledge will be multiplied by trained trainers.

Foster exchange between youth initiatives: The targeted Youth Initiatives form a regional network that allows regular exchange with their peers on relevant topics such as climate change, political representation, democracy and good governance, land and inheritance, economic stability and employment, media, education, culture and religion and forced migration.

Sub-grant component: By jointly implementing sub-granted projects, the selected grantees have learned to work together across borders and to jointly advocate for their interests to strengthen their impact.

Engagement with other actors: Youth Initiatives and relevant stakeholder have improved their contacts. This allows all actors to rely on new partners for further activities. Youth policies and other important development frameworks become more youth-inclusive.

The project has it’s hub in Goma, DRC, from where the project activities are coordinated. The 15 team members in the DRC and at the partner venues taking care about the project implementation.

If you want to learn more about the project and it’s activities, please visit us under www.greatlakesyouth@africa or write us an email under [email protected].