Ian Paisley was a lightning rod of controversy, but Jake Elson, 20, a Correspondent from Bunbury in Australia, says one legacy of Paisley’s fiery political career is a compromise that took a step toward peace. “And Death shall have no Dominion”. Though the Reverend Ian Paisley has passed, the memory of his life will live on both positively …
Dennis Ekwere, 34, of Kaduna, Nigeria, is a ‘Youth Practitioner’ who is making a difference by role modelling and teaching social change aimed at peace. Here, he describes how his organisation works within the community. Children and Young People Living for Peace (CYPLP) is a youth-driven organization working in areas of disadvantaged and vulnerable young people …
Inhumane tactics are used to create child soldiers, writes Malcolm McEachern, 22, a Correspondent from Halifax, Canada, now living in the UK. The question is how to make those children part of society once the conflict is over. When someone thinks of child soldiers they may recall the Leonardo DiCaprio film Blood Diamond, which portrays …
A hostage-taking in Sydney shook Australia’s sense of security, writes Jake Elson, 20, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Bunbury in Australia, but the response has been respect for quiet heroism and a demonstration of the country’s tolerance. Shocked, devastated and infuriated. That is how I feel about the Sydney hostage crisis only a few days back. Shocked, because …
As the Christmas and New Year’s festive season approaches, Harnoor Gill, 16, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Georgetown in Canada, has some green ideas about ways to spread peace and joy. I always wondered about the meaning of peace; whether it is a conflict resolution or more than that. I got my answer when I realized that …
Youths have a role to play in the nation’s ambitious strategy plan, writes Alphonse Akouyu, 20, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Bamenda in Cameroon as the country prepares to celebrate National Youth Week. I’s February 2015 and once again the winds of the National Youth Week have begun blowing across Cameroon. In Bamenda students, pupils and other …
Tribalism has been cited as the cause of conflict in Kenya, but Brian Dan Migowe, 24, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kenya, says the fight against terrorism means looking beyond ethnic boundaries. I am from a country of 42 tribes; a great diversity worthy of appreciation, yet on the contrary for many it is the source of all …
Craig Dixon, aka Juleus Ghunta, 27, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Jamaica, interviews Herbert Bangura, executive director of Young Peace Builders (YPB), a youth-led social advocacy organisation based in Freetown, Sierra Leone (SL). In this interview they talk about issues including the legacies of SL’s civil war, recent political tensions, Ebola and YPB’s work and plans. Juleus Ghunta …
"Peace building – an interview with Herbert Bangura" Read More »
A horrific massacre prompts Joshua Orawo, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kenya, to question who is responsible for sharing information and warnings about terrorist activity. The events of Thursday the 2nd April, 2015, will remain in the minds of most Kenyan folks for several decades and in others forever, especially those directly affected by the …
"Thursday the 2nd April… day of doom at Garissa" Read More »
It’s easy to oppose racism, but as Abdullah Al Hasan, 23, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh, points out, lingering prejudices can undermine the effort to achieve equality. We live in a world where we raise our voices for the things – and yet we don’t even try to change those very things in …