NGO trains 40 Plateau youths as peace agents
Says stereotypes, misconceptions fuel age-long conflicts
Stereotypes and misconceptions have been identified as major drivers of the age-long conflicts bedevilling Plateau State and the Nation in general.
This position was the thrust of a one-day youth peace summit organised by Heal The Youth Foundation in collaboration with Christian Aid Nigeria and other development partners in Jos on Wednesday.
The summit, with the theme “Youth-led dialogue for social cohesion,” drew 40 youths from Bassa and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas and 20 stakeholders from various communities.
Plateau State Coordinator of Heal The Youth Foundation, Victor Pwajok, said the programme was meant to reawaken the consciousness of young people as agents of peace who can drive peace processes in their communities.
“Today, we intentionally decided to engage 40 youths from Bassa and Barkin-Ladi, including 20 stakeholders from different communities, to drive strategic collaboration,” Pwajok stated.
He stressed the need for early warning systems in conflict management, noting that participants were trained on where and to whom to report incidents, as well as how to collaborate with relevant partners in peace-building at community, local government and state levels.
In a paper presentation titled “Countering misconceptions: Tackling stereotypes that fuel conflict, promoting empathy and understanding,” Dr. Gideon Buada regretted that Nigeria, with over 250 ethnic nationalities, has continued to suffer decades of violent conflicts due largely to stereotyping and misconceptions.
“Stereotypes, which give birth to misconceptions, can lead to discrimination and exclusion, fear and mistrust, dehumanisation of others not minding the fact that all humans are created in God’s image as well as escalation of conflicts,” Buada said.
He charged the youths to rise as catalysts for peace by discarding harmful stereotypes, changing negative narratives and building a just society through peace education, interfaith dialogue, media and dialogue literacy, as well as sustained advocacy and campaigns.
The Project Officer of Plateau Consortium, Bartholomew Danladi, commended the initiative for bringing together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds.
“This is a clarion call because we have a thin line to ensure that the old Plateau we once knew the peace that we once enjoyed we want to see it return at this moment,” Danladi said.
Our correspondent reports that the summit focused on fostering social cohesion and equipping young people with practical tools to prevent and manage conflicts in their communities.