Youth Torch Initiative

30/07/2026

Sextortion is a growing form of online exploitation where criminals manipulate victims into sharing intimate content, then use it to demand money, more explicit images, or sexual favors through threats and blackmail.

Protect yourself:
Never share intimate images with anybody.
Be cautious of fake profiles and online strangers.
Strengthen your privacy settings on social media.
If you're being threatened, do not pay and do not give in to their demands.

Preserve the evidence and report the incident immediately.

30/07/2026

Youth Torch Initiative (YoTI)

Commemorates

International Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2026.

Theme: Trapped Behind The Scam

At Youth Torch Initiative (YoTI) we recognize that countless individuals remain 'trapped behind the scam' of fraudulent job offers, false promises, and exploitative schemes that masquerade as opportunity. This year theme informs all with techniques to combat trafficking in persons.

For many survivors and vulnerable families in our communities, the collapse of these scams leaves lasting harm such as exploitation, displacement, and substance abuse as well as increase in criminality. Through child protection, trauma-informed counseling, and livelihood support activities, YoTI facilitates recovery with dignity. Our approach to repair centers on awareness-raising, skills development, referrals to legal assistance, and economic empowerment to prevent re-victimization and break cycles of poverty and abuse.

BUILDING RESILIENCE
Traffickers and scammers thrive in environments where information is limited and protection systems are weak. To counter this, YoTI implements interventions both online and offline programs.

Offline, we conduct community engagements and awareness creation in schools, markets, camps, and rural communities, utilizing local languages, music, and drama to reach diverse audiences. Online, we educate young people on the risks of fake employment, social media recruitment, and digital grooming that keep them trapped behind the scam.

We also address drug abuse and trafficking, recognizing addiction as a vulnerability that increases the risk of exploitation. By equipping communities with knowledge of their rights and access to safe alternatives, we strengthen collective resilience and reduce the space in which traffickers operate.

ACTION
Awareness must be matched with decisive action. YoTI collaborates with community leaders, security agencies, and child protection networks to identify, report, and respond to trafficking cases. We train educators, transport operators, and youth volunteers to recognize indicators of trafficking and to act promptly.

Our programming links peace promotion to anti-trafficking efforts, acknowledging that conflict and instability create fertile ground for exploitation. When cases are reported, YoTI ensures rapid referral pathways so survivors receive timely medical, legal, and psychosocial support.

YoTI COMMITMENT
For YoTI, ending human trafficking requires more than prosecution. It requires pulling individuals out from behind the scam and supporting them to rebuild sustainable futures. Through targeted livelihood support for vulnerable families and survivors, we create viable options for people to remain and thrive in their communities. Through peace promotion and youth leadership, we foster safe environments where children are protected, women are empowered, and no one is left behind.

In 2026, YoTI reaffirms its commitment to Repair for those affected, Resilience for communities, and Action for a future free from trafficking. Together, we are lighting the torch to expose deception and restore freedom.

Amb. Careen Nkereuwem
Coordinator

Devatop Centre for Africa Development
World Citizen PAC & The Peace Pad
Naptip Nigeria
UNODC Nigeria
IOM Nigeria

16/07/2026

PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT

💧

PEACE IN THE RAINS
Seventh day consistent rain in Calabar,
drumming soft on roofs, washing the dust away.
The air turns to freshness, cool on our brows,
and the city breathes again after heat and fray.
Puddles gather like mirrors, reflecting a gentler day.

Available water runs in gutters, in tanks, in streams,
a gift we did not buy but the sky has given.
It feeds the gardens, it fills our jugs,
fertility in crops, insects and animals, life is woven.
Let us catch it, clean it, and keep our earth unshaken.

Rain on skin is peace a quiet, steady kiss,
cleaning tears, pains and sorrows, leaving calm instead.
From swarm to stream to forest, let the trees stand tall,
PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT, so blessings are fed.
In Calabar’s 7th day rain, we find peace, and hope is spread.

Amb. Careen Nkereuwem.

World Citizen PAC & The Peace Pad
IOM - UN Migration
UNHCR Nigeria
ISSUP - International Society of Substance Use Professionals

14/07/2026

Upcoming Peace Education available to World Citizen Peace Ambassadors! 🗓️ Virtual joining links and recordings of workshops are available in our new Member Space. Register and join the Peace Ambassador movement! https://worldcitizenpeace.org/

Be the Change: Seek Peace Within: This video-based introductory peace education experience promotes mental & emotional well-being, peace, compassion and nonviolence.
🗓️ Saturday, July 18 at 8:30am PT | 4:30pm WAT

Discover Your Peacebuilding Superpower: Exploring 24 Types of Peacebuilders
🗓️ Friday, July 24 at 8:00am PT | 4:00pm WAT

Metamorphosis: Women's Resilience to Oppression in Turkey: Award winning documentary & conversation on human rights, civic engagement and social responsibility
🗓️ Monday, August 10 at 9:00am PT | 5:00pm WAT

*peaceeducation

World Citizen PAC & The Peace Pad

Our mission is to Empower People to Create a Just and Peaceful World. We achieve this by living, working, being and sharing the Five Peace Actions.

