Young professionals : how the young blood will build peace?

The theme of this year’s International Youth Day, which takes place on August 12, is “Youth Building Peace” and it is dedicated to celebrating young people’s contributions to conflict prevention and transformation as well as inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace. The young leaders talk about the different projects they have initiated and working towards peace building and social justice. 

Rajeshwar Sharma Ghoorah : “Peace is achieved through meritocracy”

Co-founder and General Secretary OF NGO Zeness Exprime Toi (ZET), Rajeshwar reveals that peace is generally described as the absence of war. “Peace is achieved through meritocracy and our NGO ZET is trying its best into bringing on and propagates peace by working with Maoomar Hoota and his NGO team ‘Educating The Heart (ETH)’ through the Peace Education Program (PEP). PEP is an international program from The Prem Rawat Foundation whose sole mission is to eradicate hatred and build peace for each and every individual on this earth through a session of 10 days with a new topic to discuss for about one hour each day.” Moreover, the young social worker is fighting poverty to bring up sustainable economic development ideas wherever there is social injustice. “Poverty can be vanquished because we have sufficient economic resources for all our citizens to have a good standard of living . We can’t achieve social justice if there are a very large proportion of our citizens earning a remuneration of less than Rs 15,000 monthly if we take into consideration the cost of living becoming more expensive day by day. Religious institutions can also be used to promote peace. Educational programs held in a good peaceful environment for the youngsters will eventually develop a culture of peace.”

Krish-Nee Poorun : “Support every child’s inborn ability”

Being a youngster who specialised in the marketing field, Krish-Nee believes in the young generation’s dreams. “Peace building is a fast-emerging theme in education at early childhood. Just as Early Learning prepares young children for the challenges of school and sets the foundation of lifelong learning, starting peace-building education in early childhood is of principal importance. This year, with a dynamic team of young professionals, we came forth with an initiative and launched the first edition of ‘Kids for Peace Chapter’ in Mauritius at ‘Association Ensam’ at Pointe aux Sables, with a group of 27 kids. It is a global youth organisation with 100 chapters spanning six continents, delicated to uplifting our world through love and action. Our Mission is to support every child’s inborn ability to foster peace through cross-cultural experiences and hands-on arts, service, friendship and environmental projects.”

Jordana Sunassee : “Peace begins with the individual”

Jordana Sunassee is a young media professional who is dedicated into providing leadership, service and support to her community. As the 2017 JCI Mauritius National Vice President, 2017 Immediate Past Local President of JCI Quatre-Bornes and 2017 JCI ‘Peace is Possible’ National Director, Jordana has been selected to represent JCI Mauritius at the 2017 JCI International Summit on Peace taking place this September in Kuching, Sarawak - the city of unity. She is most enthusiastic about working to strengthen youth-led peace building initiatives that focus on enhancing the wellbeing and capacity of youth social capital.  “Peace begins with the individual and that young people remain the main protagonists of social change, the success of all the SDGs resting on ensuring that we as active citizens unlock the full potential of Goal 16 to catalyze social progress. The International Summit on Peace is to provide a platform for active citizens and global experts coming from all walks of life to join in building a common vision to create an everlasting world peace. During this event, participants will be identifying the greatest barriers to peace and formulating sustainable solutions to these challenges, empowering young people worldwide to be the generation to develop peace within themselves, their community and the world around them.” Jordana is very much looking forward to this week-long experience that will not only enable her to put her concerns and solutions on the global agenda but also to interact with other global peace promoters, actors and makers so as to find new strategies that might help in developing sustainable local projects with regards to the promotion of peace, equality and diversity.

Frederic Nullathemby : “Be the solution and Stand Up”

The essence behind building peace and social justice liaise in the hands of all the citizens of this country, says Frederic. “Without the commitment of several individuals, Mauritius would not be the so-called “paradise” island of today. Despite my daily struggles to maintain balance between professional and social work, I have launched a movement called “Stand Up.” This movement aspires to bring more fairness in the daily life of people or organisations in extreme difficulties. The very foundation of this movement is to encourage people to stand up and find permanent solutions to these specific stakeholders.” He assisted and followed the young and very talented “DJ Blind.” “To bring more fairness and social justice the “Stand Up” team made a video that made a buzz on Facebook, got an article in the press and more amazingly led him to MBC TV to discuss on his particular case. I believe in the phrase ‘be the solution and Stand Up’.”

Habeeba Nobee : “Peace and equal opportunities for all”

A team member of ‘Toit Pour Tous’ NGO in Geneva and volunteering for various Mauritian NGOs, her aim is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger in Mauritius by 2030, for a bright future for our country and citizens. “I believe in a sustainable society that stands for peace and equal opportunities for all, and built upon respect, humanity, compassion and love for one another. Being a peacemaker and an active social worker, a meaningful way for me to bring social justice is to show no discrimination towards the underprivileged and vulnerable groups of society. I strongly support our needy Mauritian families and kids, people with special disabilities and victims of domestic violence who I consider to be as much important as other citizens of this country.” Quoting the words of Nelson Mandela, she says, “What happens in Africa impacts on its relation with the World. Sustainable growth and development therefore requires peace, security and stability; and they require the Unity of the African Continent. Peace is the greatest weapon for development. Hence, if we want our country to achieve optimum progress, we have to optimise our collaborations within the African continent and internationally, and to focus our energy on building the new through strategic partnerships for the betterment of all.”