About the Great Lakes Youth Programme?
The Great Lakes Youth programme aims to provide young men and women, aged between 18 and 30 years old, with knowledge and competencies that will allow them to play an effective role in governance, peace consolidation, and development processes at the local, national, and regional levels. It provides them with support in designing and implementing peace-oriented actions that generate/strengthen a shared sense of regional citizenship. It also gives them access to a cross-border network that allows them to access decision-makers to share their ideas as well as influence decisions for peace and cohesion between the Great Lakes peoples. The programme also uses awareness-raising, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, and advocacy to challenge cultural, ageist and gender norms that limit the ability of young men and women to engage effectively in civic, political and peace processes in the Great Lakes region.
The Great Lakes program is implemented by Interpeace and its partners Pole Institute, the Centre of Alert and Prevention of Conflicts (CENAP), Action for Peace and Concord (APC), Refugee Law Project (RLP), and Vision Jeunesse Nouvelle (VJN) financed by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) through the project “Cross-border dialogue for peace in the Great Lakes region: phase III”.
Who is a Peace Fellow?
Peace Fellows are young men and women, between the ages of 18 and 30, from different fields/backgrounds who are affiliated to various existing platforms involved in building peace in the Great Lakes Region.
Platforms may include government and regional agencies/bodies, youth groups, youth organizations, associations, clubs, cooperatives, saving circles, university guild associations, youth councils, farmers’ associations, youth in technology, youth in private sector, artists, traders, musicians etc. As platform members, Peace Fellows implement innovative initiatives for peace at the local, national and/or regional levels.
Why participate in the programme as a Peace Fellow?
As part of a cross-border network of 120 Youth from Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the DRC, you will be supported through training and exchange of experience sessions to level up your current initiatives and increase the impact of your work. Training topics may include, but not be limited to, advocacy, conflict analysis, mediation, dialogue facilitation, community engagement, or introduction to trauma-healing approaches. You will also gain access to a cross-border network of policymakers and have opportunities to participate in national policy dialogues, regional youth advocacy events, as well as cross-border inter-generational and intercultural festivals, to help enhance Youth leadership and participation in peace processes in the Great Lakes region.
Requirements:
- Are you aged between 18 and 30 years?
- Are you a national or resident of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi or DRC – living in Uganda?
- Are you fluent in both spoken and written English or French;
- Have you attained a minimum of Secondary education or its equivalent?
- Are you able to commit to participating in activities for the next 12 months?
- Do you belong to an existing platform involved in building peace in the Great Lakes Region?
If so, you could be our next Peace Fellow and we invite you to submit your expression of interest!
How to submit a manifestation of interest?
To submit an expression of interest, please send us an Expression of Interest detailing your interest in the program, peace initiatives or peacebuilding background (if any) and contact details along with two recommendation letters and a 2-paged CV.
Your email should be sent no later than May 22, 2025, at midnight, to the following address an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.