North America needs Youth, Peace and Security: young people shifting tides for positive peace

Authors

  • Katrina Leclerc Saint-Paul University
  • Shayne Wong University of Manitoba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18192/potentia.v12i0.5885

Keywords:

Youth, Peace and Security, youth activism, structural violence, social justice, peace and security, United States, Canada

Abstract

The United Nations' Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda ensures and demands the protection and recognition of young people's roles in peace and security. This article focuses on why domestic YPS implementation is needed with the rise of social justice activism by young people in North America.

 

The rise of youth activism and youth leadership in social justice movements has given a space for the global political agenda to challenge traditional approaches to "peace and security" frameworks. This includes challenging pre-conceived notions of YPS - and its policy frameworks - as a 'foreign' agenda by North American and other Western countries. We argue that this global shift in youth social justice activism demonstrates the need for critical domestic implementation and policy priorities for the YPS agenda within traditional donor- or Western- States, using Canada and the United States as case studies.

Author Biographies

Katrina Leclerc, Saint-Paul University

Katrina Leclerc is currently pursuing her PhD in conflict studies at Saint-Paul University. With extensive expertise in youth peacebuilding in conflict-affected areas, Katrina has been coordinating the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders’ Young Women Leaders for Peace (YWL) program in Eastern Africa since 2016. In late 2020, Katrina joined the Steering Committee of the Women, Peace & Security Network-Canada (WPSN-C) and co-founded the Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace & Security (CCYPS). She also sits on the boards of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) and the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW). 

Shayne Wong, University of Manitoba

Shayne Wong is a current MA candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. She has been working in both research and implementation of the peace and security agendas in the Great Lakes Region of Africa as a Remote Researcher for Fontaine-ISOKO since 2019. As of late 2020, Shayne co-founded the Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace & Security (CCYPS) and is an advisor to the Rohingya Human Rights Network. She is also the Manitoba Coordinator for the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) and holds a board position with the Institute for International Women’s Rights-Manitoba (IIWR-MB).

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Published

2021-10-25

Issue

Vol. 12 (2021): Change, Challenges, and Opportunities in Global Politics

Section

Articles