Liberian Youth Launch the "Don't Touch My Peace" Campaign

Liberian youth will gather virtually on International Day of Peace to discuss the state of Liberia’s peace with Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee. In the last seventeen years, Liberia experienced a relative peace following two painful civil wars. Leymah Gbowee led a women’s peace movement that was instrumental in ending the second Liberian civil war in 1996. Since then, she has worked tirelessly through her foundation, the Gbowee Peace Foundation, and partnerships to foster lasting peace.

 Recent incidents of sexual and political violence have emerged as alarming threats to the stability of Liberia. On September 21st, Madam Gbowee will sit down (virtually!) with youth from PeaceJam Liberia to realize the role of Liberian youth as ambassadors of peace. The theme of the event was The Role of Liberian Youth in Sustaining Liberia's Peace & Preventing Electoral Violence. Sam G. Doe, the United Nations Development Programme Director for Sierra Leone also joined the discussion. The example and leadership of these youth has become especially important as the Midterm elections draw closer. Since they represent the majority within partisan groups, Liberian youth have long been manipulated by political leaders into carrying out acts of political violence.

Beginning in Liberia, the campaign is led by over 600 PeaceJammers within several Liberian counties. Youth ambassadors will be speaking and engaging with their peers over the importance of resisting any exploitative tactics to bring them into political violence. PeaceJam Liberia and Leymah Gbowee hope that the Don’t Touch My Peace campaign will inspire partner campaigns in other areas at risk of upcoming political violence.

Learn more about the Don’t Touch My Peace Campaign here! Watch the launch at this link.