AMECEA Justice and Peace: YOUTH AS AGENTS OF PEACE TRAINING WORKSHOP REPORT

1. INTRODUCTION

AMECEA Justice and Peace Desk organized a Youth workshop which took place at Nairobi from 15^th-19^th April 2013.

The Workshop named; Youth as agents of peace was an effort to tap the full energies and potential of the youth in ultimately changing them from being agents of conflicts into being agents of peace, and instill a culture of peace.

2. OPENING CEREMONY

BACKGROUND OF THE WORKSHOP – FR. JUDE WAWERU

AMECEA Justice and Peace Coordinator, Rev. Fr. Jude Waweru, gave the following as the objective of the workshop.

· One of the outcomes of AMECEA 17^thPlenary was an appeal to the Church to promote peace involving the lay people with special reference to the youths and women.

· In November 2011 the Holy Father Pope Benedict xvi launched the Papal Exhortation as a product of the 2^nd Synod of Africa whose theme was Reconciliation, Justice and Peace which again calls upon the Church to organize the family of God in working for true and lasting peace.

· This leaves the Church with the responsibility of taking up those outcomes for implementation.

· Over the years, the electoral processes within the countries of AMECEA and beyond have been characterized by violent conflicts leaving many dead.

· ‘Youths as agents of peace’ is an effort to tap the full energies and potential of the youth and ultimately changing them from being agents of conflicts into being agents of peace.

· It is an effort geared towards instilling a culture of peace and drastically changing the attitudes of the youths. It is hoped that the concept of youths as agents of peace will be carried forward from here to your constituencies, to your fellow young people in your countries with special focus to general elections.

He also gave the following as the objectives of the workshop;

· To instill peace as a value among the youths

· To share pertinent experiences from various countries

· To plan for peace activities within their countries especially in the context of electoral processes

· To carry out this commitment of peace to their colleagues

· Draw strategies, action lines and possible timeframes to achieve the foregoing objectives.

PARTICIPATION

The participation of this workshop had representation from East Africa countries, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

About fourty (40) young people benefited from this training. They included:

· National Youth chaplains from Kenya and Uganda.

· 18 Youth representatives from Kenya

· 6 Youth representatives from Uganda

· 7 Youth representatives from Tanzania

· Staff from AMECEA Secretariat

· 3 representatives from International Movement of Catholic students

WORD OF WELCOME

· Fr. Jude called the meeting to order and thanked everyone for coming.

· He extended a word of welcome to all the participants, and their respective conferences / organizations, for sending the youth. .

· He said that it is a great honor for the desk to be working with the young people, because they are the church of tomorrow.

BACKGROUND OF THE WORKSHOP – AMECEA JUSTICE AND PEACE COORDINATOR, FR. JUDE WAWERU

AMECEA Justice and Peace Coordinator, Rev. Fr. Jude Waweru, gave the following as the objective of the workshop.

· One of the outcomes of AMECEA 17^thPlenary was an appeal to the Church to promote peace involving the lay people with special reference to the youths and women.

· This leaves the Church with the responsibility of taking up those outcomes for implementation.

· Over the years, the electoral processes within the countries of AMECEA and beyond have been characterized by violent conflicts leaving many dead.

· ‘Youths as agents of peace’ is an effort to tap the full energies and potential of the youth and ultimately changing them from being agents of conflicts into being agents of peace.

He also gave the following as the objectives of the workshop;

· To instill peace as a value among the youths

· To share pertinent experiences from various countries

· To plan for peace activities within their countries especially in the context of electoral processes

· To carry out this commitment of peace to their colleagues

· Draw strategies, action lines and possible timeframes to achieve the foregoing objectives.

KEY NOTE ADDRESS – AMECEA PASTORAL COORDINATOR, REV. FR. FEBIAN PIKITI

AMECEA Pastoral Coordinator, Rev. Fr. Febian Pikiti, started by thanking the young people for coming, and noted that they have travelled for long distances because of the value they attach to the workshop and also to their ministry wherever you are coming from.

In his presentation he emphasized mainly on the following areas:

1. Youth as the Hope of the Society of Tomorrow

2. Youth endowed with enormous energy for positive change

3. Youth with deep sense of solidarity for common course

4. Youth as agents of Peace

He concluded by saying;

· To pursue the path of peace is actually to see salvation for all and in God.

· If we are able to contribute to promote peace, then we are agents of God’s work of salvation for all humanity.

OPENING SPEECH AND OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE WORKSHOP – AMECEA SECRETARY GENERAL, REV. FR. FERDINAND

The Secretary General started by welcoming the young people, on behalf of AMECEA Chairman, Most Rev. Tarcisius Ziyaye. The following were his remarks:

· I stand here in the name of AMECE, which is an association of national conferences of our Bishops.

