The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Program is designed to identify and then act on the linkages between urban conflict, violence, youth and security, and to elicit and develop best practices among youth leaders. This is based on our guiding premises that community building is peace building, that social change requires a bottom-up approach accompanied by a top-down effort, and that youth possess the leadership potential and creativity to transform their social contexts.
The Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) program aims to:
- Systematically identify the relationships between urban conflict, youth, and security.
- Promote innovative research, practice, and education to strengthen and develop the sustainable peace leadership capabilities of youth in urban communities.
Under the leadership of Dr. Beth Fisher-Yoshida, the YPS program partners with grassroots youth organizations, including Fundación Colombia Somos Todos, Corporacion Cultural Diafora, as well as the United Nations, to further develop youth leaders. It began in the cities of Medellín, Colombia and Newark, New Jersey. After co-developing a successful model, we will then expand to other cities. In these selected cities, gangs and other forms of violence have been endemic for decades. This violence has been paired with poor education and lack of employment opportunities. In spite of these difficulties and adverse conditions, many inspiring young leaders have emerged. They are passionately working to bring about positive change in their communities
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