‘Peace is a beacon of hope’: young people’s commitment to building a culture of peace in Scotland

Young people are important actors in building and sustaining just and positive peace. This paper presents the conceptualisations of and commitments to a culture of peace youth would like to uphold in one of the least peaceful places in the United Kingdom, Glasgow. Fifty-nine youth participants (12–18 years old) coming from wealthy and disadvantaged areas of the city participated in arts-based workshops where they were asked to contribute to a Peace Wall by responding to peace-related prompts. We used the foundational elements of the culture of peace outlined in UN Resolution 53/243 titled Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace for a reading of youth conceptualisations and commitments. Our findings show young people’s strong commitment to a culture of peace in their communities through upholding human rights, equity, freedoms, respectful relationships with others, and personal responsibility. However, we also identify some missing elements, such as cooperation and solidarity with others. In our discussion, we discuss these findings and point to two key contributions to research and practices, with a particular focus on how to support youth learning to become peace facilitators and peacemakers.