Tag: child soldiers

On the 3rd of October, 2018, we at Youth Leaders for Reconciliation and Development (YOLRED) hosted our community visioning summit, an important part of the Gather curriculum, which was attended by 56 community members from various categories including youths, older people, and local leaders. During the sessions, participants were formed into four groups by Diana… Continue reading Nothing For Us Without Us

What a year! What a week! Two years ago, I set out on a crazy journey of helping African youths discover their light – their creative talents – and supporting them to shine this light by transforming their creative talents into solutions to critical challenges facing their communities. I founded an organization called Global Leading… Continue reading Going Big in South Africa

We are thrilled to share with you a link to the Associated Press article by Adelle Kalakouti that was just published online by wide range of outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, ABC and Fox News about our partner organization in Uganda, YOLRED, the first organization created and operated by former child… Continue reading Uganda Partners Featured in NY Times, Washington Post and more!

On December 12, our partners in Northern Uganda at the Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development (YOLRED) hosted a community gathering attended by several hundred people in the Gulu area to showcase its new music therapy program.  This community event capped off the pilot phase of this program but also gave the community a chance… Continue reading Community Celebrates Inaugural Year of YOLRED

By Lissette Mateus Roa, Co-Facilitator, Global Alumni Network Just over a year ago, I experienced one of the saddest days in my life. On that day in October 2016, Colombians faced a referendum on the peace process. After more than 50 years of conflict with FARC — the oldest guerrilla movement on the continent —… Continue reading Perspective: Making Peace Sustainable in Colombia

Greetings from Gulu, Uganda! On behalf of my colleagues here at Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development (YOLRED), I’m happy to share an update to our partners around the world. Developing this report gave us a chance to reflect on the first anniversary of the launch of YOLRED that we celebrated in August. We have… Continue reading Celebrating the First Anniversary of YOLRED

[quote]Being in a Colombian jail working with women and girls who are serving time after being child soldiers is an interesting place from which to reflect on the last day of Women’s History Month.  The unique challenges and insights of women and girls who were child soldiers are often lost in the conversations about demobilizaiton… Continue reading Reflections on Women’s History Month from a Colombian Jail

On behalf of my team here at YOLRED, I am proud to announce that we have opened our first official office in Gulu, Northern Uganda. This is the latest exciting step in our journey and the achievement of a dream after the successful launch of the Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development (YOLRED) last fall.… Continue reading YOLRED: Now Open for Business

East African communities have been struggling to respond to the rise in the recruitment of children into armed conflict by a range of violent extremist groups. In Kenya, the September 2013 attack on the Westgate mall by Al-Shabaab left over 67 dead and 175 injured echoed the terror of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy… Continue reading Youth Leaders from East Africa Tackle Violent Extremist Recruitment

This week we mark the anniversary of one of the Institute’s defining events: the 2003 Building Social Cohesion in the Midst of Diversity and Migration conference held in Manresa, Spain.   At that Event, community leaders from over 20 cities gathered to explore best practices from their practical experiences building social cohesion. The Conference came… Continue reading This Week in GI History: Manresa, Spain