Posted on

Building Peace Together Through Youth Engagement

Youth PeaceMakers (YPM) participated in a dialogue session organized by WeWorld in collaboration with the Kujenga Amani Project in Tanga Region. The forum brought together young people, community leaders, and development stakeholders to discuss issues related to peacebuilding, youth participation, and sustainable community development.

The Kujenga Amani Project continues to play an important role in creating safe and inclusive spaces where young people can actively participate in conversations that shape their communities. Through dialogues, community engagement activities, and capacity-building initiatives, the project empowers youth to become ambassadors of peace, social cohesion, and positive change.

During the session, participants exchanged ideas and experiences on the importance of youth inclusion in decision-making processes, conflict prevention, and strengthening peaceful coexistence within communities. The discussions also highlighted the need for continued collaboration between young people, civil society organizations, and development partners in promoting long-term peace and resilience.

The dialogue served as both a learning and networking opportunity, strengthening partnerships and inspiring collective action toward building communities that are peaceful, inclusive, and youth-driven.

YPM remains committed to supporting initiatives such as the Kujenga Amani Project that amplify youth voices, promote meaningful participation, and contribute to building a more peaceful and resilient society.

Posted on

Building Stronger Policies, Building Stronger Communities

At Youth PeaceMakers (YPM), strengthening our organization begins with strengthening the systems that guide our work. Today, the YPM Director, staff, and volunteers came together in a collaborative session to review, refine, and strengthen organizational policies.

The session created space for open dialogue, shared learning, and meaningful contributions aimed at improving the effectiveness, transparency, and relevance of our policies. Beyond policy review, the engagement also served as a powerful reminder of our shared values, professional standards, and collective commitment to accountability, integrity, and sustainable impact within the communities we serve.

By working together, YPM continues to foster a culture of participation, responsibility, and continuous improvement ensuring that our organizational practices remain aligned with our mission of empowering young people and promoting peacebuilding initiatives.

Posted on

Youth Peacemakers Tanzania Empowers Young Mothers and Youth Through GBV and SDG Training

The training, organized as part of YPM’s ongoing commitment to empower vulnerable groups, brought together young mothers, adolescent girls, and boys from different communities in Mkinga.

Youth Peacemakers Tanzania (YPM) has successfully conducted a two day community training aimed at strengthening efforts to eliminate poverty and prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Mkinga District.

Day One: Empowering Young Mothers

The first day focused on young mothers, a group that often faces multiple economic and social challenges. Participants received in-depth education on the realities of GBV, its effects on families, and available reporting and support mechanisms.

They were also introduced to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with emphasis on Goal 1: No Poverty, highlighting how economic empowerment contributes to a GBV-free society.

Day Two: Engaging Young Women and Men

On the second day, YPM brought together young women and men to ensure balanced participation and collective responsibility. The youth learned about GBV prevention, gender equality, and their role in promoting peaceful and inclusive communities.

The session emphasized the importance of youth leadership in advancing social change.The two day seminar reflects YPM’s broader vision of building safe, resilient, and economically empowered communities where all individuals especially women and youth can thrive free from violence and discrimination.

Youth Peacemakers Tanzania (YPM) imefanikiwa kuendesha mafunzo ya siku mbili yanayolenga kuimarisha juhudi za kutokomeza umasikini na kupambana na ukatili wa kijinsia (GBV) katika Wilaya ya Mkinga.

Mafunzo haya, ambayo ni sehemu ya mikakati endelevu ya YPM ya kuwawezesha makundi yaliyo hatarini, yaliwakutanisha akina mama vijana, pamoja na vijana wa kiume na wakike kutoka jamii mbalimbali za Mkinga.

Siku ya Kwanza: Uwezeshaji kwa Akina Mama Vijana

Siku ya kwanza ililenga kundi la young mothers ambao mara nyingi hukumbana na changamoto za kiuchumi na kijamii. Washiriki walipata elimu kuhusu madhara ya ukatili wa kijinsia, njia za kuripoti na kupata msaada.

Aidha, walifundishwa kuhusu Malengo 17 ya Maendeleo Endelevu (SDGs), hususan Lengo la 1: Kutokomeza Umasikini, na namna uwezeshaji kiuchumi unavyoweza kuchangia kupunguza ukatili.

Siku ya Pili: Ushirikishwaji wa Vijana wa Kike na Kiume,

Siku ya pili ilijumuisha vijana wa kike na wa kiume kwa lengo la kuhamasisha ushiriki wa pamoja katika kupinga GBV. Vijana walipata mafunzo kuhusu kuzuia ukatili wa kijinsia, usawa wa kijinsia, na nafasi yao katika kujenga jamii salama na jumuishi.

