Workshop Highlights Urgency in Prioritizing Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda
In a world where over half the population is under 30 years old, building intergenerational trust, understanding, and collaboration is not just beneficial—it's imperative.
The Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues hosted “Youth, Peace, and Security Workshop: Catalyzing Youth Leadership in Uncertain Times” in February 2025 to highlight the transformative role of youth in global peacebuilding efforts. Led by Senior Fellow Saji Prelis, a leading figure in the youth, peace, and security (YPS) field, the event brought together dozens of students, scholars, and peacebuilding practitioners for a day of reflection, learning, and community-building.
The workshop, co-sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and Search for Common Ground, provided a unique platform for exploring how young people are driving positive change in conflict, displacement, and humanitarian contexts. Participants gained practical tools for advancing intergenerational peacebuilding through interactive sessions, testimonies from global youth leaders, and hands-on exercises.
Learning From Peers Around the World
Anchored by the belief that lived experience is expertise, the workshop highlighted the importance of grounding peacebuilding efforts in the realities of young people directly impacted by crisis and connecting these lessons from around the world.
A panel discussion with participants from Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and the United States, as well as a video call discussion with Collaborative Fellow Achaleke Christian Leke in Cameroon, set the tone for the day. These young leaders shared lessons from their peacebuilding work and reflected on what is at stake for youth in the current global moment.
Dechen Atsatsang (SFS’26) said she was especially moved by hearing directly from these activists.
“Their stories not only shed light on the immense challenges young people face in conflict and displacement, but also demonstrated the resilience and determination they bring to driving change,” Atsatsang said. “Whether through expanding access to education, advocating for human rights, or mobilizing their communities, they are leading efforts that will shape a more just and peaceful future.”
Sucharita Ghosh (G’26) echoed these sentiments, noting that the immersive format encouraged attendees to engage with human-centered approaches to peacebuilding.
“I could feel my energy and courage build back up as people talked about their resilience in the face of uncertain times.”
Fostering Meaningful Intergenerational Trust and Participation
At the heart of the workshop was the principle that young people are not merely victims or perpetrators of crises, but are key to addressing the grievances they face daily. Moving beyond a framework of policy panic, participants examined how youth empowerment and engagement could be approached as a unique opportunity to foster intergenerational trust, collaboration, and violence prevention.
One session focused on transitioning from tokenistic youth engagement to meaningful participation. Using Roger Hart’s Ladder of Participation as a framework, attendees explored how to move beyond superficial inclusion and cultivate authentic intergenerational trust and partnerships between youth and institutions.
“The discussions reinforced that young people are not just impacted by crises but are often at the forefront of addressing them,” Atsatsang said.
“It made me reflect on the role of advocacy and how grassroots movements can shape policies and shift narratives. I hope to carry these insights forward in my own work, ensuring that marginalized voices, particularly those of displaced and stateless communities, are included in international conversations on peace and security.”
Reflecting on a session led by USIP's Paula Porras and Rachel Palermo, Ojooluwa Ibiloye, involved in youth civic activism in Nigeria, considered the relationship between age, power, and youth participation.
“I take from the Youth, Peace, and Security workshop lessons that apply to my research and practice. The triadic framework of power (power over, power within, and power with) offers a useful approach to strengthening youth agency in breaking down the barriers we face and becoming co-producers of policies that tackle super-wicked problems.”
The Path Forward
With an emphasis on adapting to and re-imagining changing systems, the workshop culminated in a hands-on strategic exercise where participants crafted direct pitches to policymakers. These pitches focused on a human-centered approach to understanding young people's grievances and the urgency behind building trust across generations and institutions to prevent violence in the United States and abroad.
The day’s programming underscored that youth engagement is not symbolic, but essential. Young people will inherit a host of global challenges, from a rising cost of living and crisis of governance and rule of law, to humanitarian crises, displacement, and rising violent extremism. They are vital to addressing the problems of the present and the future.
For many attendees, the workshop was a reminder of the power of community in constructively rising to confront these threats.
“In these uncertain times, seeing a room full of people—each with different experiences and backgrounds—come together to share hope, not as passive optimism but as an act of tenacity, was moving,” said Isaiah Kabban, a high school senior from Michigan.
“This workshop reminded me that even in the face of instability, there is always someone willing to show up, support, believe, and build alongside you.”
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Workshop attendee adds her response to the prompt, "What are you going to give?"
Senior Fellow Saji Prelis engages workshop participants
Participants talk with Collaborative Fellow Achaleke Christian Leke via video call about his peacebuilding and preventing violent extremism work with young people in Cameroon
Young people from Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and the United States participate in a panel about their own experiences with peacebuilding
Group photo of the workshop participants
Attendees engage in small group activities during the workshop
Participants read their responses to the prompt, "What do you want to gain intellectually?"
Senior Fellow Saji Prelis
A small group discussion during the workshop
Participants engage with each other in small group activites