Peer Mediation as a Grassroots Strategy for Peacebuilding among Youth

Abstract

Peacebuilding seeks to address the underlying causes of conflict, helping people to resolve their differences peacefully and lay the foundations to prevent future violence. Peacebuilding is a long-term process of encouraging people to talk, repairing relationships, and reforming institutions. For positive change to last, everyone affected by a destructive conflict has to be involved in the process of building peace. Youth conflict often stems from localized social pressures that top-down institutional mandates fail to address. Peer mediation offers a grassroots alternative, empowering youths to lead conflict resolution within their own social spheres. This study examines the role of peer mediation in promoting peaceful conflict resolution among youth. The main objective of the study is to empower individuals to become proactive mediators and conflict transformers by assessing their awareness, attitudes, and experiences with peer mediation as a strategy for resolving conflicts and promoting a culture of peace and social cohesion within the community. The findings indicate that peer mediation programs significantly improved youths’ ability to manage and resolve conflict peacefully. The study concludes that peer mediation can serve as a practical and accessible grassroots approach to peacebuilding among youth.