A New Generation wakes up to War: reducing militarization, tensions and prejudices.

<< Background >>We applied the project funding immediately after the Russian’s full scale attack in Ukraine in February 2022. These new shocking realities in Europe made it necessary to ask; What is the role and space of peace in Europe, where do we need to go and what is the role of a new generation and peace education in Europe at war? At that time it was impossible to see, what direction the war would take, but as peace, youth and peace education organizations we were able to identify following need in the societies of the neighboring countries of Ukraine and Russia, especially among youth and people working with youth: 1.The need to cultivate hope, love and trust , 2. The need to foster agency and non-violent action of young people , 3. The need to tackle hate speech, discrimination and Russophobia in a situation, where actions in media, social media and general sense of fear, all feed and evoked old narratives of enmities, 4. The need to be able to receive refugees and meet their needs in a situation, where millions of people are again forced to flee from their homes due to a war. From these questions and realities rose proposal and project “New Generation Wakes Up to a War” (NewGen). << Objectives >>The first objective of the project was to return the focus on the importance of non-violent social responses and reclaim the agency of activism that building positive peace—a concept lost due to the war. Drawing from Johan Galtung’s theory, positive peace means building sustainable peace based on equality and justice. The Russian invasion has shifted Europe’s sense of security, making this focus relevant for years to come. The second objective was to foster dialogue among youth and youth workers, including Russian speaking minorities, to reflect together on the current situation and explore ways to move forward with hope, solidarity, and peace. In a divided world the project aimed to create inclusive spaces for shared understanding. The third objective was to provide participants with skills in conflict analysis, dialogue, participation, and basic filmmaking—empowering them to actively contribute to peacebuilding processes. The fourth objective was to build a cycle of trust, solidarity, and action through in-person and online learning. Youth activists and workers engaged in three trainings, keeping video or written diaries, would create an online publication, which would capture their growth, dialogue, and visions of peace. << Implementation >>The NewGen-project included two one-year international training processes (6 trainings), national mentoring, local peace initiatives, and final seminars in Berlin and Helsinki. - Group 1 (Youth): Trainings: March (Warsaw), May (Helsinki), Nov (Cluj-Napoca), all 2023. Local activities: Finland – youth secured funding for intergenerational dialogue and built peace work networks. Poland – fostered dialogue between Ukrainian refugees and locals. Romania – focused on everyday peace skills and understanding. - Group 2 (Youth work professionals): Trainings: June (Cluj-Napoca), Oct (Warsaw), March (Berlin), 2024-2025. Local activities: Finland – created a professional support network. Poland – ran art and advocacy for peace. Romania – supported f.ex. Ukrainian community participation. In addition, national mentoring in all countries (6 groups total, participants: 58; trainers: 13) and final seminars 12.3.2025 Berlin, 19.8.2025 Helsinki. German partner CSSP provided expert input and hosted a seminar. National/international dissemination led to the online publication “Portraits of Peace”: https://rauhankasvatus.fi/portraits-of-peace/. << Results >>A training program on peace education and peace work for young activists and youth workers. The program consisted of two cohorts of year-long training processes, including three international on-site trainings and national mentoring activities. This process has contributed greatly to the development of our peace education and peace work training modules for the youth work field, which will be implemented twice a year in the future.A network of 70 peace experts (both youth and professionals) has been established.The participants have organized several events and activities to share their learnings. In addition to educators, these events and activities have provided participation opportunities for children, young people, families, and communities in Poland, Romania, and Finland (see Appendix).Portraits of Peace publication, that is used in peace education and peace work trainings in the youth field. rauhankasvatus.fi/en/portraits-of-peace/Impact: General understanding of these topics has increased, and the theme has gained wide visibility. The framework for peace education has become clearer, while peace education trainings have gained significant momentum and are directly feeding in our other projects on peace education.