EU grant to support youth-led initiatives to prevent and address radicalisation
14 January, 2016 - Amman, Jordan: The European Union, through its European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), has awarded Generations For Peace its first ever grant of 600,000 Euro to engage youth in Lebanon in social cohesion and human rights activities. The programme, which will last for almost three years, will benefit 6,000 vulnerable Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian youths and community members through sports-based and arts-based peacebuilding activities in 10 of the most vulnerable communities in Lebanon, particularly those affected by the Syrian refugee crisis.
Through this programme, Generations For Peace in collaboration with the Development for People and Nature Association (DPNA) and the Beirut Centre for Development and Human Rights (BCDHR), will address youth radicalisation, transform conflict, improve social cohesion, and promote the respectful practice of human rights in 10 high-risk communities. The programme will strengthen the capacity of youth leaders; consolidate resilience, social capital and social cohesion; reduce violence among vulnerable youth, through safe, positive sport-and arts-based peace-building behaviour-change activities; and increase awareness and application of human rights principles towards and amongst vulnerable youth through training and youth-led community initiatives, amplified by social media and supported by local municipalities.
HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, Founder and Chairman of Generations For Peace, said: “I believe there has never been a more crucial time to engage vulnerable youth, using the power of sport and art to foster greater social cohesion and respect for human rights. With the generous support of the European Union, Generations For Peace and our partners DPNA and BCDHR will be able to reach 6,000 people in 10 communities, to reduce tension and the risk of violence between vulnerable Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese youth. Our initiatives will provide safe spaces to overcome the experiences of injustice, isolation, anger, powerless, fear and futility that vulnerable youth feel. We must help youth achieve their potential to bring positive change in their own communities.”
Ambassador Christina Lassen, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, said: "The European Union recognises the importance of engaging youth and empowering them to lead positive change in their own communities while promoting respect for human rights. These unique youth-led educational sports activities will address youth radicalisation by supporting positive social change in the most vulnerable communities in Lebanon's South, as well as Mount Lebanon, and by strengthening their social cohesion and resilience in the face of extremely challenging circumstances.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Generations for Peace: Generations for Peace (GFP) is a Jordan-based global non-profit organisation founded by HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein and Sarah Kabbani, dedicated to sustainable peace building and conflict transformation through sport, arts, advocacy, dialogue and empowerment.
By providing unique training and continuous support and mentoring to volunteer leaders of youth, GFP empowers them to lead and cascade change in their communities, promoting active tolerance and responsible citizenship and working at the grass roots to address local issues of conflict and violence.
Different contexts include inter-tribal, inter-ethnic, and inter-religious violence; gender inequality; post-conflict trauma response, reconciliation and reintegration; exclusion of minorities including IDPs, refugees and people with a disability; and challenges of integration in multi-cultural societies. Conflict sensitivity, and the full participation and empowerment of girls and women, are integrated into GFP’s approach.
GFP uses sport as an entry point to engage with children and youth, and our carefully-facilitated sport-based games provide a vehicle for integrated education and behaviour change. In addition to our sport-based approaches, GFP has also developed arts, advocacy, dialogue, and empowerment activities to support conflict transformation with children, youth and adults in different contexts.
In the last eight years, we have trained and mentored more than 8,900 volunteer leaders of youth in 50 countries and territories in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. With our support, their ongoing programmes address local issues of conflict and violence, and have touched the lives of more than 227,900 children, youth and adults.
GFP is ranked 32nd in the “Top 500 NGOs in the World” for 2015 by Global Geneva. The ranking assesses non-governmental organisations according to innovation, impact, and sustainability.
GFP is also the only peace-through-sport organisation officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
Generations For Peace Media Team
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