Empowering at-risk youth and preventing violenceEarlier this fall, the St. Andrew’s office was abuzz withnews – youth in three areas of Cairo, who had previouslymaintained violent rivalries, had agreed to a peace treaty.Phones of the Youth LEAD staff were ringing every othersecond, the excitement of the young men buzzing at theother end. The night before, over 70 young men had metand agreed to peace. and agreed to peace.

The real story here is that this is not just any other peaceagreement. This agreement was generated among theyoung men themselves after a respectably long period ofnon-violence, without the intervention of the staff atYouth LEAD – though it was obviously encouraged and supported.

Within these youth and in other communities prone toWithin these youth and in other communities prone togang violence, numerous peace truces have beenestablished. However, such peace truces are oftenbrought about due to initiation from outside,well-intentioned but misguided mediators. What oftenresults is a declaration for peace that looks pretty onpaper, but is really just a conglomeration of empty wordsin the name of peace. in the name of peace.

At other times, peace truces surface in direct response tocertain acts of violence. While this idea is on the righttrack, it too is an incomplete solution. The mixing ofemotions action can be unstable and at risk for collapseunder the pressures of vengeful forces and pre-existingconditions in the community, the same conditions thatlead to gang-violence in the first place. The staff at Youthlead to gang-violence in the first place. The staff at YouthLEAD work not to produce a document, but to identifyand tackle the underlying conditions that lead young mento choose gang-violence.

The Youth LEAD project operates four centers currently,with plans in the works for three more centers, to provideat-risk youth with an alternative to the streets. The youngmen can take English classes, receive tutoring, life skillmen can take English classes, receive tutoring, life skillclasses, attend demand-driven seminars, take hip-hoplessons, seek counseling, use computers, or simply hangout in a safe environment. By offering these young men

resources and support, Youth LEAD is working toeliminate the perceived need among youth forgang-violence, and in effect, supplying these youngmen with the tools and resources to resolve theirconflicts and establish their own peace.

By fostering a safer environment, the Youth LEADproject encourages these young men to forge peaceproject encourages these young men to forge peacethemselves. The fact that this peace truce arose after a period of peace suggests development of realprogress, rather than impassioned reaction to a recent occurrence. Youth LEAD fosters and encour-ages peace, but not just in the name of peace – moreimportantly, in practice. And sure enough, thesentiment of accomplishment has echoed through-out the Youth LEAD centers with celebration, pizzaparties, and the creation of an official banner, paint-ed excitedly the night after the young men shook hands in peace.

-Sarah Conner, Volunteer since October 2009

Wish List

$20 - Pair of Sneakers for Sports Activities

$100 - Art Class Supplies$100 - Recorder$100 - Paint Renovation$100 - Paint Renovation$300 - Desktop Computer