Youth Peace Initiative

What is Youth Peace Initiative Peace organisation

On this page…

- YPI: An Overview
- Background to the Project
- Okay, but what can YPI actually DO for me??
- For Teachers & Youth Workers
- YPI Partners & Sponsors


YPI - An Overview

Formerly the ‘Schools Peace Initiative’, the Youth Peace Initiative was borne out of the need to engage young people in the process of peace with justice. The project has always targeted high school and early tertiary-aged youth, however in 2009 the name was changed to ‘Youth Peace Initiative’ (or YPI) at the recommendation of young people already involved in the project and in order to be inclusive of out-of-school youth.

In keeping with its mission to recognise and encourage expertise in the promotion of peace with justice, the Sydney Peace Foundation established YPI as a means both to encourage and also to learn from the voices of Australian youth that speak out on issues relating to peace and social justice. Thus, as a youth-centred, community development project, the primary goal of YPI goes beyond the promotion of critical literacy around peace with justice and nonviolence among youth. The goal is also to bring the experiences and insights of young people to bear on shaping the nature of that literacy.


Background

For a number of years the Schools Peace Initiative existed as an informal project supporting the activities of a limited few high school student groups and sustained by the hard work of volunteers from the Sydney Peace Foundation and Sydney University’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. An annual highlight was always the third day of the Sydney Peace Prize events when students from public, private, and Catholic high schools from around Sydney attended a special audience with the Sydney Peace Prize winner.

In 2008 the Sydney Peace Foundation received a generous grant from an international corporate sponsor - Nakheel PJSC - to further develop its youth engagement strategy. In planning the establishment of the Youth Peace Initiative, the Sydney Peace Foundation recognised:

  • The increasingly critical importance of investing in both peace education and youth leadership;
  • The need for a consultative approach that is inclusive of both school and non-school based youth groups;
  • The need for a collaborative approach that unites young people across potential divisions of class, race, and culture.

Funding from Nakheel, other corporate sponsors, and the annual Foundation appeal is now used for the ongoing development of the YPI website and online Youth Peace Projects Gallery, for staging regular youth forums and annual events, and to employ a full-time project coordinator.


Okay…But what can YPI actually do for me??

Whether you are an individual, a youth club, a gang of mates, or a student committee, YPI provides a variety of forms of support and assistance to those who are either already involved in peace and justice-related activities or who are interested in getting involved. Submit a project to the online Youth Peace Projects Gallery, or simply register as a member of the YPI website and have your say on the Peace Wall, and you could be chosen to receive the Sydney Peace Foundation’s Young Peacemaker’s Award. Recipients of this award are also invited to a private meeting with the winner of the Sydney Peace Prize for that year.

As a YPI member you also gain access to:

  • A platform for promoting your own project(s) & related events - with your own webpage & url within the site as well as opportunities to contribute to regular newsletters;
  • Individualised support & guidance in developing your existing project or project idea;
  • Possible media coverage;
  • An online forum for sharing ideas for projects & activities through a growing network of young people involved in social justice & peace promotion;
  • Opportunities to participate in, as well as helping to decide on the topics and content for regular offline/online youth peace forums & video conferences;
  • Regular updates on peace and justice related events and activities around NSW, Australia, & the world.


For Teachers & Youth Workers…

If you are a teacher or a youth worker who’s looking to introduce some peace education processes & practices to your classroom or youth space, YPI can help you to find and use relevant resources and/or assist in organising a youth-centred event. For more information, check out the PEACE EDUCATION RESOURCES page, or CONTACT US.


YPI Partners & Sponsors

The Youth Peace Initiative is a project of:

YPI is made possible by the generous sponsorship of:
nakheel-logo

…And the in-kind support of:

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? FEEDBACK?

Please feel free to CONTACT US for more information on YPI, or if you have any thoughts or ideas from bringing YPI to your school or community.