Generations For Peace leaders of youth celebrate Jordan independence day
AMMAN, May 28, 2012 - Generations For Peace, the global non-profit peace building organisation, celebrated Jordan Independence Day with over 70 Generations For Peace Delegates, Pioneers, newly recruited volunteers and Lothan Youth Achievement Centre volunteers in Amman.
In the first event to be held at the newly renovated Generations For Peace Auditorium, leaders of youth gathered to share real-life experiences and knowledge, and take part in working group sessions on specific techniques for peace building and using sport as a vehicle for conflict transformation. HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Founder and Chairman of Generations For Peace, attending the event, discussed the link between sport and conflict transformation:
"I am a passionate believer in sport's power to mobilise and unite people from different backgrounds, with different perspectives. Using sport-based games and other activities, Generations For Peace programmes offer children and adolescents a safe, transitional space for individual and collective behaviour change."
Mohammed Homsi, who attended the Generations For Peace Amman 2010 Camp, shared his experiences of successfully implementing his own peace building programme and becoming one of the first certified Generations For Peace Pioneers in Jordan:
"The level of detail in training and ongoing mentoring support provided me with the necessary skills and techniques for building peace and greater understanding, so our communities can go out and set an example for others to follow."
Generations For Peace mentors and supports Delegates to implement their own peace building programmes in their communities, working at grass roots level to address local issues of conflict and violence. By selecting and training other leaders of youth in their community, the Delegates pass on Generations For Peace values and cascade their knowledge and skills, increasing the reach and sustainability of their programmes.
Rania Omar, herself trained by Mohammad Homsi, is one of a group of committed second generation Delegates implementing a successful ongoing programme of their own:
"The aim of our programme is to support workers at foster care centres. Through our sport-based activities, our programme focuses on solving internal conflict between children within the centres, and is already showing signs of positive impact.
"When I watch these children play and jump like birds, talking and expressing their feelings with innocence in their eyes, I think of ways which keep the laughter and sparkle in their eyes alive so they can look forward to a more positive future."
One of the working sessions included presentations and sharing of ideas on future Generations For Peace Programmes in Jordan, and how to ensure maximum impact and long term sustainability. One proposal seeks to address violence in schools. By engaging teachers, community volunteers and students in Generations For Peace activities, it seeks to impact the culture of violence by providing a range of effective non-violent tools and techniques to improve communication and forge greater understanding, tolerance, and trust in conflict situations.
As the pool of trained and dedicated Generations For Peace Delegates and certified Pioneers grows in Jordan, these inspirational young volunteers are reaching more and more people with their programmes and passing on the values of Generations For Peace.
(Source:AIPS)
