The modern world is becoming smaller, highly integrated and technologically more advanced. It is also becoming highly fragmented, less peaceful and unsafe for both present and future generations. The world is today passing through an environment full of tension, violence, declining values, injustices, reduced tolerance and respect for human rights. The gun culture has already taken a dominant position in most of the developing countries, threatening the future of the youths who deserve a peaceful and better quality of life.
The youths constitute the richest wealth of a country. They develop quality of catholicity of personal integrity, personal discipline and open mindedness. The youthful period is a period of passions, emotions, activities and vigour. Because of their frontline positions in any country, their input to any development programme will go a long way in achieving desired objectives.
There is no doubt that there is a greater need to create a culture of peace and conflict free environment. This is an area where the youths can come in. One important role which the youths can play in peace and conflict resolution is for them to “BE THE CHANGE”. The youths can do this by changing their attitudes towards people, traditions, religion and believes. They should learn to combine their enthusiasm with patience, realising the importance of living together and should be responsible to defend the frontiers of peace and non-violence.
The youths should equally understand their leadership capacity by educating themselves on the need for community leadership and taking opportunities available to prioritise leadership development programme especially within them in rural areas because lack of knowledge about basic decision making impedes progress and therefore results in conflicts.
On the other hand, the youths can play an active role in peace and conflict resolution by forming a new phalanx of peace missionaries and NGO network in the grassroots, concentrating on value education and spiritual renewal among children.
In the area of ethnic development, the youth of different ethnic groups can forge links between cultural minorities and popularise shared values, shared culture and traditions handed down from generations to generations. The youths on the political area of development can engage or join in political awareness building, force reforms in bureaucracy to ensure good governance, accountability, transparency and citizenry participation.
At the international scene, the youths can become peace ambassadors of their respective countries, promoting exchange programmes in education, culture, science and technology, sports and games and in tourism promotions to link all the youth of the region and the world in the pursuit and maintenance of peace and conflict.
In addition, the youths should learn new skills to deal with conflict in non-violent ways and create a community that lives by a credo of non-violence and multicultural appreciation. This however must be done with the present crop of people whom we have termed as the leaders of ‘yesterday’ given the necessary chance and creating the opportunity for the youths to act with their enthusiast.
With all this and with every youth having at the back of his mind that wherever he goes, peace is with him because without peace, he cannot live, then the 21st century would be a century of tolerance, peace and conflict free.
Abubakar Sidiq Usman
Writes on abusidiq.com
@abusidiqu on twitter Abuja, Nigeria
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Abu sidiq nice work, keep it up.
Well said
Great article, atleast youths have a chance to air their views
Nice article………keep it up……..
Very inspiring, nice right up abu sidiq.
Dis articles need 2 go beyond places like dis 2 enlighten our youths, kudos.
This is a rise up call to we the youth, to see to the end of conflict in this great country of ours. Nice write up.
More grease to your elbow
The youths are the future of this country. if we unite to enthrone peace, we will make better leaders. Nice work by the writer.
The writer is very succinct in his analysis. More grease to your elbow.
I am impressed with this write up. keep it bro.
Youths we need to weakup 4rm our slumber.
How I wish every youth can just have this kind of mind set,how I wish we could see the need of our society,how I wish we could all outlive religious,cultural and ethnic differences to embrace love
This is the bomb, youths are the solution this nation needs. Mr Abu keep it up.
Good right up, pls keep dis article flowing.
Truth exposed, youth stand up to this call.
A nice article
I feel very inspired by this write up. If only many of us can go by the suggestion of the writer, we will make a difference.
Wat an educative article, i luv dis.
Nice one
no meaningful peace can be achieve without the involvement of youth because they are true agent of peace! good one
This is a wake up call to all youths. Let us all rise to the occasion.
I was very skeptical in about reading this article, but am glad I did eventually. This writer should be commended for doing justice to the role we youths need to play in the peace of Nigeria.
God bless you for this wonderful write up
Its a well done research and well penned down write up. Keep it up Sadiq, u will go places & change the world with this. Cheers man!
The writer has done justice to issue of violence. The youths should take the bull by the horn.
A very wonderful research, i think the kinds of leadership we have to day in the countries have tourn our youths to be come a hooliganism,this will enable our youths to know how important they are in the communities, also encourages the youths on how to add values to the economic development in the countries not to be the subject of violence in the societies. Infact more grate to your elbow
Nice write up,u are d bst.
Thumbs up to you bro for doing justice to the issue of peace and conflict resolution. More grease to your elbow.
Nice one. God bless you
I know you will always make us proud. Very inspiring and thought provoking article. Keep it up.
It’s always been in you. Please do more
I know you will always make us proud. Very isnpriring and thought provoking. Keep it up.
The writer has explicitly analysed the role youths can play in enthroning peace. The rest is lrft for us to act.
Abubakar, this is a compelling and well-articulated piece – a must read for any youth desirous of playing a part in peace and conflict-resolution in today’s world. Keep it up, my brother.
Great piece Abu. Well done.
Nice one bro this is a most read.
good job, man!
We are indeed the leaders of tomorrow.. Bravo my brother
The idea of concentrating on value education and spiritual renewal in society is to me the most beloved clarion call for youths in this brilliant sermon. The Nigerian society without a doubt needs civil renewal and not as most people believe, good central governance would immediately be its answer. More and consistent community engagement/participation rather stands as a better messiah.