The “Missing Peace” project successfully moved beyond theoretical peace education to deliver a scalable, open-source framework for Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) in Europe.
Central to this success were three core intellectual outputs: the co-created “Peace by Piece” Toolkit, validated through piloting in countries like Cyprus and North Macedonia; a comprehensive 40-hour Educational Pack for blended learning; and a robust e-Mapping Portal that now hosts over 30 grassroots initiatives and has attracted over 10,000 views. This digital-first approach ensured that the project’s methodology is not only empirically tested but also permanently accessible as a resource for the entire youth sector, aligning our work directly with the UN’s goals for Quality Education and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDGs 4 and 16).
The project achieved significant reach and high institutional engagement:
- Capacity Building: 70+ Youth Activists and Educators were trained through the long-term “Transnational Bridge Program,” creating a robust network of certified Youth Multipliers who actively engaged in dissemination.
- Stakeholder Validation: The Toolkit was developed based on consultation with at least 265 stakeholders(teachers, trainers, and experts), ensuring ecological validity and high adoption potential.
- Policy Engagement: The “Network Actors of Peace” Berlin Conference gathered 51 participants, successfully strengthening the link between youth practice and policy frameworks in Europe.
Exploitation, Utilisation, and Sustainability
The scaling strategy focused on institutionalizing the outputs to ensure a lasting legacy:
- Sustainability Measures: The e-Mapping Portal and Educational Pack are preserved as Open Educational Resources (OER) and are designed to remain online and updateable post-project.
- Institutional Adoption: Local Multiplier Events secured Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and formal commitments from partner organisations and high schools to incorporate the “Peace by Piece” Toolkit into their future training cycles.
- Replicability: The project’s governance model and back-to-back mobility planning were documented as best-practice approaches for improving efficiency and are replicable by other transnational youth consortia.
- SDG Alignment: The project directly contributed to SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice), and SDG 17 (Partnerships).
“The Missing Peace” project is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Program (Pr. Nr.: KA220-YOU-055CD22D).
