Youth, Violence and Conflict Transformation
VISIT THE EXHIBITION AT THE SOAS GALLERY, RUSSELL SQUARE, LONDON, WC1H 0XG – JAN 16 – MARCH 21 2026. TUES – SAT 10:30 – 17:00, THURS 20:00. SUN & MON CLOSED.
When fighting breaks out and bullets fly, what would you do? What can you do?
It’s easy to feel powerless when you are caught in a conflict, especially as a young person. But our exhibition shows that there is power in hope, in community, and in taking action.
The collection of comics, drawn from research, provides a window into the world of young people living through conflicts. The five stories showcase their strength, their struggles and their successes, as they imagine and build a better future. The two highlighted stories, from Colombia and Algeria, demonstrate that peace isn’t only something you can wish for, but that you can actively work towards.
At a time when many people, young and old, share deep concerns about the state of our world, these comics provide a rich resource for learning and for engaging young people and their educators. They spark conversations and questions, like: Is standing by as harmful as joining in with violence? Does peace mean the same thing to everyone? And whose responsibility is the future?
Above all, they prove that you are never too young to make a difference. Every one of us can take steps to create a more peaceful, sustainable world.
So, in the spirit of not standing by, come and visit the exhibition and take a look.
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‘I Couldn’t Stand By’ was illustrated by Daniel Locke and co-curated by Dr Benjamin Worku-Dix
Special thanks to:
John Hollingworth, Dr Chas Morrison and Dr Michaelina Jakala
Thank you to everyone who generously gave their time and entrusted us with their stories, which are the basis of everything we do.
This work was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust, which funded the initial research and Coventry University, IAA Rapid Response Fund which funded the exhibition.
The Youth, Violence and Conflict Transformation: Exploring mobilization into violence and the role of youth in peacebuilding project is a six-year long research project funded by the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust exploring young people’s role in violence and conflict transformation.
Project Overview
Alarm caused by the burgeoning global youth population and young people’s potential roles in causing or sustaining conflict have been well documented, whilst their contribution to building peace is often overlooked. Young people often present a combative or destabilising force within post-conflict communities, but they also work on the frontlines of peacebuilding, contributing to the rebuilding of civil society and the local economy. Their lack of political representation and their marginalisation from decision-making in many conflict-affected societies explains why these positive contributions go unrecognised. The disparities that young people face in accessing economic, political and socio-cultural resources explains why the impact of youth peacebuilding activity is sometimes limited. Many young people also experience a ‘double’ marginalisation because of their gender, disability, religion or ethnic status, yet current literature and programming often fails to take account of this in seeking to understand barriers to youth participation.
Recognising that international actors are increasingly aware of the need to include young people more substantively in shaping society, this project currently addresses the question of how the peacebuilding sector might be enabled to fully integrate young people into activities geared towards political change and positive peace. This project therefore looks at how we can ensure that young people’s voices are listened to and acted upon in societies where youth marginalisation has previously been a factor facilitating their mobilisation into violence, and the responsibilities that are placed on others to create spaces for youth participation.
Project Objectives
- Youth participation in shaping the post-conflict environment
- The youth to adult transition in conflict-affected societies
- Youth, religion and the prevention of violent conflict in fragile contexts
The above objectives are covered through a case study-based approach and focuses on five conflict-affected contexts of Algeria, Colombia, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Iraq and Bosnia-Herzegovina. These five case studies allow us to study the nexus amongst youth, violence and conflict transformation in a comparative manner.