Promoting Peace
Empowering Young People to Build Lasting Peace
The Peacebuilding Department of the Association for Community Awareness (ASCOA) works to empower young people to become active participants in building lasting peace and reducing conflict in the communities we serve.
In line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), the department promotes peaceful coexistence, nonviolence, participatory decision-making, problem-solving, and negotiation skills. Through peace education and community engagement, ASCOA seeks to equip young people with the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills needed to address disagreements constructively and lead peacebuilding efforts within their schools and communities.
We believe that young people are not merely beneficiaries of peace initiatives; they are essential partners in preventing conflict, strengthening relationships, and building more peaceful and resilient communities.
Our Objectives
The Peacebuilding Department pursues the following objectives:
Promote youth participation: Involve young people in sustainable peacebuilding projects in schools and communities.
Raise peace awareness: Organize peace-awareness campaigns, conferences, workshops, and related activities that promote tolerance, nonviolence, and peaceful coexistence.
Support conflict-affected populations: Assist internally displaced persons in communities affected by conflict and crisis.
Establish peace clubs: Create peace clubs in selected schools and communities to encourage continued peace education, dialogue, and youth-led action.
Our Approach
ASCOA’s Peacebuilding Department has implemented activities in schools and communities across Cameroon’s South-West Region. Selected documented engagements span 2014 to 2023.
Our approach combines education, creativity, dialogue, sports, and community participation to make peacebuilding accessible and meaningful to young people. Rather than limiting peace education to theoretical discussions, we create opportunities for participants to express their ideas, work together, develop problem-solving skills, and promote peaceful relationships.
Our activities have included:
Peace Education Workshops and Conferences
We organize educational sessions and workshops that encourage young people to understand conflict, appreciate diversity, communicate respectfully, and explore nonviolent approaches to resolving disagreements.
Peace Crane Initiative
Through our Peace Crane activity, students and young people express their hopes for peace through creative paper-crane activities and peace messages. The initiative uses art and symbolic expression to encourage reflection on unity, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence while sharing ASCOA’s peacebuilding message.
Peace Competitions and Special Events
We use competitions and commemorative activities to engage young people in discussions about peace, conflict prevention, and their role in creating safer and more inclusive communities. These activities also provide opportunities to mark international days dedicated to peace and related causes.
Sporting Events for Peace
Sports provide a practical way to bring young people together, encourage teamwork, and build mutual respect. Through sporting activities, including football events for peace, ASCOA promotes cooperation, positive relationships, and peaceful interaction among participants.
Art-Based Peacebuilding
Creative activities offer young people opportunities to communicate their experiences, express their aspirations, and reflect on the importance of peace. Through art-based engagement, ASCOA encourages young people to become advocates for peaceful coexistence.
Youth Radio Talk Shows
Radio discussions provide a platform for young people to engage with peace-related issues, share perspectives, and raise awareness about the importance of dialogue, tolerance, and conflict prevention within their communities.
Community Support for Conflict-Affected Populations
In line with the department’s objectives, ASCOA seeks to support internally displaced persons and communities affected by conflict and crisis, recognizing that peacebuilding also requires attention to the needs and vulnerabilities of affected populations.
Our Commitment to Peace
ASCOA remains committed to strengthening youth participation in peacebuilding and expanding opportunities for peace education in schools and communities.
We recognize that lasting peace requires continuous learning, collaboration, and the active involvement of individuals and institutions at every level. Through our Peacebuilding Department, we will continue to promote awareness, encourage constructive dialogue, and support initiatives that empower young people to become responsible advocates for peace.
Our goal is to help create communities where differences are addressed through dialogue rather than violence, where young people have meaningful opportunities to contribute to decisions that affect them, and where peaceful coexistence becomes a shared responsibility.
Join Us in Building Peace
Building lasting peace requires collective effort. ASCOA welcomes collaboration with schools, youth organizations, community leaders, civil society organizations, public institutions, and development partners who share our commitment to peace education and conflict prevention.
By supporting youth-led peace initiatives, school peace clubs, community awareness campaigns, and activities that promote dialogue and cooperation, we can help strengthen the foundations of peaceful coexistence.