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Introduction
In Germany, security is often associated with military strength, protection by state security forces and the response to crises. Whilst this perspective is important, it is not sufficient on its own. Security also arises where people live together, resolve conflicts, influence political decisions and build trust – including in schools, local communities, youth centres and digital spaces.
The central question of this text is therefore: Why should schools, local communities, youth work and digital spaces be understood as venues for the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda?
The term ‘YPS spaces’ is not an official United Nations term. I use it as an analytical label for everyday spaces where the goals of the YPS Agenda can become tangibly visible. The four spaces represent different yet interconnected spheres of life: schools as places of education and interaction; local authorities as spaces for local decision-making; youth work as a voluntary and self-determined space for experience; and digital spaces as venues for public communication and the formation of political opinion.
My thesis is this: in Germany, peace-promoting work is already taking place in all four of these spaces. However, it is rarely recognised as a contribution to peace and security. As a result, its significance, the connections between these spaces, and the need for long-term support remain invisible.
What YPS has to do with everyday life
In 2015, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. It recognises the positive role young people play in peace and security and calls for their participation in political decision-making processes at local, national and international levels. The agenda comprises five pillars: participation, protection, prevention, partnerships, and disengagement and reintegration (UN Security Council, 2015).
The ‘Corona and Mental Health – Longitudinal Study 2020–2024’ conducted by UKE Research Hamburg shows that concerns about wars, economic uncertainty and the climate crisis are taking a toll on the mental health of children and young people (Kaman et al. 2025). Personal, family and social resources, on the other hand, can offer protection. These include self-efficacy and the feeling of receiving support in educational and leisure settings (Kaman et al., 2025).
In this text, by ‘peace promotion’ I mean concrete work on relationships, conflicts, participation and violence prevention. ‘Peace policy’, on the other hand, refers to the political decisions and structural conditions through which such work is recognised, funded and made possible in the long term. Schools, local authorities, youth work and digital spaces are therefore not automatically venues for peace policy. They can become YPS venues if young people are protected there, have a say in decisions and develop their own capacity for action.
Four settings, one shared logic
Schools: learning about and shaping peace
Schools are places where young people with different social, cultural and political experiences come together. Social conflicts therefore also become apparent in the classroom and in the school playground. Discussions about wars, the climate crisis, racism or social polarisation are not merely topics for lessons. They also touch on the question of how people interact with one another and how conflicts can be resolved.
However, schools are not automatically places that promote peace. They can also perpetuate exclusion, structural disadvantage and stereotypes. Peace education should therefore mean more than just knowledge about international conflicts. It should empower young people to recognise different perspectives, resolve conflicts and develop their own ways of taking action.
Through its PeaceDays@School initiative, the Berghof Foundation demonstrates what such an approach might look like. Pupils explore peace, conflict, war and the prevention of violence, and develop their own ideas on how peaceful coexistence can be achieved (Berghof Foundation, n.d.).
Similarly, the escape game ‘Unlock Europe’, developed by the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation and the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, combines knowledge transfer with teamwork and decision-making. In it, pupils take on political roles and work together to address issues such as climate security, healthcare, border conflicts and digital protection (BKHS/IFSH, n.d.).
Such examples demonstrate why schools can be regarded as YPS venues. They create opportunities for participation, prevention and partnership. To ensure that this work does not depend on individual projects or particularly committed teachers, peace education must be more firmly embedded in school culture, teacher training and the curriculum.
Local authorities: Peace is negotiated at a local level
Local authority decisions affect many aspects of everyday community life. These include the use of public spaces, the accommodation of refugees, the provision of facilities in youth centres and opportunities for political participation. Local authorities must reconcile differing interests and address conflicts before they escalate.
The German-European Forum for Urban Security (DEFUS) therefore describes local authorities as key actors in ensuring security and social peace on a day-to-day basis. This includes promoting integration, managing conflicts in public spaces and creating opportunities for people to come together (DEFUS, 2019).
Youth advisory councils, youth parliaments and other forms of participation can involve young people in these processes. It is crucial, however, that they are not merely consulted. They should be able to understand the impact their proposals have on decisions and why certain proposals are implemented or rejected.
