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Faculty of Management Sciences

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Youth and peace

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Youth participation in peacebuilding in post-conflict northern Uganda
    (2023) Awici, Charles Churchill; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Kaye, Sylvia Blanche
    The study examined the role of youth in building peaceful, democratic and inclusive societies in postconflict settings. This was in an attempt to rectify a situation in which, in war, youth and children are traditionally viewed as participants, witnesses and victims, but in post-conflict situations, they are left out in peacebuilding process. Using participatory action research, the research draws upon direct voices of youth to understand how youth perceive and relate to peacebuilding processes and outcomes in northern Uganda. Data was collected through review of secondary data, interviews, focus group discussion and observation. The study revealed that about half of the young people in the study had participated in peacebuilding interventions, and valued their participation because they were also victims of conflicts and disputes, and wished to self-discover, improve their self-esteem, and secure the future of their communities. Despite these positive perceptions, the majority of the youth believed that they lacked the space and support to harness their potential to build and sustain peace. The study identifies conflict and structural violence, youth’s acceptance, internalisation and buttressing of the barriers to their participation in peacebuilding, and negative community perceptions and stereotypes of youth as having hindered youth action to positively change their lives. Together, these barriers help to explain why despite significant investment by government and NGOs, many youths fail to translate programmes and policies into long-term benefits for their communities, thus placing Lira District and northern Uganda in general perilously between war and peace. Additionally, the results of the peacebuilding project demonstrated that a youth-led initiative can be effective and a source of hope for peace if it is supported by a network of stakeholders. Therefore, the focus should be to take advantage of the capability and agency of young people to address the root causes of the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of youth participation, and to reflect on peacebuilding actions in order to realize and sustain positive peacebuilding outcomes. Finally, the study makes policy and practice recommendations, poses new questions, and points to possibilities for future work with youth.
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    Promoting political tolerance among youth in Masvingo, Zimbabwe
    (2023) Phillimon, Rumutsa; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    This study aimed at promoting political tolerance via a dialogue initiative in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, where political broadmindedness, tolerance and trust are problematic. This research was underpinned by conflict transformation theory, complemented by intergroup contact theory. It was carried out with 16 participants from Mucheke, who participated in interviews and focus group discussions. The overall aim of this study was to promote political tolerance among youth in Mucheke in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, with the specific objectives being to explore the nature, extent, causes and consequences of youth involvement in political violence; to identify previous and current attempts in Mucheke to reduce this involvement and their effectiveness; to plan and implement interventions to reduce this involvement; and to evaluate the short-term outcomes of the intervention. The study established that political competition is the main cause of political violence in Masvingo. and that a dialogue initiative could be an effective strategy that can build relationships between political rivals. The study concluded that attitudes cannot change in a short period of time, a finding that calls for ongoing intervention to promote positive peace.
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    Building social capital for peace : a case of Zimbabwean youth in Durban
    (2021-11) Marima, Runyararo Evelyn E.; Plüg, Simóne; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    The Zimbabwean youth have grown up in a politically polarized and violent environment. For the youth, and indeed most citizens, the challenges have been further increased by the economic turmoil that the country is experiencing. As a result, frustration and the need to ensure their survival have led to the youth becoming more self-centered, lacking a sense of community and becoming intolerant of diversity. The youth have a weak social capital, which manifests itself as violence and a contempt of social and political authorities. This study, therefore, sought to encourage and strengthen social capital among youths and strengthen their sense of community. The study focused on young Zimbabwean migrants living in Durban, South Africa. The study sample comprised of both young men and women, who are studying, formally and informally and employed and others that were not employed. A qualitative research approach was employed to provide a comprehensive knowledge of youth experiences in the pursuit of social cohesion and change. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation were all part of the exploratory study design. Thematic analysis was used in this study to qualify and analyze data collected from participants. While interpreting what was being said and giving evidence to support these interpretations. The researcher was able to identify new patterns, code them, and generate themes. According to the study, the primary issues faced by young Zimbabwean migrants in their experience of living in South Africa include discrimination, mounting pressure to marry, unemployment, and a restrictive documentation framework. The study identified mistrust, competitiveness, and failed and superficial social networks as barriers to (re)building social capital.
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    Building a culture of peace in Durban, South Africa : an action research study with youth empowerment programme participants
    (2017) Fudu, Hailey K.; Kaye, Sylvia Blanche
    This thesis sought to answer the research question: How can youth programmes in South Africa contribute more effectively to peacebuilding? South Africa is a country suffering from major inequality and violence. The mark left by the previous disempowering system is still affecting South African people and there is a clear need for justice and healing from all forms of violence and inequality. The existing inequalities are largely racial and economic and those under 25 years of age constitute a large percentage of both perpetrators and victims of violent crime (Clark 2012: 78). This study focused on youth in the Durban area who are South Africans of mostly Zulu heritage. The youth are surrounded by violence caused by disadvantaged circumstances, which include economic, racial and emotional damage inherited from the apartheid system. This group is referred to as ‘youth’ throughout this study as it examines the issues of violence in South Africa and how some young people are exploring solutions. Through an examination of literature and action research (AR) with participants from various programmes, this thesis investigates methods for improving the ability of Durban-based youth programmes to respond efficiently to the needs of youth as they endeavour to transform their communities. Following the identification of methods through focus group discussions, interviews and a review of literature, an action team was formed. This team consulted on which methods they wished to use for a collaborative peace project. They took what they learned from this process forward by sharing their experience with their respective empowerment programmes and by continuing to work together on an ongoing basis to bring their peace project to various other groups of children and youth throughout communities in Durban. The study concluded that when youth projects and programmes allow for youth to play a significant role in planning, action and reflection, whilst also receiving sufficient support from a mentor, they are empowered and the programmes are effective. The youth in this study began by discussing the issues surrounding them, brainstorming possible solutions and then designing a peace intervention in the form of a peace promotion performance. The performance was well received and the participants were empowered from the proactive roles they each played in preparing and delivering the performance. Through this transformational learning and service to the community, opportunities for youth to grow, mature and attain self-efficacy were nurtured. This process resulted in the further development of essential life-skills and positive values, and the youth participants learned to identify themselves with positive peers, mentors and purposeful activity. The action research also improved participants’ confidence, their desire to serve others and helped them to achieve a strong sense of positive endurance and strength to overcome the violence and negative influences around them. This peace project allowed the team members to make meaningful contributions to their community and inspired other youth by modelling peace in action.