Youth, Arts, and Peacebuilding: Peace of Art Featured in Yara Itani’s Work
In her article “From the front lines to policy tables: Advancing youth participation in Lebanon”, published by the Helmut Schmidt Stiftung, writer and researcher Yara Itani explores the role of youth engagement, dialogue, and cultural initiatives in addressing social fragmentation and strengthening democratic values. The article was written in the context of ongoing regional and global challenges, particularly in the Middle East, where conflict, polarization, and social divisions continue to shape the realities of younger generations.
Peace of Art participants paint a mural celebrating peace, hope, and community.
Within this broader reflection, Peace of Art is highlighted as a practical example of how grassroots, youth-led initiatives can contribute to peacebuilding through creative expression. The mention situates Peace of Art within a wider ecosystem of actors working to rebuild trust and foster dialogue in divided societies.
Peace of Art’s approach, as referenced in the article, centers on empowering young people to engage in peacebuilding through arts-based programs. By bringing together participants from diverse religious, cultural, and social backgrounds, the initiative creates safe and inclusive spaces for dialogue, collaboration, and mutual understanding. Artistic expression becomes a powerful tool for communication, enabling youth to address sensitive issues and bridge divides where traditional forms of engagement may be limited.
The article highlights the growing importance of such approaches in today’s context. At a time when the Middle East continues to face instability and conflict, initiatives like Peace of Art demonstrate how youth can play a leading role in shaping more peaceful and cohesive societies. Through interreligious dialogue, creative collaboration, and community engagement, these efforts contribute to long-term social resilience.
By referencing Peace of Art, Yara Itani’s work reinforces a central idea: that sustainable peace must be built from the ground up, with youth at its core, and that arts and culture are essential tools in enabling this transformation.
Yara Itani
Yara Itani was a CrossCulture Programme Fellow at the Bundeskanzler -HelmutSchmidt -Stiftung from October to December 2025. She is a social worker who has worked on the front lines of Lebanon’s various crises, focusing on responding to gender -based violence and addressing sexual and reproductive health issues affecting vulnerable communities. She holds a diploma in Humanitarian Crises, solidarities and international cooperation and serves as the Stakeholder Engagement Officer at MENA4YPS, a coalition that aims to bridge the gap between the global context related to the Youth, Peace and Security agenda and the region, and to push the agenda in the local context.
