CoP Engagement Activity #2: Training on YPS
On April 9, 2026, our Community of Practice members gathered for a deep-dive training session led by our Founder and CEO, Balkis Chaabane, and moderated by the YPS Team. Special credits go to the Movers Programme for the presentation materials used during the training. The Movers Programme is developed by the UNDP, with the support of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), and UNFPA Asia Pacific.
By learning about and interrogating the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda, our goal was to understand what it truly demands: a shift from performative tokenism to genuine power-sharing.
As we explored the framework of UNSCR 2250, we noticed how the language used to describe young people can either open doors or act as a barrier to meaningful participation. We recognized two important things during this session:
The Agenda is a vital tool, but we must move beyond viewing it as a symbolic win and, instead, use it for structural accountability.
Violence is not confined to active war zones. It lives within systems, within exclusionary narratives, and in the silence of those who are denied a voice in peace processes.
Reflecting on the training, our members shared a reimagined vision of peace, as a continuous process built by young people in communities, classrooms, and corridors that formal institutions rarely reach. From Uzbekistan to Madagascar to the UK, our Community members brought their diverse lived realities to the table. You can see them here.
As a Global South-centered space, YTN continues to critically interrogate colonial legacies and co-create alternative narratives that are just, inclusive, and rooted in the expertise of youth.
