Engaging Youth in Conflict Affected Areas: An Update on Challenges and Successes, and a Road map for the Future

Thursday & Friday, January 20-21, 2011 / Washington, DC, USA

The Open Society Foundations and the British Council announce the inaugural symposium of its “Youth Policy Symposium Series”1.

Twitter hashtag: #yps01


The Washington, D.C., symposium will focus on youth in conflict-affected areas. This symposium will advance discussions around the effects of conflict on youth in the field and explore the emerging need for agencies and donors to identify how current practices fit within larger trends in youth programming in conflict-affected areas. The symposium will also compare current trends with previous work in youth programming, evaluate the direction that youth programming is taking, and strategize proper ways to engage conflict-affected youth.

Goals: The symposium goals include:
1. Learning about the most-up-to date thinking, analysis, challenges, best practices, and next steps in this dynamic field;
2. Creating concrete strategies that various actors in youth programming can implement to make the field more coherent, responsible, and relevant to the needs of conflict-affected youth;
3. Fostering dialogue, coordination, and communication among funders, implementers, and scholars of youth programs and initiatives in conflict-affected areas.

Format: This symposium will bring together agencies and practitioners across the youth sector interested in sharing and strengthening their engagement with youth and will comprise small-group interactions, possible case studies, current trend updates from key policymakers and practitioners, and a marketplace of conceptual frameworks and tools.

Invited agencies: AED, American University, Colombia University, DFID, ICTJ, IRC, IYF, Oxfam, Save the Children, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, US Dept. of State, USAID, World Bank, World Vision, and many more.

Questions & RSVP: Saji Prelis: sajiprelis1@yahoo.com. +1-202-674-4670

Partners: Center for Peace Building International - United States Institute of Peace - Peacebuilding & Development Institute at American University - Search for Common Ground - Washington Network on Children and Armed Conflict

1) Two-day participatory symposia convened regularly in a variety of international settings that will engage experts in youth sector programming, donors, scholar-practitioners, and youth working to improve how public policy affect young people. Areas of interest include youth in conflict-affected areas, youth and rights, political participation of youth, youth and transitional justice, youth and public health, youth and gender, and youth and civil society.