How many kilometres would you be willing to travel for peace? Young Peruvians from different parts of the country have navigated rivers in the Amazon, crossed the Andes and travelled long distances for days to reach Lima. These journeys reflect the diversity of Peru, but also the challenges that many young people must overcome to study, participate, organize and bring their projects to life. Yet their stories also speak of courage, perseverance and commitment. Despite the barriers they encounter along the way, they continue to create, organize, mobilize and open new paths for their communities.
Nearly 40 young people between the ages of 18 and 35 gathered in Lima from 21 to 23 September to share their stories and the initiatives they have been advancing. Together, they formed a diverse and vibrant forest, with strong roots and multiple trunks growing in different directions—a composition of many voices, experiences and ways of seeing the world that, by coming together, continues to grow, weave networks and open up a world of possibilities.
Youth-driven Communities for Peace (YoD-CoP) is an initiative of the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), inspired by these stories and by the capacity of young people to drive change in their communities.
Through its Peru edition, the initiative seeks to create spaces where young people can strengthen their capacities, share experiences, build networks and promote actions aimed at transforming their communities. The gathering was led by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), in coordination with UNESCO Peru and with the support of the Faculty of Education at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP)
