Empowering Youth to Become Moral and Innovative Leaders in Nepal

Robin McDonough
March 18, 2024
A group of individuals engaged in a meeting or seminar inside a room with an empowering youth at the front.

GPF Nepal hosts youth leadership development workshops.

It is well-known that today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. With the proper training and skills, they will become moral and innovative leaders capable of constructively navigating divisive conflicts to reach peaceful resolutions while preserving the dignity of those involved. The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Nepal provides this critical leadership training to youth through their Global Peacebuilders Leadership Program (GPLP) and Moral and Innovative Leadership Workshops (MILW). Three events were held in Nepal in January 2024 to unite youth from diverse backgrounds to collaboratively learn to pair values with life-long skills to create a progressive society where diversity is valued as a strength and peacebuilding becomes second nature.

Twenty-nine young participants gathered on January 18 as part of the Youth Democracy Camp in collaboration with Youth Advocacy Nepal. Introducing the concept of moral and innovative leadership, the attendees learned that character development is an important aspect of leadership that provides a strong foundation for volunteerism and community service. The attendees were also provided training on the global peace values framework aligned with GPF’s vision of “One Family Under God.” One attendee commented, “I have learned that if we know our core values, then we won’t be easily influenced by the situation we are in. To become a leader, we should build our character. That is what I am going to start to execute my vision for my family and network.”

A presenter addressing an audience in a classroom with a PowerPoint slide projected in the background, focusing on empowering youth.

GPF Nepal hosts youth leadership development workshops.

Two GPLP capacity-building sessions were held in January, each offering training on various leadership topics. GPLP fellow Suhel Ratna Shakya led the January 24th session, where the twelve young attendees were provided training on adaptive leadership. On January 30, fellows Sushma Paudel, Sudha Panthi, and Prashant Pandey provided the thirteen young attendees with training on presentation skills, food security, and entrepreneurship. The attendees and GPLP fellows were grateful for the opportunity to participate in the leadership training sessions. One attendee said, “I have learned three things in one day. It was a fruitful day for me. It is inspiring to see my fellow youth taking the stage and imparting knowledge to us.” The fellows increased their self-confidence by presenting valuable leadership information while sharing their knowledge with the young attendees, adding peer credibility to the program.

Group of innovative leaders displaying posters at a youth democracy camp.

Participants explain outcomes of group discussions.

A sustainable, peaceful coexistence resides in the ability of youth to become moral and innovative leaders. GPF Nepal acknowledges this and readily accepts the responsibility to engage young people to learn, grow, and become productive members of society through volunteerism and community service. The GPLP Cohort 3 Fellows will remain engaged in a follow-through plan to continue their efforts to complete the remaining capacity-building sessions, leadership development program, service program, and mini-project implementation.

Recognizing the value of youth leadership programs, a MILW participant favorably commented on their value and suggested the need for expanding the programs locally. “I would like to suggest bringing this initiative to local levels. Many emerging youth leaders like us lack the proper knowledge and skills of good leadership.” The value of these programs cannot be overstated; they are the foundation for engaging youth in peacebuilding at all levels of society.

Help Global Peace Foundation continue to foster moral and innovative leadership capacities in youth worldwide by donating today.

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