The Peace Fellowship project started for Fellows with the first training course”Transforming Conflicts – Building Communities,” which took place from March 26 to April 2, 2023, in Falkensee, Germany. This training fully focused on conflict transformation. Participants explored concepts like peace, non-violence, different forms of violence, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and human rights. They learned how to connect human rights education with non-violent conflict transformation and worked together to develop a competency framework for peace education. They also engaged in community and conflict mapping to understand local impacts and shared their perspectives on violence and conflict. The training strengthened their skills in non-violent approaches, such as non-violent communication, active listening, and empathy, and included planning for future local activities.

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YPAN fellows, with support from each partner, conducted a human rights mapping exercise to identify issues in their local communities. The results, presented during the second training in Poland, helped develop action plans for local initiatives. Issues identified included the devaluation of young people’s contributions in Ukraine, pushbacks of refugees and LGBTQ+ discrimination in Poland, migrant workers’ rights and human trafficking in Spain; minority rights violations and ethnic tensions in Kosovo, discrimination against marginalised groups in France, xenophobia and Diminishing space for freedom of expression (in the context of the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel) in Germany and normalisation of violence and discrimination of minorities in Türkiye.

Prior to the local actions, Fellows were offered three workshops in each country, totalling 21 workshops. These workshops were designed to deepen their understanding of issues relevant to their specific communities. The workshops provided an opportunity for Fellows to learn about existing tools and best practices related to the identified issues and facilitated networking and cooperation among Fellows, experts, and stakeholders.

The local actions within the Peace Fellowship were designed to apply the skills and knowledge gained during the project to the specific contexts of the fellows’ communities. Participants established local networks to support their peacebuilding efforts. Each partner organization provided local support, ensuring the peace efforts could have a broader impact. 

Finally, Peace Fellows together with local partners, developed action plans for awareness-raising activities, advocacy campaigns, or educational initiatives, working closely with community members and local stakeholders to foster a culture of peace.

In Kosovo, a one-day event titled “Together in Peacebuilding” included theoretical presentations on peace, conflict, and violence, along with successful local peacebuilding initiatives. Activities helped participants recognize silent forms of violence and how to address them.

In Ukraine, a forum for young people from the Sumy region was held on January 26-27, 2024. Over 80 young participants engaged in activities such as an “avenue of opportunities” showcasing local youth initiatives, skill development workshops on youth participation, and an open space for discussing and solving local youth issues..

In France, two main actions were conducted: a workshop on building gardening containers and growing food, and a community event in Thonon that brought together diverse groups for a communal cooking event and dinner, promoting ecological education and community connections.