In nations across the globe, we work with thousands of young women and men who, despite the dreadful experiences they have endured, work tirelessly for their friends, families, and neighbors to build peace in their communities. Peace Warriors is a documentary series about conflict, hope, and how young people around the world are coming together to create powerful change.
First Production to Feature South Sudan
Witnessing the incredible work of our peacemakers, we quickly realized that the world needed to know about their work. No better medium than film could help us pay tribute to their courage and engagement for peace. Thanks to a generous grant from our partner, Svenska PostkodStiftelsen, production on Peace Pioneers began in 2016 in South Sudan. WPDI worked with R2, a digital design studio with operations in two dozen countries, and Significant Productions, an independent-film production company, to craft a documentary as well as complementary web shorts featured on YouTube and other social media platforms. Peace Pioneers follows members of WPDI’s Youth Peacemaker Network as they embark on their journeys to build peace in their communities. Through this lens, we explore the resilience of South Sudan’s citizens during an ongoing humanitarian crisis and illustrate how youths across the nation are working together to rebuild the country following a violent civil war.
A Chance to Raise Awareness
Though the primary arc of the story follows our youth peacemakers and the impact they are having, the documentary and accompanying shorts depict the realities of day-to-day life for many South Sudanese citizens and how they are moving forward following the implementation of a fragile peace agreement. Ultimately, though, this story is about hope. Through “Peace Pioneers”, we seek to instill in viewers some of the fundamental messages that guide WPDI’s work, including that ordinary people can make a difference. That youths have the capacity to come together to reverse entrenched cycles of violence and create sustainable peace. Everyday acts of kindness, even in parts of the world touched by conflict, can cause powerful ripples that are felt throughout a community – and around the world.
