Timor Leste’s population is among the youngest in Asia, with 46 percent under 18 years old. The youth drew the special attention of Pope Francis in his historic visit to Dili on 9 September 2024. Addressing some 700,000 of the faithful, among others he called on people to do “everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy peaceful childhood for all young people.”
With their dominant population, the youth should indeed be the focus of strengthening peace. Therefore, AJAR Timor Leste focuses on involving underprivileged youth. Among the activities to campaign peace for the youth was the two-day National Seminar on 11-12 August 2023 in Dili, to celebrate the 2023 International Youth Day, which falls on August 12.
Timor-Leste’s Truth Commission (CAVR) made key recommendations focused on youth, including human rights and peace education. Many of the recommendations caution against the reproduction of violence, including the need to counter stigma against victims, and those accused as “traitors” during the struggle for independence.
Particularly since independence from Indonesia, political parties recruited youth, while repeating past patterns of name-calling, and show of force. AJAR TL works with groups such as the Youth Council and martial arts groups, and involves vulnerable youth in the village or suco, as they are also often recruited into martial arts groups.
Apart from the seminar, AJAR TL held a workshop and a dialogue on peace and youth issues, and a focus group discussion to collect recommendations and community perspectives. Participants were youth from martial arts groups including Youth Off the Streets, ROTRAKT and the School of Alumni of Activists (Sekolah Activista Alumni). Participants formulated a “Political Manifesto of Youth and Peace”, which included their recommendations for state institutions, the Church and other national bodies. The Manifesto was presented to national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Youth, the Martial Arts Regulation Committee (CRAM), the CNC, the Timor Leste National Youth Centre (CNJTL), the NGO Forum (FONGTIL), and the Timor Leste Alumni of the Youth Parliament (APFTL). The Centre for Promoting Human Rights Movements (SBHMDU), which is an AJAR partner, is tasked to follow up on these recommendations and build the leadership capacity of the youth.
The workshop results further informed the in-depth research activities. Selected participants from the International Youth Day event joined a Training of Trainers workshop under AJAR’s Youth programme. The training aims to equip them as agents of change through community organisations and PAR activities with other marginalised groups. This activity involved 96 youth (25 women and 71 men) and 9 representatives of state institutions.