Mafunzo yalisisitiza wajibu wa vijana kama viongozi wa mabadiliko chanya.

Mafunzo haya ya siku mbili yanaonyesha dhamira ya YPM ya kujenga jamii salama, yenye ustahimilivu na uwezo wa kiuchumi, ambamo wanawake na vijana wanaweza kuishi bila hofu ya ukatili au ubaguzi.

Posted on

YOUTH PEACE MAKERS TREE NURSERY

Kupitia idara ya mazingira YPM iko katika harakati za kuandaa kitalu cha miti mbali mbali ambayo itasaidia katika utunzaji wa mazingira siku za usoni.Pia katika maandalizi ya kuelekea siku ya maadhimisho ya  miaka 5 ya YPM, Shirika litatoa miti kwa wana-VICOBA pamoja na kupanda miti hiyo sehemu mbalimbali wilayani Lushoto.

YPM through its environment and advocacy program is now preparing tree nursery. YPM expect to have more than three hundreds thousands of trees. The trees are of different species and will be distributed to the community during the celebration of 5 years of establishment of the organization.

Posted on

YPM conducted education campaign at Makanya Ward; “NIACHE NISOME ELIMU NI MKOMBOZI WANGU”

YPM conducted education campaign at Makanya Ward; this is one of the areas where there is a great challenge for students to continue studies especially after basic education, given the importance of education in human life, and to focus on the vision of YPM in empowering young people, YPM find it important to have public awareness campaigns to raise conscious on the importance of education and the long time impact of avoiding education, this activity was in line with the campaign motto
“NIACHE NISOME ELIMU NI MKOMBOZI WANGU”
YPM had the opportunity to meet the leadership of Makanya Village and Ward and was given a warm welcome to carry out this mobilization activity. In the occasion there were a lot of young girls and boys from the nearby schools of Mboghoi and Makanya Primary and Secondary Schools as well as the parents who were attending the market day.
The message was well received and the comments were of high appreciation with the invitation for a second round to allow more members and nearby schools to get the knowledge.
We do believe the knowledge will help the community and the youths to value education more than it has been in the previous years. It is expected that they will manage to consider performing better and go to Secondary schools rather than rushing to doing the home maid works in towns and cities.
The Art group of YPM was central in performing and educating the community on the stage and by mingling with them to exchange views and ideas on their performance. YPM will continue with this exercise in other areas to continue to mobilize the community on the importance of education, it is hoped that this will bring new light in the village and rural communities where education was not important at all.

Posted on

YPM CONDUCTED DEBATE COMPETITION FINALS IN DISTRICT LEVEL 2018.

YPM TZ conducted debate competition which involved 55 schools in Lushoto District with a total 615 of students (Female 339 Male 276)
This Debate competition started since February 2018 by forming a committee of five members one from YPM staff and four teachers from different schools as team of coordinators.
The debate involved various educational stakeholders and has involved all secondary schools in Lushoto District Council and some six schools from the Bumbuli Councils.
The competition also included the Public Debate Format (PDF) training for all English teachers at Secondary Schools established by the Youth Peacemakers Tanzania.
On 10th August, 2018 YPM in celebration of the International Youth Day conducted Debate Competition Finals at the District level which was held at Shambalai Secondary School hall. The District Commissioner of Lushoto was the guest of honor, whereby other stakeholders such as the District Executive Director, the District Education Officer, Ward Education Officers Radio Utume and the community were invited to take part in the occasion. The District Commissioner was represented by the Lushoto Division Officer.
In running this competition, the following benefits were attained by the participants:-
1. Students were trained on S2C (Subject to Citizen) which is one of the methodology used by YPM to create the sense of responsibility, duty and rights among youths as community members.
2. Learners gained wider knowledge in the course of preparation for the bigger event. They consulted, discussed and read different sources to acquire evidence and supporting points for their arguments.

3. Students develop self-confidence and ability to present their topics in front of people from different caliber.

4. They got exposure by travelling from one school to the other in carrying on with the competition at different levels.

5. Learn more English language that was used at all levels in the debate, not because Swahili is not important but as a way to build skills on the media of learning used at Secondary Education.

