Peace Camps Empower Liberian Youth to Envision a Different Future

TMS PEACE JOURNALISM, 13 Oct 2025

Tara Abhasakun | Peace News - TRANSCEND Media Service

A camp organized by Messengers of Peace Liberia
Photo: Messengers of Peace Liberia Facebook Page

1 Sep 2025 – Over two decades after Liberia experienced its second civil war in 2003, the country still struggles to build peace. The first civil war lasted from 1989 to 1997, and the second from 1999 to 2003, with the wars killing a total of between 150,000 and 200,000 people. Longstanding issues including ethnic grievances, weak governance structures, and socio-economic challenges remain. Meanwhile, many victims of the country’s wars feel they have been denied justice, as Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has failed to implement many recommendations, such as banning perpetrators from public office.

But recently, peace camps have been empowering Liberian youth to envision a different future. In July 2025, 50 young people from Liberia’s Maryland and Grand Kru communities gathered in Monrovia for the ninth Annual Peace Through Fair Play (PTFP) Youth Camp, organized by the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa (GPFA).

For a week, the youth participated in activities teaching them to build a more peaceful Liberia. These activities included: visiting an ice-cream factory to learn about entrepreneurship; attending a service by a pastor about “walking in purpose and peace;” a session on understanding conflict and root causes of the civil wars; a session on effective communication; and a community-building workshop led by Nobel Peace Laureate Madam Leymah Bgowee.

One youth representing the campers, Kenneth Weah, told GNN Liberia, “We are not just campers, we are the voices of Liberia’s future.

Another youth peace camp was organized in Liberia in late August 2025. Messengers of Peace-Liberia (MOP) organized its seventh Annual National Youth Peace Summer Camp, welcoming over 100 youth peace messengers from all 15 counties of Liberia.

Three campers moderated a session by liou M. Dia, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Liberia. The conversation focused on mental health, self-discipline, and the importance of leadership grounded in unity and integrity. Dia expressed admiration for the campers’ energy and commitment. He stressed the importance of their passion for development and peace to Liberia’s future, The New Dawn Liberia reported.

Given Liberia’s turbulant environment, camps and other initiatives such as these play a critical role in providing youth with the chance to envision a different future. In May, Peace News Network (PNN) published an article about how positive dialogue is building peace in Liberia. Ex-combatants and former youth militia members—many of whom became commercial motorcycle riders known as ‘pen-pen riders’—were widely viewed as aggressive and dangerous. They were stigmatized and often pushed to society’s margins.

However, through intentional community dialogue and organizing, pen-pen riders began to transform public perceptions. Grassroots organizations began to form—involving the riders both as group members and dialogue participants—and acknowledged their value in getting information to people quickly when it was needed most. They led peaceful election campaigns, distributed Ebola prevention education, and spread peaceful messages on the radio and at community events.  Perceptions of pen-pen riders started to shift from “violent outgroup” to “partner in peace”—not only in the eyes of community members but in the riders themselves.

In other peace initiatives in Liberia, women in peace huts have been instrumental in assisting young men who committed atrocities to re-integrate into their communities. They also  lead community dialogues about peacebuilding that include men, youth, and elders.

The road to building true peace in Liberia will be difficult. However, there are steps the government can take to empower youth. In March, Dr. Ibrahim Bangura recommended in an article for PNN that the state and its development partners make consistent efforts to “empower young people through access to education, skill building, employment, and political representation, to reduce their vulnerability and provide them with legitimate avenues towards community participation.”

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Tara Abhasakun is a journalist in Bangkok. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara’s work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.

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