Why are we here?

Here we are, day  2, 30 people from 16 different countries discussing many different issues related to peace. We have shared our personal stories and our motivations for being here, we have looked at digital activism and the role it plays in our movement. We have explored the importance of critical thinking when looking at the media and played simulation games around wealth and power . What role do all of these sessions play in peace work I hear you asking?? It’s a very good question but first, let me tell you what countries we have present in the room;

Albania, Azerbaijan, Germany, Croatia, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Armenia, Scotland, Georgia, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia, Slovakia.

For those of you who haven’t noticed, these countries either have present tensions between the countries or are post conflict countries. For some of the young people in the room it is the first time they have met young people from “the other side” or from the countries present. This is important because, in my opinion, peace starts with the individual, by bringing together young people from ‘opposing sides’, they build relationships on a personal level. These relationships then internally challenge any preconceived, learned stereotypes about the ‘other’. Personal, meaningful relationships have the potential to challenge and change the individual. This change in the individual is the start of the journey towards peace in the region. One of the reasons we deliver sessions around sharing personal stories is because the personal reasons people are in the room can sometimes be the elephant in the room so to speak – people are curious but it can be difficult to ask ‘why are you here?’ without fear of upsetting or  – sharing stories in a structured way allows these dialogues to happen in safe environment.

So, back to the question. Why are we looking at digital activism, critical thinking and playing games? It doesn’t seem like it is directly related to peace work, does it? A question asked by some here and the answer is not so simply. Well, in today’s world, young people are online. It is important that we are also there! Looking at critical thinking within the media, we are encouraging young people to question what they see, what they share. To ensure that young people are not doing harm through their actions online. These are important things for all young people to be aware of, not just those that chose to work in this area. Games are an important part of learning, we don’t all learn from reading a book. The YMCA delivers non-formal education all over the world and learning through doing, through playing is an alternative way of learning. These games have been relevant to the training and have generated some discussions in the group that carry on into the break times.

As Vardan reminds us, peace begins in the heart. It means different things to different people. The PWI is not a one off session and therefore it is important to ensure that those in the room are ready to move forward and become youth opinion leaders in their local area.

There is an energy building here in Tbilisi. On day 2, we have much still to come. We are only on day 2. To me, peace is not about the destination but about the journey, this is the start of the journey and there is a lot yet to come.