A group, the Voluntary Workcamps Association of Nigeria (VWAN), has challenged youths to be advocates of peace revolution from the grassroots up, especially as the country grapples with rising youth-led unrest and inter-communal tensions.
VWAN convened a three-day peace-building workcamp for youths in the Southwest, held at the Social Development Institute (SDI), Ogun State.The event featured an intensive programme anchored on the Service Civil International (SCI) Peace in Practice training model, built around the “Five Pillars of Peace”: peace with nature, peace with self, peace with others, peace in community, and peace in the world.
One of the Programme Coordinators, Oluwatosin Ligali, described the workcamp as a significant milestone in VWAN’s mission to cultivate peace builders and active citizens through experiential learning and community engagement. He noted that the event took place amid growing national concerns about youth involvement in conflict.
Ligali said by demonstrating young Nigerians’ readiness to champion alternative narratives, the event offers a timely model for peace education that combines theoretical grounding with practical application. He emphasised VWAN’s calls on government agencies, educational institutions, and corporate partners to invest in scaling this peace education initiative.
Renowned Kenyan peace activist and Coordination Officer of ICYE, Kubasu Inyanya Mercy, who delivered a lecture on, “The Impact of Decolonising Africa’s Mindset,” drew parallels between North-South and South-South exchange models, highlighting youth volunteerism as a vaccine against societal discord.
She expressed hope in seeing Nigerian youths rejecting the easy path of cynicism to embrace the harder but more rewarding work of bridge-building.
“This workcamp demonstrated that the Five Pillars aren’t theoretical concepts – they’re living practices that can reshape communities when internalised by young leaders,” she said.
The Dean of Student Affairs at Social Development Institute (SDI), Mr Oluwadamilare Awolesi, workshop on “Community Service and Youth Involvement in Peacebuilding,” provided practical frameworks for translating ideals into action. He engaged participants in role-playing exercises demonstrating how everyday interactions can either escalate or de-escalate tensions in multi-ethnic communities.
Awolesi said Nigeria’s youths crave structured opportunities to practice peace, adding that the institute is proud to partner with VWAN in creating these vital spaces for transformational learning.
The President of VWAN, Mr. Kola Aganran, during his session on “Introduction to VWAN’s Peace Pedagogy,” highlighted how workcamps serve as microcosms of the harmonious society Nigeria aspires to become.
