Rotary clubs in British Columbia are supporting a program for youth in Colombia.

Nechako Rotary is one of the 49 clubs pitching in for the $100,000 Positive Peace Workshop aimed at peacebuilding in the country. This builds off pilot projects in Uganda in 2016 and Mexico in 2017.

“The value of these workshops is that participants feel better equipped with knowledge and skills to apply in their work on peacebuilding. Those working at the centre of this cause in their country have formed or strengthened collaboration networks and have gone on to work on projects together,” explains Rotary District 5040 Governor Don Evans.

“Some have taken their workshop experience back to their universities and communities of students and young professionals to provide training in taking action on peace and conflict resolution.”

Colombia had been facing internal war for 52 years before a peace agreement ended it in 2016. Peacebuilding has been a struggle ever since.

Evans notes how important this workshop is because Colombia ranked 146 out of 163 countries in the 2017 Global Peace Index.