· On behalf of AMECEA I say welcome to all of you. It was supposed to take place last year but logistics could not allow.

· We hope that the impact of this phase will provide strength, and resources to take it to other regions of AMECEA.

· He also thanked the partners in this program, including USCCB, and the conferences that sent each one of us.

· In the last AMECEA plenary, the Bishops talked a lot about the youth. The bishops are very on youth because of the following:

· The conflicts in our nine countries; in families, political arenas, churches and in our small groups.

· The youths are the majority in this country. Think yourself as a protagonist. The bishops have called upon the church to invest in the youth to awaken their consciousness.

· Pope John Paul loved the youth and when he died they went looking for him. In some of his speeches he said among the pressing needs of this world are conflict and peace. He invited all people of good will to be peace makers.

· He said we can only be peace makers if we participate in the light of the world, in peace in justice.

· Youths are more than half of the total population all over the world. The youths are energetic and the scripture says the much you are given, much is expected of you. Also being large in numbers, our decisions affect what the whole population in the world. The youth has to active on behalf of the church. Can we start identify with church and tell ourselves we have a role to play.

· Pope Benedict has written a lot to the church in Africa. He says; we who follow what John Paul has said, let us not just seek for peace in isolation, but trace the paths for reconciliation, justice and peace. The pope mentions four paths

1. Care for the human person

2. Participate in sacraments of confession and Eucharist.

3. Living in harmony

4. Upholding the African ….of life.

He said AMECEA and their respective conferences will be pleased to hear them implement, what they have learnt

3. PRESENTATIONS

The presentations included sharing of experiences on peace, from different regions/countries, Peace within the context of Social Doctrine of the church. They included;

1. Peace begins with me – with an emphasis on Skills of Peace building – by a Youth leader from Uganda.

2. Understanding Conflicts and Injustices around us – Kenya YCS chairperson.

3. Peace as one of Human Rights, within the context of Social Doctrine of the Church – By Sr. Elizabeth Nduku – Centre for Social Justice and Ethics CUEA.

4. Youth and use of Media for Peace – by AMECEA Social Communication Executive Secretary, Rev. Fr. Ndaga

5. Power and influence – with an emphasis on sills for peace building - by IMCS Africa Coordinator

6. Non-violent alternatives that can make a difference in our region/society – by a Youth leader from Tanzania

4. GROUP WORK

The discussion groups were done per country. The following were the discussions during the workshop.

I. What are your past experiences in peace building? What topics do you address? What are the challenges?

The following were the deliberations from the groups.

UGANDA

Past experiences

· Films as an advocacy tool

· Exchange programmes / visits (parish to parish, diocese to diocese)

· Peace week (MDD, debates, exhibitions, charity work)

· Radio talk shows

· Ecumenical youth programs (youth way of the cross, peace campaigns, peace match)

· Youth camps / conferences

· Cultural gala

Challenges

· Youth manipulation by politicians

· Lack of openness by elders to the youth.

· Restricted youth participation by parents

· Lack of facilitation – funds and human resource

· Different levels of understanding

· Language barrier

· Distance

· Church leaders from different denominations are still adamant in ecumenical peace building

· Favoritism among ecumenical activities

· Refusal to pay ride wealth

· Cattle rustling

· Poverty

Topics addressed

· Youth for peace

· Sex and marriage

· Youth and rule of law

· Environment

· Youth and the media

· Reconciliation

· Youth and vocations

· Peace begins with you

· Career guidance

· Life skills

· Self-reliance

· Church’s teaching on sexuality

TANZANIA

Past experiences

· Tanzania engages in mediation of various conflicts in Africa, mostly in Lake Region area.

· Tanzania offer settlement to Refugees from Rwanda, DRC & Burundi

· Tanzania marks the center of peacefully talks. E.g. Recently Madagascar president and his opponent met in Dar-es-Salaam.

· Tanzanian hold leadership position in peace building bodies e.g.

· The last secretary general of great lakes was a Tanzania; Ms. Liberatha Rwelamila.

· Dr Mary Nagu-Previous Deputy s/General of UN.

· Also Mwalimu Nyerere himself before his death was the mediator of Rwanda conflict.

Challenges

· There has been the move toward addressing the absence of wars and conflicts rather than peace itself.

· Peace if far from absence of conflict and war.

· Tanzania has relative peace as many Tanzania are suffering from

· Hunger

· Poor health

· Killing of Albinos

· Riot and strikes

· Suppression of opposition parts

· Poor social services etc….

