Halfway there: peace and education projects making an impact around the world!

Earlier this year, we announced the 15 State of Youth Chapters selected to receive funding for their projects promoting peace and education, inspired by International Children’s Peace Prize winner, Bana Alabed. Now that the projects are at the halfway point, we are excited to share what they have achieved so far. This Changemaking Call was financially supported by WereldWijd voor Kinderen (WWvK).  

More than 7,000 children and young people have been reached by the projects so far! Take a look at some of the highlights:

Young people see what their communities need. So, what happens when they get the space and support to act?

We received more than 80 applications from State of Youth Chapters around the world. After a careful review by the Selection Committee, 12 Chapters will receive funding to turn their ideas into action and strengthen children’s and youth mental health at the grassroots level.

From Indonesia to Sint Maarten, these projects put young people in the driver’s seat. EcoWell Youth combines mental health education with environmental action to build resilience and belonging among students. Leaders for Change Rising Tides create peer support circles and spaces for creative expression.

In the United Kingdom, The Digestible Project is supporting young people from marginalised backgrounds with a mental health and wellbeing program. In Ethiopia, State of Youth Jimma is providing trauma-informed healing support to young refugees.

Their ideas are already moving. Now they have the support to take them further.

Chapter Highlights

State of Youth @ Speak out Youth Indonesia 

The Chapter onboarded 30 young volunteers and equipped them with the knowledge and skills to lead engaging peace education initiatives. They designed their own interactive, youth-friendly educational materials and used them in anti-bullying and peace education sessions in 5 schools, engaging 200 students and teachers. An online campaign has also shared educational posts to bring the message to an even wider audience. 

State of Youth @ Mbarara, Uganda 

The Chapter has distributed 120 school kits to vulnerable students and hosted conflict resolution and mediation workshops in 4 schools. It also launched a youth peace advocacy radio campaign with UBC Radio, where trained youth advocates speak on air about tribal harmony, peaceful co-existence and trauma healing. The campaign has reached thousands of settlement residents.

Every single project funded shows how young people are leading change in their own communities.

Watch some of their amazing work here and we look forward to sharing the final results by the end of 2026!