OxPeace 2017: The role of formal and non-formal education for youth agency for peace: A synthesis report on findings from Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa and Uganda

I am presenting empirical insights from four country studies (Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa and Uganda) on the topic of youth agency for peacebuilding, and the role of non-formal and formal education in fostering or hindering such spaces. I reflect on the processes of knowledge generation about youth peacebuilding agency across diverse conflict-affected contexts, through a ‘critical cultural political economy of education’ approach that explores young people’s agency and empowerment. The report analyses youth agency for peacebuilding, through studying: 1) political agency (representation); 2) economic/sustainable livelihoods (redistribution); 3) socio-cultural relations/identity formation (recognition); and 4) dealing with the past and building trust (reconciliation). The report highlights the importance of the voices, This requires a context-specific, conflict-sensitive and cultural political economy understanding of the challenges and opportunities that various youth constituencies are faced with, and how education initiatives (fail to) respond to this.