Over the past decade, Karachi has been beset by ever increasing levels of violent extremism characterized by violent protests, inter-ethnic, political, and religious conflicts, record-breaking murder rates, and terrorist activities. Understanding the potential role of youth in building peace as in most violent conflicts they either remain the perpetrators or victims of violence and extremism, SPADO carried out a capacity building, networking and outreach project in Karachi.
In order to strengthen the capacity for peacebuilding within the community, a batch of 20 youth leaders were trained as Master Trainers through a Training of Trainers (TOT) course in conflict transformation. The course also included building the skills of the youth in community based initiatives for peacebuilding and networking and collaborative efforts for peacebuilding.
Two Youth Resource Centers were established, which served as a platform for advocacy, research and capacity building in non-violent conflict resolution. Additionally, a newsletter was published and widely disseminated on monthly basis with inputs and feedback from the beneficiaries. Moreover advocacy and awareness activities such as drawing/sketching and essay competitions, focused on peacebuilding, were carried out in a number of schools. These drawings and essays were compiled and disseminated to relevant stakeholders at local and government levels.