Youth Peace Dialogues (Burkina Faso)

“My name is Kadidiatou Bocoum. I am from the municipality of Dori, in the northern part of Burkina Faso. I live in an environment where women do not have opportunities like men, where women do not have a voice like men, where women are generally relegated to the background.

My region is at the center of insecurity. With the Youth Peace Dialogues project, I have discovered that I could, as a young girl, as a girl from the region, contribute in my own way to bringing peace to my region. With the training in conflict management and non-violent communication, I learned about mediation, dialogue and communication techniques that can be used by young people in the community to prevent certain conflicts. During the training I engaged with other young people from different regions. I also had the opportunity to share the reality of my region with my peers. I realized that we have a lot in common and that my reality is not that much different from theirs. I also know now that as young people we can help change things. I, who believed that conflicts were the business of old people, politicians and soldiers, I realized that individually or collectively we have responsibilities and roles to play.

This training sparked a love of community involvement in me and gave me confidence. I was so excited that I volunteered to be a president of the Young Peace Builders Club in Dori. My young peers have praised this decision. They accepted me as their leader despite my status as a woman, which was not easy in a patriarchal environment. I was therefore able to develop my leadership and my management skills. My team listened to me and supported me a lot.

Together we started a great adventure in a participatory and inclusive dynamic. During the educational talks I saw a dynamic team that was determined. We were like a family. There too, I learned a lot. The educational talks between young people allowed me to touch the depths of the crisis within young people. Conflicts affect young people very negatively, even more so young girls. I then understood the extent and the need to invest in awareness raising, dialogue and peace education for young people. I am happy to have understood all this thanks to the project. I am now a young girl leader who is aware that small actions continue to have great results, a girl who is committed to peace, religious and community tolerance in her region.”

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