Youth & Violence: Engaging the Lost Generation
Channel: United States Institute of Peace
Date: 09/06/2014

Please join Mercy Corps and USIP on June 9th to discuss youth, violence and peacebuilding.

Youth are a force for positive change, helping transition their countries into productive and secure nations. Yet they are also the primary participants in conflict today and increasingly concentrated in transitional and complex environments.

Where many conflict prevention policies and conflict management efforts fall short is in their tendency to engage youth already less likely to participate in violence -- those in school and/or already engaged with their communities -- or by failing to design adequately integrated programs that address both the drivers of violent conflict and pathways to peace.

To explore these gaps, this event will feature a discussion by experts on the factors that are pushing young people towards participation in violence. It will also examine the factors and initiatives that help young people avoid harmful behaviors, including participation in extremism or political violence. The session will challenge pre-existing assumptions about youth peacebuilding work, highlight new interventions that steer young people away from violence, and discuss policy changes necessary to support such interventions.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #USIPYouth.

learn more: http://www.usip.org/events/youth-violence-engaging-the-lost-generation