Post-conflict peacebuilding. Youth participation in Sierra Leone

Abstract

In the post-conflict population, youth constitute a reservoir brimming with potential energy, ready to be channelled for good or ill. What causes some young people to return to the life of a fighter while others choose to work for a better future? And what can domestic and international actors do to help youth move toward an education, work to support their families, and become active contributors to building peace and reconstructing their countries? Although much has been written about cases of children as soldiers and slaves in recent conflicts, these cases are but one example of the impact of conflict on a subset of the youth population. This paper underlines the roles of children and youth in post-conflict peacebuilding and the reinvention of their roles from participants of peacebuilding to active facilitators of post-conflict peacebuilding. The reinvention is based on the re-interpretation of the traditional roles of children and youth in post-conflict peacebuilding and the analysis of children and youth peacebuilding programs. This will suggest that children and youth take on a more active role, if not, a leadership role in peacebuilding programs conducted for children and youth.

Understanding what went on in Sierra Leone for 11 years and how the young people have participated will be discussed in this paper. This paper will discuss how youth themselves advocates for youth’s participation argue for the importance of education and skills building. This is particularly important in a post conflict setting, such as Sierra Leone, where many youths have lost out on 11years worth of education.