This Guide for Practitioners was commissioned by Search for Common Ground (Search) in the framework of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) 21-month funded project “Strengthening Young Women’s Participation in Local and National Peace Processes in South Sudan.”
In South Sudan, youth are often seen as the perpetrators or victims of violence. This perception leads to them being understood to have limited roles in mediation processes both at the local and the national levels. This exclusion means that their extremely important perspectives and ideas are often ignored. To promote the role of young people in mediation, the present guidance aims to give practitioners and policy-makers a better understanding on the fundamental importance of the inclusion of youth in mediation, with the goal of enabling the meaningful participation of young people through developing connections, capacity support and collaboration.
Specifically, the guidance centers on how to make connections with young mediators through mapping and outreach, how to effectively support and enhance the capacity of young mediators, and how to collaborate with young mediators. The document will be inspired by previous guidance documents and the real-life experiences of young mediators in South Sudan, with data from Key Informant Interviews playing a key role in influencing the guidance given.