Local authorities are therefore potential venues for YPS because young people gain concrete experience of political participation and social negotiation there. However, participation must not be limited to those who are already active in youth representative bodies, clubs or political groups.
Youth work: strengthening self-efficacy and relationships
Youth work creates spaces where young people can come together voluntarily, develop their own topics and take on responsibility. Youth centres, youth organisations and open-access programmes facilitate interaction, informal learning and democratic experiences. They often also reach young people who do not make use of institutional participation schemes or do not feel they are relevant to them.
This work promotes peace, even if it is rarely described as such. Anyone who makes decisions together in a group, resolves disputes or organises a project learns skills that are important for peaceful and democratic coexistence. These include listening, negotiating, a willingness to compromise and the experience of being able to make a difference themselves.
International youth work and youth organisations have for years been carrying out work that promotes social cohesion and intercultural dialogue and combats racism and extremism. At the 4th Federal Congress on Child and Youth Work, it was pointed out that this practice can be made more visible through the lens of the YPS Agenda (IJAB, 2024).
Youth work also acts as a link between the other three settings. It can complement school-based programmes, prepare young people for local community involvement and build on digital experiences. To do this, it requires reliable funding and sufficient qualified staff.
Digital spaces: integrating participation and protection
For many young people, digital spaces are a natural part of their everyday lives. They serve as a means of entertainment, gathering information, identity formation and political exchange. The JFF – Institute for Media Education describes the digital public sphere as an important space in which young people communicate and develop their perspectives (JFF, n.d.).
However, these spaces are ambivalent. Hate speech, disinformation and digital violence can intimidate young people and drive them out of public debates. A representative survey by the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2022 showed that 77 per cent of internet users aged 14 and over had already encountered hateful comments. In the 14–24 age group, very few had ever experienced the internet without hateful comments (State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia, 2022).
Digital spaces must therefore be understood not only as a risk, but also as potential spaces for youth participation. Young people are not merely users in need of protection in these spaces. They help shape digital public spheres, develop counter-narratives, support others and create new forms of political participation.
The JFF’s DISKUTOPIA project, in collaboration with young people and educational professionals, is developing methods for democratic conflict resolution in digital spaces (JFF, n.d.). The Digital Laboratories of the Archive of Youth Cultures are working on building resilience against hate and disinformation. Furthermore, the Digital Streetwork initiative by ufuq.de demonstrates how educational work can take place online, for example through counselling, counter-narratives and the empowerment of young people’s capacity for action (Archive of Youth Cultures, n.d.; ufuq.de, 2025).
Digital peacebuilding should therefore not consist solely of technical regulation. It requires educational programmes, protection against digital violence and opportunities to shape digital spaces together with young people.
What the four spaces have in common
The four settings fulfil different functions but follow a common logic. They create opportunities for participation, foster social relationships, address conflicts and can protect young people from violence and exclusion.
The methods are also similar. Dialogue, interaction, non-formal education and participatory decision-making processes take place in schools, youth centres, local communities and digital projects. A workshop at school, a youth advisory council, a joint project at a youth centre and an online counter-narrative training course may look different. However, they can all strengthen the same skills: seeing things from different perspectives, conflict resolution, taking responsibility and self-efficacy.
At the same time, all four settings face similar challenges. Polarisation, racism, right-wing extremism and online violence do not operate in isolation from one another. What begins online can continue in the classroom, at the youth centre or in public spaces. Added to this are budget cuts, a shortage of qualified staff and temporary project funding. As a result, it is precisely those structures that could address conflicts at an early stage and promote social cohesion that are losing their stability.
The YPS Agenda helps to highlight these interconnections. Its five pillars can be found in all four settings: participation in school councils and youth advisory boards; protection against violence and discrimination; prevention through education and interaction; and partnerships between institutions. The pillar of reintegration also highlights the fact that young people need support and new opportunities for inclusion following experiences of exclusion or conflict (UN Security Council, 2015).
Three recommendations for action
A first step would be to recognise everyday settings as YPS infrastructure. The federal government, the Länder and local authorities should make it clear that peacebuilding does not only take place within international organisations or in crisis regions. Schools, youth centres, youth organisations and digital educational programmes are already carrying out important work. This work should be explicitly recognised in political strategies, funding programmes and public debates as a contribution to peace and security.
