PROJECT FOR YOUTH CAPACITY BUILDING AND AWARENESS-

REPORT ON YOUTH AWARENESS-RAISING ON SOCIAL COHESION, INCLUSION, AND THE FIGHT AGAINST IDENTITY-BASED CONFLICTSI. INTRODUCTION

For the past 30 years, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been plagued by armed conflicts between government forces and rebel movements. These conflicts have caused population displacement from one area to another, as people seek to escape persecution and avoid being identified as belonging to one group or another.

This situation has led to the political manipulation of young people, pushing some of them towards a culture of violence and identity-based conflicts instead of promoting peaceful coexistence and strengthening peace in eastern DRC.

II. ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

During the third quarter, we carried out the following activities:

- Awareness-raising sessions with women's and youth organizations on social cohesion and peace.

- Organization of community dialogues involving young people, women, religious denominations, customary leaders, and public authorities to discuss the fight against identity-based conflicts, peaceful coexistence, inclusion, and social cohesion.

- Identification of areas where harmful practices occur within the targeted intervention zones, followed by engagement with the individuals responsible to encourage them to abandon these negative behaviors.

- Organization of Public Expression Forums involving young people, women, and authorities to discuss social cohesion, peace, and inclusion.