P R E S E N T A T I O N

SFCG-DRC YOUTH STRATEGY

Context

Democratic Republic of Congo 65% of the population is under 25. Young citizens grow up surrounded by conflict, often seen as

agitators or victims, The majority young people do not engage in violence,

leading peaceful lives.

Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles on Young People’s Participation in Peacebuilding:

“Young people’s leadership and roles in preventing and resolving conflict, violence and extremism are rich resources essential to achieving sustainable peace. Young men and women are valuable innovators and agents of change, and their contributions should be actively supported, solicited and regarded as essential to building peaceful communities.”

Challenges for Young People

1) Widespread fear and animosity2) Economic and educational difficulties 3) Exclusion from decision-making process4) Marginalization and discrimination against young

women 5) Lack of coordination and collaboration between

youth actors

Challenges

37%

44%

9%

10%

Which statement best reflects the dynamics between youth organisations in Goma?

Youth organizations have common objec-tives and work together to build peace

Youth organizations have common objec-tives but do not work together to build peace

Young people are united, but youth leaders attempt to divide them

Young people are divided and compete against one another to achieve their objec-tives

Unite to Build Peace Baseline Study, Goma 2015.

Opportunities

1) Active in bettering society

2) Creative and visionary 3) Mobilization and

influence 4) Young women 5) The nexus between

governance, business and social work A young man signs agreement resolving an community feud

over school management in their area.

Cultural Activities

THE ISSUE: Youth want to be active

but lack the inspiration

““Young people can contribute to change in society, but they first need to be changed themselves, via outreach that helps them to change their behavior.” Young man active in a youth organization.

OUR SOLUTIONS: Large cultural festivals,

conferences, and projects that bring communities together across their divisions

Women’s Role as Peacebuilders

THE ISSUE: Women are accepted as educators

and mediators, but traditionally discriminated against in leadership roles.

OUR SOLUTIONS: Search develops programs that

give women a voice and empower peer-to-peer role models.

Young women Young men

44%52%

56% 48%

Do you work in a youth orga-nization?

NoYes

““The participation of young women [in youth organizations] is low because many of them underestimate themselves, or are underestimated by men.” Young women active in a youth organization.

Youth-Led Activities

THE ISSUE: Youth do best when they have a

chance to learn from one another and contribute to society.

OUR APPROACH: Youth-led radio programs like

“Great Lakes Generation”, “Duel of the Young Democrats” and “Sisi Watoto”.

““I used to have a great deal of prejudices regarding marriage and ethnicity, believing that I should not marry someone from another tribe, but via Great Lakes Generation and Tosalel’Ango [an SFCG TV program] I have really changed, and now am actually engaged to someone from another tribe. I have become inspired and now write poems about these issues that I share with other youth.”Young radio listener.

Inclusion in Decision-making

THE ISSUE: Young people are

often ignored by society and believed to have little to contribute.

OUR SOLUTION: Engage them in

town-hall forums and conflict management committees.

18-25 years old 25-35 years old 35-55 years old Over 55 years old

81% 77% 72%54%

Percentage of respondents who stated that the work of local committes was "good" or

"very good"

Adults only

Youth only

Youth and adults

26.0%

13.0%

61.0%

What category of people are most involved in the peacebuilding work of the Local Youth Councils?

SFCG’s Principles

SFCG will follow the Guiding Principles adapted to the DRC context in collaboration with local youth actors. OUR COMMITMENT:

To see young people as actors and partners in peacebuilding, and not merely as victims or beneficiaries

To focus on initiatives led by youth To be sensitive to gender dynamics To create sustainable programs for youth involvement in

peacebuilding To innovate, and be a thought-leader

Promoting positive role models

Above we see the transformation of Ruffin, from former child soldier, to child reporter with SFCG, to customs official today. His story inspires other young people to create and be the change they want to see in the world.

Theory of Change and Objectives

If we can shape the role of young people in conflict contexts so that they contribute to peace, then we shape the dynamics of the whole conflict.

OBJECTIVES:• To foster unity and collaboration • To train and enable young people • To develop key youth-led initiatives with measurable peace

dividends • To collect and amplify voices • To identify and evaluate innovative approaches and share results

widely

How to get there

SFCG addresses the challenges listed earlier in 4 ways:1. Developing stand-alone projects to address a specific

youth issue2. Mainstreaming our youth approach throughout our

country program3. Promoting a community of practice4. Capitalize on our media expertise to:• Adapt our programs for young people, who are a key audience• Share youth peacebuilding success stories to inspire young people

Cultural Centres

Baraka Cultural SpaceIn Baraka, South Kivu Province, SFCG supported a cultural space that

resembled a youth drop-in. When youth come together in a space where they

can play, learn and create, magic happens… The Space empowers them to

take matters into their own hands, transcend historic divisions, and teaches

them social skills as well as literacy and computer skills etc.

Step-by-step ProcessWhat When

STEP 1: FRAMEWORK FOR REFLECTION TO COLLECT INFORMATION

Development of draft SFCG youth strategy in consultation with key youth actors

First quarter 2015

Analysis of SFCG youth-related programs First and second quarter 2015

Youth-related peacebuilding research First and second quarter 2015

STEP 2: STRATEGIC REFLECTION SESSIONS WITH YOUTH ACTORS

Finalize youth strategy Second quarter 2015

Reflect on innovations made in the previous phase and brainstorm on future innovations

Final quarter 2015

STEP 3: PROGRAMMING TO BE DEFINED WITH YOUTH ACTORS

Develop and implement specific youth programs, notably cultural centers Second to fourth quarter 2015

Mainstream youth considerations in all SFCG programs First to fourth quarter 2015

Share guidelines and model for uniting youth for peacebuilding in the DRC Third quarter 2015

Bring together peace, government, security, development, and humanitarian actors with youth actors to discuss youth peacebuilding

Third quarter 2015

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Supporting youth-led research• Producing annual and quarterly reports detailing

SFCG’s results in working with youth• Analyzing youth peacebuilding research • Using the results research to shape our future work• Developing a community of practice