Secondly: ensure that participation is sustainable and diverse. Young people should not only be consulted when planning projects, but should also have a say in decisions regarding priorities, funding and evaluation. Participation processes must also reach young people who are not already active in youth representative bodies, clubs or political groups. This includes, for example, young people with a migrant background, those without school-leaving qualifications, or those without regular access to educational and leisure facilities.
Thirdly: embed YPS across government departments. The Federal Government should link YPS more closely with education, youth, digital and security policies. The National Security Strategy and the National Action Plan for Child and Youth Participation should not be viewed in isolation. A clear link between the two documents could demonstrate how youth participation, protection and social cohesion are connected to security policy. Existing programmes for the promotion of democracy, political education, media literacy and youth work should be better integrated with one another.
Conclusion: Peace begins where young people live
Peace policy does not begin with international negotiations. It begins where young people learn, build relationships, resolve conflicts and influence political decisions.
Schools, local communities, youth work and digital spaces are therefore not isolated from one another. They form an everyday YPS ecosystem. Within them, participation, protection, prevention and partnership can be experienced in concrete terms.
The crucial change does not necessarily lie in creating new structures. The first step is to recognise existing work, link it together and provide reliable support. Young people should not merely be a target group or a symbol of participation. They must be involved as partners in shaping the places where they live.
The starting point, therefore, is not in distant conflict zones, but in the classroom, the youth centre, the town hall and the digital space.
The author is responsible for the content of this article. The article does not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation.
References:
Archive of Youth Cultures (n.d.) Digital Laboratories. Available at: jugendkulturen.de/innovationsprojekt-digitale-labore.html (Accessed: 6 August 2026).
Berghof Foundation (n.d.) PeaceDays@School. Available at: berghof-foundation.org/work/projects/peace-days-en (Accessed: 4 August 2026).
BKHS/IFSH (n.d.) Unlock Europe: The Escape Game. Available at: www.helmut-schmidt.de/bildung-forschung/escape-game (Accessed: 7 August 2026).
DEFUS (2019) Towards peaceful coexistence for all people in our cities: Guiding principles for the prevention of polarisation and anti-democratic tendencies in local communities. Available at: www.defus.de/html/download.cms (Accessed: 5 August 2026).
IJAB (2024) International youth work for peace and democracy. Available at: ijab.de/themen/jugendbeteiligung/aktuelle-beitraege-zur-jugendbeteiligung/internationale-jugendarbeit-fuer-frieden-und-demokratie (Accessed: 7 August 2026).
JFF, Institute for Media Education (n.d.) DISKUTOPIA: Spaces for Digital Conflict Resolution. Available at: www.jff.de/schwerpunkte/social-media/details/bravespaces (Accessed: 7 August 2026).
Kaman, A., Erhart, M., Devine, J., Napp, A.-K., Reiß, F., Behn, S. and Ravens-Sieberer, U. (2025) Mental health of children and young people in times of global crises: Findings from the COPSY longitudinal study from 2020 to 2024. Available at: fis.uke.de/portal/de/publications/psychische-gesundheit-von-kindern-und-jugendlichen-in-zeiten-globaler-krisen-ergebnisse-der-copsylangsschnittstudie-von-2020-bis-2024(3eb44d95-1567-4945-8b84-54f0f0bf6e0f).html (Accessed: 5 August 2026).
State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (2022) Online hate often targets politicians. Available at: www.medienanstalt-nrw.de/presse/pressemitteilungen-2022/2022/maerz/neue-forsa-zahlen-zu-hassrede-im-netz.html (Accessed: 7 August 2026).
UN Security Council (2015) Resolution 2250 (2015). S/RES/2250 (2015). Available at: docs.un.org/S/RES/2250(2015) (Accessed: 5 August 2026).
ufuq.de (2025) Digital Streetwork. Available at: www.ufuq.de/aktuelles/digital-streetwork-2/ (Accessed: 4 August 2026).
About the author: Pia Dietz is studying political science at the University of Hamburg. She supports youth and democracy education projects at the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation (BKHS), including the escape game ‘Unlock Europe’.
