By Foday Moriba Conteh
Caritas Freetown, with support from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has concluded a three-day training and policy engagement session under the “Youth in Politics and Peacebuilding” project. The event brought together youth-focused groups and advocacy networks across the Western Urban Area to strengthen Peacebuilding efforts and civic engagement at the community level.
The initiative, which took place from May 6-8, 2025, is part of a broader two-year project launched in 2023, aimed at building the capacity of young people and community structures to promote peace, prevent conflict and encourage youth participation in governance. The project also operates in Kenema, Bombali and Port Loko districts through sister Caritas organizations.
Speaking at the conclusion of the training, Eliza Sillah, Programme Coordinator of the Youth in Politics and Peacebuilding Project, emphasized the project’s transformative impact. “This project has empowered young people to actively participate in decision-making processes and lead community initiatives. Through our work, we have built a network between youth groups, local authorities, service providers and key Government Ministries such as the Ministry of Youth, Ministry of Gender, National Youth Commission and the Peace Commission,” she said.
Eliza Sillah noted that the project initially focused on supporting peaceful elections by deploying trained youth groups to disseminate peace messages and monitor conduct. Post-election, the focus shifted to capacity building in civic education, peaceful masculinity, women’s empowerment and conflict resolution.
She revealed that key highlights of the project so far include youth Empowerment where over 100 young people completed skills training in areas such as tailoring and agriculture. Many have since launched small-scale businesses or community initiatives.
She added that the project has also established peace advocacy networks where youth-led CSOs, members of the Motorbike Riders and Kekeh Riders Unions and women’s groups participated in intensive workshops on leadership, advocacy and conflict mitigation, furthering that civic engagement where youth are now engaged in intergenerational dialogue and community decision-making processes, bridging the gap between generations and improving local governance is also a key highlight of the project.
She pointed out that policy engagement is also part of the highlight where participants developed a position paper highlighting key issues affecting young people and recommending policy actions to relevant institutions.
During the closing session, participants presented their position paper to policymakers and service providers. While the content of the paper was not disclosed ahead of the presentation, Eliza Sillah stated that it reflects urgent community needs and calls for a secure and inclusive urban environment for all, including women, girls and persons with disabilities.
She also highlighted the project’s focus on inclusive development, with specific interventions targeting vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, who are now receiving vocational training and will be supported with startup kits.
“The position paper will speak for itself,” Eliza Sillah concluded. “What matters most is that young people have taken the lead in shaping the future of their communities through advocacy and peaceful engagement.”
Reverend Father Peter Konteh, Executive Director of Caritas Freetown, described conclusion date of the 3-day training as symbolically significant due to its global recognition as the end of the Second World War. He emphasized that the timing reinforced the importance of the workshop’s peace-driven objectives.
“For quite some time now before, during and after the elections we have been working to promote peace,” said Reverend Father Peter Konteh. “We trained stakeholders, including bike riders, youth, women and persons with disabilities, to become ambassadors and advocates for peace within their communities.”
The training focused on key objectives such as enhancing leadership, communication and conflict resolution skills among participants; equipping them with knowledge in strategic planning and resource mobilization; strengthening coordination between grassroots advocacy groups and policymakers; and offering a platform for community members to engage with decision-makers through a formal position paper.
Anticipated outcomes of the initiative include the training of at least 60 youth and women leaders, the strengthening of community-based advocacy networks and improved coordination between local advocacy actors and Government institutions.
Reverend Father Peter Konteh stressed the relevance of the training to young people, noting that they are often the most vulnerable and easily manipulated during times of unrest. “When there is a crisis, it is often the youth who are used to perpetrate violence. This training equips them with the awareness and tools to resist such manipulation and instead become champions of peace,” he said.
Speaking on the position paper Reverend Father Peter Konteh highlighted that it would reflect genuine community concerns and recommendations, not imposed ideas. “We don’t want to spoon-feed the participants. The issues will emerge organically from discussions and experiences,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Caritas Freetown expects the position paper to lead to actionable change. “We are very familiar with great policies that remain unimplemented,” Reverend Father Peter Konteh remarked. “We want to ensure there is a follow-up on the recommendations. Implementation is key.”
Participants praised the initiative for fostering civic engagement, promoting local governance and empowering grassroots actors to meaningfully contribute to peace building and policy reforms in their communities.
The Youth in Politics and Peacebuilding project continues to be a beacon of inclusive development and Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone, fostering a new generation of civic-minded leaders.
Safiatu Kanu, the Ward Chairlady for Ward 416 in Constituency 119, described the training as a timely and empowering initiative for grassroots leaders like herself. She emphasized that the knowledge gained in leadership, communication and conflict resolution is crucial for community mobilizers, particularly in politically sensitive environments.
According to her, the training helped bridge the gap between grassroots realities and policy decision-making by equipping local leaders with the tools to advocate for peace and development effectively.
For Safiatu Kanu, the significance of the training lies in its inclusive approach, which brought together youth, women, bike riders and persons with disabilities. She noted that this diversity allowed for meaningful conversations and shared experiences that strengthened solidarity among community actors. “We often see Peacebuilding as something for elites or external organizations,” she said, “but this training showed us that we, as local leaders, have the power and responsibility to drive peace from within our communities.”
Abdul Mansaray, a youth leader from Constituency 125, expressed deep appreciation for the Peacebuilding training, describing it as a transformative experience for young leaders. He emphasized that the training came at a critical time when the country is still navigating post-election tensions and youth are often vulnerable to political manipulation. The knowledge and skills he acquired in leadership, conflict resolution and policy engagement, he said, have equipped him to play a more proactive role in fostering peace and stability within his community.
He noted that youth are frequently at the forefront of both conflict and change, making their involvement in peacebuilding initiatives not only strategic but essential. “Too often, we’re used as instruments of violence without understanding the bigger picture,” he remarked. “This training has helped us understand our value, our influence and our responsibility in shaping a peaceful Sierra Leone.”
