The Role of Youth from Diversified Cultural groups in Peace Building: Insights from the Fellowship Program on Peaceful Coexistence 2021, at University of Peshawar

Abstract

The University of Peshawar, Department of Philosophy in collaboration with the Mirror of Society, a youth magazine and with the support of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) organized a fellowship program on Peaceful Coexistence. The participants were from the different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with diversified educational backgrounds and knowledge expertise. This research study was carried out, based on the responses of the participants of fellowship program. In this study, the participants of the fellowship program were asked close-ended questions. The questionnaire was emailed to the participants, of which 45 percent filled and sent back the questionnaire. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the findings with the existing body of knowledge on peaceful coexistence. The results show that regardless of age, gender, department, affiliation, and diversified background, they were committed to peacebuilding, tolerance, empathy, and peaceful coexistence. The recommendation from this study is that in future young people with less or no formal education may be accessed of their understanding of the concept of peaceful coexistence.