· Currently, Tanzania is facing religiosity tension in all spheres of life where some religious sect want to have the great share of influence

· The situation brings about lack of tolerance within the political parties and even in the parliament.

· This create tension and misunderstanding within the state

· There are still wars and conflicts in Africa despite of the Mwalimu Nyerere ideology of having a peaceful continent

Topics addressed

· Fighting for peace in all Africa

· Neglecting of sort Tribalism

· Resolving religion complexities

KENYA

Past experiences

· Awareness creation

· The church is involved in peace building seminars and other organizations i.e. NCIC & Council of elders.

· Disrespect of human life

· Misplaced ideologies

· Tribal conflicts

· Ignorance

· Historical injustices

· Youths are used as main agents of conflicts

· Politicians use communities to fulfill personal political interest

· Greed for power

Challenges

· Financial constrains

· Language barrier

· Illiteracy

· Retrogressive cultural practices e.g. F.G.M., cattle rustling etc.

· Ignorance

· Lack of co-operation from the community

· Dependency on handouts and allowances

· Unemployment

· Politician influence e.g. external forces

· Negative use of social media

· Lack of common approach in addressing peace issues

· Tribalism

· Age barrier

Topics addressed

· Importance and benefits of peace

· Conflict management and resolution

· Strategies in peace building

· Causes of conflicts

· Youth as agents of peace and reconciliation

· Healing and reconciliation

· Human rights

· Interreligious dialogue

The participants once again formed three groups, per their country, and they were given the following question, to deliberate on.

II. What are you doing in your countries? What are the achievements?

What can young people do to bring about positive change?

The following were the discussions per country.

UGANDA

What are you doing in your countries?

Activity	Achievement
1) Peace Weak · music and dance & drama · peace walks · award of trophies · exhibitions · charity work	-It has created a platform for young people to express their cultural, political & social issues -promotion of environmental conservation through tree planting -it has encouraged peaceful harmonious co-existence among different tribes.
2) Games & sports · Football · Netball · Volley ball · Bicycle riding · Table tennis	-solidarity among youth from different cultural backgrounds -it has enhanced team work & unity among young people -Talent development
3) Exchange programmes/visits · Group discussions · Sharing of experiences in the youth apostolate · Debates · poems	-solidarity among the young -development of films for awareness creation of topical issues -skills and talent development -appreciation of cultural differences
4) youth camps and conferences · group discussions · cultural galas · paper presentations · games and sports · debates	-strengthened the youth apostolate at all levels -collaboration among the Bishops in supporting youth activities -recognition of the youth in bringing about change in the communities
5) Ecumenical youth camps · Way of the cross · Peace campaigns · Peace match · Peace sports and games	-participation of the youth of other religions in ecumenical activities -solidarity Appreciation of our different faiths
6) Radio talk shows · On air debates · On air discussions on topical issues	-massive mobilization of the youth to participate in youth activities -awareness creation on the youth’s roles and responsibilities in the community Platform to share ideas and to freely express issues that affect them in the community.

What can young people do to bring about positive change?

· Regularly organizing youth conferences

· Youth camps

· Peace weeks

· Exchange visits

· Retreats (Youth Encounter the Savior –Y.E.S.)

· Games and sports

· Community theatre

· Ecumenical way of the cross

· Charity work (family visits to vulnerable homes.)

· Encourage young people to join apostolic movements and associations.

TANZANIA

What are you doing in your countries?

What can young people do to bring about positive change?

· Radio Programs

· AIDS clubs

· Collaboration between youth groups and elders

· Political Based youth Workshop.

· Conference and Public talks

· Real life testimony events.

· Formation Programs where youth are encouraging taking position role in all levels.

· Hosting meeting and sharing experience with others from different background.

· Three year program on Catholic Social Teaching 2012-2014

KENYA

Church

· Conducting church concerts that preach peace – Nairobi Diocese

· Publishing newsletters containing articles carrying peace messages – Kisii diocese

· Involvement of Youth in peace campaigns – Nyahururu diocese

· Having retreats/prayers to keep the youths busy – Kisumu Archdiocese

· Entrepreneur empowerment towards self-reliance to curb idleness – Kisii Diocese

· Interreligious youth concerts – Nakuru Diocese

· Music festivals – implementing Lenten campaign – peace messages

· Organizing prayer sessions, praying for peace – Meru Diocese

Community

· Workshop on peace in the community – Kericho Diocese

· Radio talks on peace messages – Nakuru Diocese

· Peace walks – Nakuru Diocese

· Social media where peace message is conveyed e.g. via website – Nakuru Diocese

· Interreligious dialogue – Mombasa Diocese

· Roadshows done by youths preaching peace – Mombasa Diocese

· Games and sports between Christians and non-Christians preaching peace – Nairobi Archdiocese

· Peace torch consisting nine deaneries to improve unity among participants – Nairobi Diocese.

