Journey of Hope - 2019 JOH 2019 | Page 24

H ow does a country that has known conflict for 40 years turn the corner on strife and begin to rebuild? One strategy underway in Afghanistan is peace education, and it’s showing signs of working at the grassroots level, where cultural shifts begin. Afghan youth are learning how to use negotiation, mediation, and conflict-resolution skills as alterna- tives to the violence and in-fighting they’ve witnessed for as long as they can remember. Today’s youth were born into strife and turmoil in a country that once embraced progressive attitudes and liberal freedoms for both men and women. Photo by Ellen Jaskol PEACE EDUCATION Equips Youth with Conflict Resolution Skills in War-Torn AFGHANISTAN by Ahmad Jawed Samsor and Muhammad Idrees 22 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE