A team from Klibur Organizasaun Resistensia Timor-Leste (KORENTIL) is raising awareness among university students on how to avoid conflict.
The General-Secretary of KORENTIL, Jose Monteiro, said it aims to educate young people not to resort to conflict to solve problems.
“The youths have an important role to ensure stability [and] that is why they need to have knowledge about development,” said Monteiro in his office in Taibesi, Dili.
He also urged youths not to get involved in conflict as it would not solve anything.
“[These] problems will lead them to prison, the hospital and the cemetery if they die,” he said.
He said the awareness campaign would encompass management leadership, conflict prevention, ethics and organizational planning.
He said incidents of conflicts had reduced in the past few years due to ongoing educational campaigns targeting youth in the country’s municipalities.
The Coordinator for supporting the Civil Societies in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Joaquim da Costa Freitas, said young people could help contribute to their country’s development by strengthening stability.
“You have many opportunities; not only focus on your studies, but also take a part in extra activities,” he said.
He called on Civil Society organizations for peace-building to look at communities’ economic development as this was something that also needed to be addressed in order to reduce conflict.
Meanwhile, Cadisto Fone thanked KORENTIL for their efforts and encouragement.
“It’s very important for me – as a youth – to strengthen the spirit of nationalism by giving a contribution to this country’s development,” he said.
He said youth are often the victims of conflict, not the perpetrators, and because of limited employment opportunities, which makes it easier them to get involved in conflict.
