Getting to know CYPLP and volunteerism

 

 Youth Against Election Violence Road Walk.

Children and Young People Living for Peace (CYPLP), is not for profit, that is organic and voluntary in Nigeria. We  are everyday people living in our communities, motivated and coming together to contribute to driving change in our society through small local actions. 

We work to protect children' rights and help translate them into concrete realities through evidence based approach for inclusive development. We also came to amplify the voice of youths and women in decision making processes.

CYPLP is actively working in new ways and approach in the social development space by leveraging on left behind grounds of the informal sector, private sector, youths and women groups for galvanized actions that will lead to the achievement of sustainable development goals. 

We defend and protect the rights of indigent, most vulnerable and poorest of poor both online and offline, create platforms for their voices and concerns to be heard, by find best local ways to put knowledge of their rights into the hands so they know ask, demand for their rights, social justice, accountability and good governance from their government.

Through various programs, we empower young people, youths and women  with self reliance skills, raising community change champions for collective actions that addresses specific local context and challenges by sparking citizens spirit of volunteerism for transformative change.

CYPLP stands for freedom of assembly and association, rights to freedom of expression, respect for rule law and promotion of democratic values. We believe that citizens must be allowed to freely form, join and associate without restriction of any form, that when people begin to take ownership and responsibility and allowed to chip in contributions ad local solutions to their social problems then would the end begins.

We gather collective agencies of volunteers from various fields and expertise to service our communities for our common future and for the good of all.

 Workshop with students on radicalization.

Over the years, we have carried out several social interventions that help yield measurable impact in the lives of our target beneficiaries. We use sport, education, cultural, art, entertainment, music as gateways into the hearts and minds of our target audience.

•In 2011, there was a violent crisis that erupted after the presidential election result was announced in Nigeria. The crisis which later turned into an ethno-religious crisis recorded lives lost and property destroyed leading to displacement of people to IDP camps. We visited the camps and provided items to cushion hardship faced by both muslims and christians faiths at the camps for healing. We did micro dialogue sessions on forgiveness for reintegration and mutual respect for each other irrespective of tribe or religion.

Building on the past experience, before the 2015 Presidential election, we began to organize focus group discussions with youth in violence prone areas to know what could easily drive them into violence before, during and after election. From the result of the focus group discussions, we began to build interventions like organizing football competitions between conflicting communities to facilitate the spirit of sportsmanship leading to community cohesion, love and team work for peace. 

Use of sport to promote coexistence amidst differences 

The intervention also familiarized and teach community members on tolerance through sport recognizing it as a game that attract great followers and veritable platform to influence minds. Additionally, we also kick started massive awareness programs through the use of stickers and flyers to promote youth against election violence including road walks and media appearances on TV and radio stations for wider reach.

Clerics, community leaders, youths and women leaders were invited to interfaith/inter-ethnic constructive dialogue sessions where peace accords were signed. 

Amazingly within those communities we worked through, recorded no incident of election violence before, during and after the presidential election in 2015 unlike the previous election years. To us that is a win.

We learnt a lesson from it as well from the win ; that youths engagement in development space should be a continuum and not one off kind of intervention if we want a peaceful world.

 mentorship program for young community leaders in Kaduna State

Our experience with communities is firstly that of misconception. Most communities want monies shared to them and care less about social interventions no matter good they are to them. So to get our programs running, we will need to resolve this first of all.

We resulted consulting the community and involve community leaders, youths and women in co-creating the interventions they want and need it most using them as volunteers. They capacitated as community based volunteers and became instrumental in penetrating hard to reach target groups for behavioural change and acceptance of interventions. Through this approach we were able to win hearts of stones to hearts of peace and sustainable development. Bravo!

 teaching SDGs at classroom at the grassroot.

 To know more about us, please visit - http://www.cyplp.net.ng

Get to Thank you.