6. Students created network, partnership and peer to peer relations.

7. More than 40 teachers were able to attend and learn new technics and methodology of conducting the PDF debate.
Despite these benefits we have also met the following as follows;
1. Some schools did not participate fully in the competition, without crucial reasons.
2. Financial challenges was a major challenge especially during inter schools competition at Ward levels, where students presenting one ward were required to meet another ward.
3. The students seem to lack strategies for preparing themselves as best presenters and give strong evidence to support their arguments.
4. Many students are unaware of the Public Debate Format (PDF)
Future Plans
1. We are looking forward to
a. Conducting debates that will be involving all existing Secondary Schools in the Lushoto and Bumbuli Council.
b. Running a competition that will involve all Secondary Schools in the Tanga Region (Inter district level)
c. Finding effective representatives who will represent us in various issues at the National and International levels.
Based on so many direct and indirect profitable benefits in this competition, YPM requests cooperation from various stakeholders to enable the competition to succeed 100% for future years by facilitating us in the following issues.
1. Assistance in transport and food for students especially from inter-ward level.
2. Support the improvement of gifts to bring more motivation to students
3. Intensified Public-Private Partnership in this sector through involvement of our Councils(Lushoto and Bumbuli) in improving the competition.
4. Ideas to make the competition attractive, educative and empowering.

Posted on

YPM CONCERT AT MLOLA: “EDUCATION IS MY REDEMPTION”

Education is a major challenge in the rural areas, some challenges are caused by some parents who dissuade their children and encourage them to go to work at an early age without knowing the future challenges lying ahead of them.

Recognizing the importance of education YPM prepared an education concert on May 31, which took place in the Mlola ward. The main message of the day has been “Let me go to School, Education is my Redemption”. The Arts Group sent the message to the community through the arts and entertainment.
The Aim of doing the event has been to have an entertaining but direct way of sending the message to the parents and students in the area that is highly affected in the whole of Tanga region.
YPM plans to continuing with these events every in five other places faced with same challenge so as to help the community understand and appreciate the importance of education for the development of the family, community and nation at large.

Posted on

SUCCESS STORIES ON ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM : Written by Irene Raymond Mchau Programs Officer for Environment & Advocacy

The environment program done by Youth Peace Makers Tanzania in various ways aim to lobby and mobilize people on the aspect of environmental preservation and protection to help the society. The program is implemented through forming groups in Secondary and Primary Schools and also through the advocacy on policy change.
Youth Peace Makers has more than 25 Clubs in Lushoto District, Mkinga District and Handeni District. We conduct training on protection of their environment through planting trees around the schools and homes and distribute seeds for the clubs to make tree nursery in their schools. Whereby now they are able to plant trees around the schools’ environment and some of trees are distributed to students to plant them in their home. School environmental teachers who are working voluntary with the organization are making follow up of trees distributed to students but also the organization in 2017 during the environmental day we distributed 1,500,000 trees in secondary and Primary schools.
The organization conducted Breakfast meeting, that is, the meeting involving the duty bearer and right holder. In one of these meetings the discussion was about environmental destruction and the by-laws that are to be adhered in Lushoto. The speakers were from one organization that is also dealing with environment and the Environment Executive officer in Lushoto and other stakeholders from small businesses and the representatives of Non-Governmental organizations.
After the meeting the task force was formed to make the follow-up on the resolutions made in that meeting. One of the big issues was the construction of the market where perviously people were putting goods on the ground that was dangerous to the people’s health, now the market is built and most of people in Lushoto and all areas around Lushoto who are using the same market to buy and sell goods are in good condition. Also the task force makes follow-up on the implementation of Lushoto by-laws on the environment to ensure that they are strictly followed in order to make sure that the environment around Lushoto and other places around Lushoto are clean. Therefore through the public performance and peaceful demonstrations the society/community was educated to adhere to the laws on environment. Now there is great change on the environment in Lushoto District.

Posted on

ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS TOUR

YPM has received two students from Sebastian Kolowa memoarial university SEKOMU who came in the field for six weeks.

Among the activities they would like to implement the project of environment, programs and activities will redeem it is around schools may offer education for students on climate change. On 24th March the students have started to visit Mbula A primary school to provide such education.

Teachers of this school gave higher state cooperation to prepare students to participate in this program and participants are students of environmental Club whose number is 26.

Through this Program, we can help to prevent climate change and this schedule will sustainable for two consecutive weeks where we will visit schools and primary secondary.

Posted on

YPM under the Environment and Advocacy program prepared the environment competition debate.

The competition involves Secondary students from O-level and A-level Schools around the Lushoto District.
On 13th May 2017 O- level students started their competition and we look forward to start the competition for A-level students early July. On this first round it involved 10 schools and they were divided into two groups. Motion for first group was “Can environment protection lead to eradication of poverty?”.
The second motion was “Is there sufficient involvement of youth on environment in Tanzania?” . The model used was PDF. After this round we remain with 5 schools and the second round will be early July after the school vocation. The program intends to raise awareness and thus contribute towards the S2C on SDG goals no. 1, 4, 13, 15 and 17.