By JIDAUNA DARING
The Director General, Plateau State Peace Building Agency (PPBA), Dr. Julie Sanda, has called on Plateau youth to inculcate the spirit of creating story contents that would continue to project the good image of the state.
Sanda made this call during a one-day workshop organised by the agency on agenda appreciative inquiry, held at the Villa Grande Hotel, Gold and Base, Jos, recently.
She appreciated all the participants for honouring the invitation, adding that their presence had shown their commitment and also demonstrated their love for peace in the state.
Sanda noted that all the engagements within the month of September were part of activities to celebrate this year’s International Peace Day.
She advised the youth to refrain from acts capable of causing disharmony, urging them to continue building bridges of peace and unity so as to move the state forward.
The theme for the workshop was, ‘Act Now, Speak Peace: Positive Messages for a Peaceful Plateau’.
Senior Technical Advisor, GIZ Peace Core II Project, Suzan Gopuk, said that GIZ believed in positive change, fostering inclusive dialogue of peace and understanding in the society.
“Together, we will explore strengths, share successes and co-create solutions that promote development and a brighter future for all,” she said.
Presenting a paper titled, ‘Appreciative Inquiry (AI): A Pathway to Peace-Building’, Director of Administration of the agency, Mr. Elkanah Izam, pointed out that AI offered a powerful framework for promoting peace-building efforts.
“It also promotes collaborative and inclusive change; not just experts or leaders in identifying strengths and co-creating solutions. It builds ownership, strengthens relationships and fosters a sense of shared purpose,” he explained.
Izam added that AI also supported sustainable development, community development and education reform, among others.
THE NIGERIA STANDARD reports that other papers presented include: Understanding Fake News by Team Lead, Strategic Communication PSPBA, Mr. Kenneth Dakop; Content Creation and Business by Tim Kunat; Social Media Advocacy on Environmental Justice by Benson Fasanya; and Social Media as a Tool for Prevention and Peace-Building through Content Creation by Matthew Tegha.
In his remarks, Plateau Youth Council (PYC) Chairman, Jos North, Paul S. Mancha, applauded PPBA for organising the workshop, which drew participants from communities of Jos North, Jos South local government areas and the Peace Youth Camp.
The second day of the workshop focused on art exhibition for peace, with the theme: ‘Act Now for a Peaceful Plateau’.
Sanda disclosed that the main objective of the event was to showcase how art and creative expressions can foster healing, resilience and peaceful co-existence, while promoting inclusive dialogue through cultural narratives, among others.
She charged the participants to make proper use of the impacted knowledge and ensure that such knowledge was stepped down to others in their respective communities, adding that the agency had a lot of programmes and activities on peace lined up.
“We advocate for nothing but peace,” she stressed.
In an interview with THE NIGERIA STANDARD, some of the participants expressed gratitude to PPBA and their partners for organising the workshop, which they described as very educative and timely.
The participants promised to hit the ground running with what they had gained from all the presentations.
Highlights of the Day 2 programme included a guided tour by artists who explained the inspiration behind selected artworks, networking, creative performances, storytelling, drama, music on peace and one Plateau and a talk titled, ‘Art as a Voice for Peace and Healing’, among others.