Learning institutions

· Creating round table forums for university students and tertiary institutions where their grievances are aired to the relevant/concerned people/authority.

· Rolling up civil education and human rights awareness to YCS to sensitize them on the constitution.

· Conducting rallies to students themed on peace – Kericho

5. PRESENTATION OF THE PLAN

The participants were grouped per country to plan the activities they will organize, to help build peace in their regions. The following is their program.

PLANNING FOR PEACE WORK/ACTIVITIES AT REGIONAL LEVEL- HOW CAN THIS WORKSHOP HELP IN BUILDING PEACE IN YOUR REGION?

I. UGANDA ACTION PLAN

Objectives	Activities	Time frame	Level of implementation	Resources
Increase awareness on peace building skills among the youth	· Peace walks · Workshops · Conferences · Music, dance & drama · Radio talk shows · Bulletins · News letters	May -Dec. 2013	· National · Provincial · Diocesan · Parish	· Human resource · Financial · Material
Promote solidarity and unity among the youth	· Games & sports · Exchange visits · Exhibitions · Youth days	April -Dec 2013	· National · Provincial · Diocesan · Parish	· Human resource · Financial · Material
To create awareness on the social teaching of the Church	· Peace talks · Radio talk shows · Bulletins · News letters · Workshops & conferences	Aug-Dec 2013	· National · Provincial · Diocese · parish	· Human resource · Financial · material

1. TANZANIA ACTION PLAN

TIME	ACTIVITIES	PARTICIPANTS
MAY AUGUST	· Information dissemination · Seminars · Workshop	· VIWAWA · TYCS · IMCS (LEADERS)
	EVALUATION
AUGUST DECEMBER	PHASE II · Information dissemination ØSeminars ØWorkshop	· STUDENTS (YOUTH)
DECEMBER	PHASE III · Formation of peace unity Program (P.U.P)	· Three leaders from each group

OTHER PLANS

1. Radio programs

- Expansion of SISI WOTE IN WAMISIONARI and SAUTI YA TYCS.

2. Connecting all members/participants of this workshop together to keep the spirit of peace alive. (Through social network).

II. KENYA ACTION PLAN

ACTIVITY	WHEN	WHERE	WHO
sports	diocesan	Diocesan level	-
Workshop on peace	12^th – 16^th August	-Nairobi	Kenya Youth
Peace walk	25^th May 2013 6^th Dec 2013	-Ngong Diocese -Subukia - Nakuru	Ngong youth Kenya youth
Rallies	15^th June 22^nd June 2013	-Kitale/Kericho -National YCS Rally	YCS Students and Kenya youth
Radio/TV Peace Talk Shows/debate	To plan	-Diocesan Level -National level	DIOCESAN YOUTH Kenya youth
Peace Road Show	To plan	National	Kenya Youth
Exchange peace programs	10^th August 2013 20^th April 2013	Kisii VS Kericho diocese Kisumu Diocese Nyeri Metropolitan	Youth
Peace concerts/talent shows	To plan(continous)	-Diocesan Level - National	Kenya youth.

6. CLOSING REMARKS

Fr. Adrian

· He thanked the youth for the cooperation

· He thanked AMECEA for organizing the workshop. He thanked the entire fraternity of AMECEA.

· He also mentioned that he hoped that expectations have been met.

· He also thanked AMECEA for making ensuring the youth were really comfortable in the venue, and noted that AMECEA has largely contributed in transport and accommodation.

· He also thanked the management of the venue for bearing with us in the process of being here.

Fr. Jude

· He expressed his gratitude for the organizations that sent the youth.

· He added that it would be important for AMECEA to know that the young people have benefited.

· AMECEA will follow closely through the national office to ensure that implementations are in place.

· Think about our first commission as a Christian and respond to the call of spreading peace with humility.

· He said he believed the young people are very equipped and they will do what they have been commissioned to do.

· He recognized and thanked, USCCB, for partnering with AMECEA Justice and Peace Desk in ensuring that the workshop was a success.

· He also thanked the team of AMECEA, for being there even during preparations for the workshop.

· He said the certificate of participation will be available soon

· The workshop was closed with a word of prayer by Fr. Fr. Robert Maina at 1.12p.m

AMECEA Justice and Peace

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YOUTH AS AGENTS OF PEACE TRAINING WORKSHOP REPORT

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