Youth Advisory Committee: A space for expression and integration for the consolidation of peace

Cité-Soleil, Bel-Air, Saint-Martin for years have been known as volatile and dangerous areas, where armed gangs impose their will. In these areas, infrastructure is inadequate and opportunities for social advancement for young people are rare.

Based on this reality, Concern Worldwide in collaboration with SAKALA and Lakou Lapè (2 local organizations), saw the need to implement the project « Seeds of peace: Haitian youth committed to building a better society ». This initiative seeks to reduce the influence and attraction of gangs on young people by equipping them to have other socio-economic alternatives while facilitating their integration and participation in the development of their community.

« It is very important to listen to the voice of young people when thinking about changing our communities because young people are the engine of any country. If we cannot speak out, we risk losing important voices. It is by listening to us that difficult communities can move in the right direction », says Duval Dorméus, a young resident of Cité-Soleil.

An innovative tool developed by the Seeds of Peace project is the establishment of a Youth Advisory Committee. This committee is set up to advise development actors on strategy and interventions; to feed into the evaluation and impact analysis processes and to provide a privileged space for expression for young people, in particular young girls.

« Through this Committee, we strive to integrate and tangibly highlight the voice of young people who are at the heart of our project. And, to bring about change, we try to support their voice with state authorities, such as the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Action (MJSAC) », explains Victoria Jean Louis, Director of Programs at Concern Worldwide in Haiti.

What binds all young participants of the Youth Advisory Committee is this deep belief that each young person can and must contribute to creating a serene climate in their community for collective well-being.

« As a young girl, I decided to get involved in the Committee because the program that was presented to me is a beautiful and good tool. It can bring positive results to neighborhoods. Moreover, this is what motivates me to educate other young people about the notion of peace », says Alexis Laudina, member of the Youth Advisory Committee.

Placide Canon, a member of the Committee and resident of Bel-Air, adds that « this Committee must work to positively influence young people of the area and advise them to walk in the right path traced by society, so as not to fall into delinquency and other bad practices ». Like the other young adults on the Committee, he dreams of seeing peace in his neighborhood, sustainable community peace, emanating from dialogue and active participation of young people.

In a complex and uncertain national climate, Victoria Jean-Louis hopes to build bridges with other neighborhoods and other development actors, to strengthen a network of lasting peace. « We are trying to approach other partners and actors working in the country particularly to explore possibilities of replicating our approach ».

Funded by the Peacebuilding Fund of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the project « Seeds of peace: a Haitian youth committed to building a better society » aims to promote the leadership, representation, and effective participation of young women and men in the consolidation of peace in Cité-Soleil, Bel-Air, and Saint-Martin.

The Peacebuilding Fund is the primary financial instrument used by the United Nations to maintain peace in countries where violent conflict is at risk or is already raging.