Youth Against Conflict

Listening and discussing with other young professionals from countries in conflict I realized that we have more in common than I ever taught possible. Culturally and racially the differences may be very tangible but deep down “as the eager minds of tomorrow” we all have one thing that binds us together, and that is HOPE. Hope for the future generations to go outside without fearing for their security, hope of having governments without corruption, and hope that people become active in their communities and stand up for a safer environment.

There might not be a world war at the moment but the reality is that different parts of the world are suffering on-going conflicts. The question that arises is, What can the international community do to aid the countries in conflict without intervening in their sovereignty? Even though International Organizations or other states try to help, inevitably this will take time. Time to build a plan of action, time for decisions to take place, to organize and then at one point to actually act.

History plays an important role in avoiding and handling conflicts, we can learn from our past mistakes and build possible solutions for new challenges. It is very easy to blame and point fingers, but when the time comes to actually act not many people stand up for the task. As youth we may think that our voices don’t count or that our ideas are not going to make a change in our communities, but time and time again I hear older people of influence stating that they are waiting for us to come forward and take an active role in our communities and in policy making. Our generation is equipped with more information than ever before, we have a responsibility towards our communities and to the future generations to step forward and take action. Taking action can be achieved through something very small like recycling or something bigger like being an active participant in the community through an NGO, the options are endless.

Let us turn conflict into a source of unity and improvement, to bring social awareness and to become active participants in our communities. At the end of the day, we cannot wait until we have been affected to search for a change to be made when we can contribute in our daily life.