Youth Peace Exchange: East Africa-Finland

Online

SIGN UP FOR THE EVENT HERE (link opens in a new window).

Young people are key actors in shaping peaceful and sustainable futures. How do digital spaces influence youth participation in peacebuilding? What opportunities and challenges do they create?

The Youth Peace Exchange: East Africa – Finland is an event for young people to voice their perspectives and discuss the role of digital spaces in peace and security. The webinar aims to connect young people from East Africa and Finland, provide a safe space for dialogue, and strengthen youth participation in the field of peacebuilding.

Join us online on Tuesday, 4 November at 5:00 PM East African Time / 4:00 PM Finnish time for an open exchange and discussion.

Additional information about the event: Saana Heikkala, saana.heikkala@kua.fi, 050 475 7106

Program of the event

16.00  Keynote on Digital Peacebuilding

Grayden Prince, CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation

16.15  Panel Discussion on the opportunities and
challenges of digital spaces for peacebuilding

with Fozi Ahmed, Kabuulwa Muzafaluh and Mahlet Sebsibe
moderated by Ansa Kilpeläinen

 

About the keynote:


Grayden Prince works as a Project Officer in the Inclusion and Digital Innovation team at CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation. Grayden supports the implementation of cross-cutting themes (Youth in Peacemaking, Digital Peacemaking, & Women in Peacemaking) across CMI’s regional and country-specific portfolios. Currently, Grayden focuses on the strategic development of CMI’s work with Youth in Peacemaking. Prior to joining CMI, Grayden has worked across multiple continents in the humanitarian and development sector, with a primary focus on the nexus between gender, conflict, innovative technologies, and development.

Grayden holds a Master’s degree in International Development and Management from Lund University.

About the Panelists:


Fozi Ahmed, Founding Member of the East African Diaspora Youth for Peace Network

Fozi Ahmed is a founding member of the East African Diaspora Youth for Peace Network and a community-oriented professional dedicated to promoting youth well-being and peacebuilding. Volunteering is an important part of his life, and he is actively involved in various projects that support different communities and foster positive change.


Kabuulwa Muzafaluh, Communications Officer, Prospect Initiative

Kabuulwa Muzafaluh works as the communications officer for Prospect Initiative, a development and peacebuilding organization. He spearheads strategic communication initiatives that elevate voices and concepts influencing enduring peace. He brings together practitioners and thinkers for discussions on social change, governance, and peace as host of Out of the Box X Spaces. His dedication to the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda is evident in his work.

He bases his practice on both theory and practice by receiving training in civic
engagement, governance, youth leadership, and peacebuilding, and also promotes civic engagement, inclusive discourse, and youth viewpoints as means of achieving enduring peace.


Mahlet Sebsibe, Peace practitioner and Youth advocate

Mahlet Sebsibe is a dedicated peace practitioner and youth engagement advocate committed to advancing inclusive and sustainable peace. She holds a MA in Leadership and a MSC in Project Management, Evaluation, and Analysis. With over five years of experience in youth advocacy, she has actively engaged in national and international initiatives that strengthen youth participation in the peace and security sector.
.
Mahlet is a Generation Change Fellow with the United States Institute of Peace, a Clinton Global Initiative Fellow, and a Ban Ki-moon Center for Global Citizenship Fellow. She serves as a Youth Sounding Board Member at the EU Delegation to Ethiopia and  She is  also a fellow of the Young Peace Mediators Mentoring Program, an initiative of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa.
.
About the moderator:
.


Ansa Kilpeläinen is a master of social sciences specializing in peacebuilding and international politics. She has diverse experience in peace work, human rights, and peace education, having worked on issues such as inclusive and sustainable youth participation in peace processes. Currently, she represents Finland in Youth Peace Mediation Programme implemented by the Foreign Ministries of Finland and South Africa.

Her professional background includes roles at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Finnish Permanent Mission in Geneva, the Peace Education Institute, and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Kilpeläinen has both led and participated in youth-led initiatives in peacebuilding, with a particular focus on promoting and developing participation in national and international projects.