Timor-Leste

Youth Engagement to Promote Stability

This 3-year project, funded by USAID, aims to transform the way in which youth engage with government and community leaders to promote peace and reconciliation and prevent election-related violence. Overall, it seeks to bridge the gap between Timorese youth and social and political structures at the local and national level and contribute to conflict prevention through the innovative use of media.  The project is an extension the previously implemented Youth Radio for Peace Building Project (YR4PB) project.

The program’s activities will build off the successes and lessons learned from past work, and incorporate new and complementary activities to reach the aforementioned objectives. More specifically, the project will be implemented using two interwoven activity streams: Civic Education and Leadership Training and Media Programming

Youth Mapping

Very little is known about how youth in Timor-Leste organize and their strengths and weaknesses in terms of their ability to become an influential force in promoting youth action and influencing policy. Youth mapping exercises seek to identify youth organizations, groups, and leaders who have the potential to produce a “multiplier effect” or the ability to reach and influence their peers.

District-level Civic Leadership Trainings

SFCG and the National Youth Council (CNJTL) will facilitate four regional-level, 5-day Civic Leadership Trainings for youth leaders from youth organizations, groups, political wings, suco (village) councils and the private sector. SFCG and its partners will identify the participants during the initial Youth Mapping exercise as well as through the issuance of a call for applications, coordinated with CSOs and government stakeholders. Priority will be given the youth who have demonstrated a commitment to engaging in peacebuilding at the community level, and will also include so-called “trouble-makers”, as their engagement is pivotal to successful community peacebuilding.

National and Regional-level Youth Forums

SFCG and CNJTL will facilitate One National Youth Forum and 5 Regional Youth Fora. These Fora will provide youth the opportunity to develop strong networks as a means to coordinate around issues affecting youth as well as provide the platform for enhanced youth networking engagement. The first year of the project will be focused on the elections; specifically in the lead up to the parliamentary elections.

Civic Education Seminars, National University Debates, and Panel Discussions

SFCG, CNJTL, and Forum Tau Matan will facilitate five Civic Education Seminars, debates and panel discussions, for youth enrolled in universities in five regions, namely; Dili, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro and Oecusse.

Comic Books for Good Governance and Peacebuilding:

SFCG will lead the production of a 6-part civic education comic book series on issues of elections, democracy, political reconciliation, and peace-building, Fun promotional activities will be held in all 13 districts, bringing together youth from a range of backgrounds, and encouraging the local media to popularize the comics amongst the broader community. Sports events, music concerts and other outreach activities are just some of the ideas sure to come from engaging the youth.

Class Art & Exhibition

SCFG will convene youth art classes through the  Arte Moris Cultural Centre, in each of the five Regions.  After the trainings have taken place, SFCG together with CNJTL and Arte Moris will conducted an event at the Region where the participant who graduated from the Art class will be giving opportunity to display their art to the public.