Supporting a new generation of peacebuilders
Support for young activists working on peacebuilding in Armenia.
About the project
The initiative aims to support, train and develop opportunities for a new generation of civil society peacebuilding activists in Armenia. Working with young people, the project supports the development of a sustainable civil society involved in dialogue about peace.
The programme includes training in non-violent communication and strategic and trauma-informed communication. In addition, it gives young activists the opportunity to obtain funding for small projects aimed at promoting peace and conflict transformation.
Setbacks during implementation
Due to the political changes caused by the mass displacement of residents of Nagorny Karabakh in 2023, the project team had to adapt the programme to the new reality.
The political tensions led to increased scepticism about cross-border dialogue and had an impact on the willingness of the two sides to work together. Moreover, the project participants found it difficult to engage actively in the work, as they weren’t always able to manage the trauma they had experienced during the course of the conflict. A further barrier was a shortage of peacebuilding specialists who could teach conflict-sensitive communication skills effectively.
To address these difficulties, the team did an assessment of the needs of the young activists and adjusted the programme.
Results
During the project the team:
- conducted 15 interviews and 4 focus groups with 28 people;
- produced a complex report on their assessment of the needs of the peacebuilding community (Read it here: REPORT- Catalysing Peacebuilding in Armenia: Insights and Recommendations from Grassroot Activists);
- funded three projects in the form of podcasts, master classes and information campaigns – all on the theme of promoting peace and dialogue;
- held a cross-border seminar on non-violent communication attended by Armenian and Azerbaijani peacebuilding activists.
The Public Journalism Club intends to continue the training programme to develop the potential of young civil society activists, with a focus on non-violent communication in the peacebuilding process. To improve the quality of the training it is planned to expand the programme and involve qualified international experts in non-violent communication.
