P4P has been expanding rapidly, having supported 95 new and/or scaled-up interventions in peacebuilding and conflict resolution with a growing membership that rose from 3,578 at the end of September 2015 to 4,581 by end of third quarter 2016. Along with this expansion has come the need to channel interventions directly to the youth who often get co-opted to perpetuate violence. With the three Peace clubs she helped start in Ondo State, Irene Abidoye reaches vulnerable youth directly in interventions that target them.
“Peace must start in the lives of children. If we don’t have peaceful lifestyles, we won’t attain the goal of peace. Peacebuilding is not only for security reasons, but also to help our children achieve their goals.”
Adebayo Olatubosun, Principal of Dynamic Excellent College in Ipe-Akoko who is also the coordinator of the club, credits Mrs. Abidoye for her work on the Peace clubs.
“It has been good to see her take charge. She has worked to let community members know about the Club, and has even gotten the traditional leaders involved. She has really worked hard on this, and we are grateful.”
In these Peace Clubs, students are taught the key drivers of conflict, how to address them, and are sensitized as to the importance of peace in their communities. Mrs. Abidoye has found the trainings she had partaken in as part of P4P essential in the development of these clubs.
“The Conflict analysis trainings have helped me, and I think that it should be part of people’s lives. Political actors use children for conflict, so I want them to be agents of peace. During the Conflict Analysis training (CAST) we learned that conflict comes for a reason. There’s also Early Warning Systems, which is also great for the kids to know. And the youth can see these things even before we do.”
The Vice Principal of the Dynamic Excellent College Francis Aiyegbo, which has had a Peace Club operating in the school for a year, was enthusiastic about the setting up of the clubs and is clear about the need for such interventions for young people.
“We are very happy with the setting up of Peace Club in our school,” says Mr. Aiyegbo. “Many youth in our school end up involved in political and even ethnic issues. The various youth factions clash. Some even get involved in political party-related fighting.”
The peace club in Dynamic Excellence started in June 2016, but already teachers say they see an improvement in students’ behavior, and believe that this improvement will spill over into their relationship with the wider community.
“We used to have many stubborn students who fought with teachers and amongst themselves,” says Mr. Adebayo. There is now no account of any troublemaking. When we introduced the clubs, we introduced peace.”