Empowering youth to lead for peace: “Community Actions BY Youth, for Peace Education” in Kraków

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Young people stand in line making the same movements.
World Scout Bureau - Kamil Jasinski

As part of the Voices of Change project, the international training “Community Actions BY Youth, for Peace Education” brought together over 40 young leaders from across Europe in Kraków, Poland, for five days of learning, connection, and action.

Organised in partnership by World Scouting and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), the training offered a powerful space to explore peace education, strengthen leadership skills, and co-create impactful community initiatives. Participants collaborated to address key social challenges, including social integration and cohesion, as well as polarisation, while fostering mutual understanding and intercultural dialogue.
Young people standing in front of a table and placing sticky notes.
World Scout Bureau - Kamil Jasinski

This training provides a vibrant platform for youth workers, Scouts, and student leaders to build more cohesive and resilient societies. Through interactive sessions, peer learning, and collaborative planning, participants are being equipped to transform their ideas into sustainable community action and elevate the voices of marginalised and conflict-affected youth.
I believe that we, as youth workers, play a vital role in developing skills essential for youth participation and peacebuilding. This activity once again proved that investing in young people is a sign of progress, especially as many participants will bring new ideas and initiatives to their local communities. Just like a butterfly can change the world with a single flap of its wings, we hope our participants will continue the ripple effect started during this activity and soon change the world.
Matej Tibor
Facilitator

Throughout the week, participants explored topics such as self-awareness, active listening, dialogue, and peacebuilding. Sessions like “Peacebuilding Pyramid” and “Sphere of Influence” helped them understand their role in fostering inclusion and transforming conflict into positive action, while “Project Management” and “Your Impact” provided tools to turn ideas into sustainable projects. “Collaborative Solution Spaces” encouraged teams to analyse real community cases and co-create actionable solutions grounded in empathy, dialogue, and impact.
The event gave me a deeper understanding of the importance of peace education, not only in my local context but also in more diverse, intercultural, and international settings. I learned and discovered more about active listening, dialogue for peace, spheres of influence and, most importantly, how to create and implement community projects. I left the event with a mind full of thoughts, a notebook full of ideas and reflections, a heart full of memories and lots of friends, and above all, definitely inspired to carry forward, on the roads that will follow in my life, the importance of dialogue and peace education.
Andreea
Participant, Romania
Group picture of the participants of the event.
World Scout Bureau - Kamil Jasinski

As the training concluded, participants began considering their own local impact within the Voices of Change project framework, encompassing a range of initiatives from national dialogues to local projects. These initiatives will serve as living examples of how youth-led action can strengthen social cohesion and promote peaceful, inclusive societies across Europe.

 

About the Voices of Change Project

The Voices of Change project, a collaboration between World Scouting and ESN with the support of Erasmus+, aims to amplify the voices of young people at the forefront of civic engagement and peacebuilding. By listening to young people and equipping them with the skills and knowledge to take action, the project aims to empower youth where it matters the most: in shaping the future.
Voices of Change Europe Peace Peaceful societies