14/07/2026

🌍 Calling educators worldwide!

Applications are now open for an international pilot of the Peaceful Classroom Guide — a peace and global education curriculum developed by PeacEd Gateway (Education for Global Peace) and research study in partnership with Arizona State University.

We are seeking 9 classroom-based educators from around the world to participate in an 8–10 week curriculum implementation and pilot study taking place between September and the end of November 2026 (with permission process beginning in August).

We are inviting educators working with learners in these developmental levels:
🌱 Emerging (Primary/Elementary): Ages 7–9
🪴 Intermediate (Lower Secondary): Ages 10–13
🌳 Advanced (Upper Secondary): Ages 14–18

Participation can take place during regular school hours or in extended learning spaces, such as after-school programs.

Selected educators will collaborate with global peers, empower students as change agents, and receive a $575 honorarium for full participation.

If you believe education can help cultivate peace within ourselves, with each other, and with our planet, we invite you to apply.
📅 Apply by July 26
🔗https://forms.gle/GRsHBSGVcGA4Bcvt6
📧 Questions: [email protected]

12/07/2026

Young people can be vulnerable to exploitation and recruitment by gangs or organized criminal groups.

UNODC supports holistic prevention approaches including through sport, to build resilience and help them stay away from violence, crime and drugs.

http://bit.ly/4nvN0Sc

12/07/2026

Welcome Home Message to the Teachers and Pupils of ORIIRE LGA, Oyo State

On Insecurity:
We welcome you home with hearts full of relief and gratitude. No child or teacher should ever have to endure what you went through. This painful incident is a reminder of the deep insecurity affecting our schools and communities. At YoTI, we stand with you, your families, and the people of Oyo State in calling for stronger protection for schools, learners, and educators. Every child deserves to learn in a place of peace and safety.

On Trauma and Health:
We know that what happened has left emotional and physical wounds. To the teachers and pupils, please know you are not alone. Healing takes time, and it is okay to feel afraid, angry, or overwhelmed. YoTI urges the government, health workers, and community leaders to prioritize psychosocial support, counseling, and medical care for all returnees. We also call on parents, classmates, and neighbors to show love, patience, and understanding as you settle back home and back to school.

The Way Forward:
Moving forward, we must turn this pain into purpose. Together, we will advocate for safer schools, peace education in classrooms, and community watch systems that protect our children. YoTI commits to partnering with schools, government, and community leaders to promote peace, trauma healing, and resilience programs for pupils and teachers.
Welcome home. Your courage inspires us, and we walk with you toward a safer and brighter future.

Careen Nkereuwem

Coordinator

03/07/2026

Sometimes life can feel heavy. Things like illnesses, violence, uncertainties, and financial struggles can all take a toll.

And it is human to feel overwhelmed. But you aren’t powerless to fight this.

Here are some practical skills to cope with stress: https://bit.ly/4vv0K2G

30/06/2026

Building peace for young persons is one of the most effective ways to prevent DRUG ABUSE. When youth have a sense of purpose, belonging, and opportunity, the conditions that often lead to substance use like idleness, trauma, peer pressure, and hopelessness are reduced. Through skills training, mentorship, community engagement, and safe spaces for expression, we give young people tools to manage stress, resolve conflict peacefully, and see a future worth protecting.

PEACE, in this context, means stability at home, inclusion in community, and access to meaningful work or education, so young persons choose resilience over risk.

Amb. Careen Nkereuwem
Coordinator

27/06/2026

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit TRAFFICKING 2026.
Date: 26 JUNE 2026

Theme: The World Drug problem: Persisting Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses.

Topic: Creating Peace in a Society where Young Persons are at Risk of Drug Abuse.

Introduction
Drug problem continues to undermine peace, especially in communities where young people face limited opportunities. Persisting issues like poverty, trauma, unemployment, and weak support systems push youth toward drug use as a coping mechanism. Substance abuse then fuels violence, theft, and gang activity, which fractures families and erodes trust. When young people feel abandoned by institutions, the drug economy offers them identity, income, and belonging at the cost of their safety and their community’s stability. Without addressing these root conditions, peace remains fragile because the cycle of drug use and violence feeds itself.

Challenges
New challenges are making this cycle harder to break. Synthetic drugs are cheaper and more potent, spreading faster through informal markets and online networks. Social media has become a tool for recruitment and glamorization, while displacement, climate stress, and post-conflict trauma increase emotional vulnerability among youth. At the same time, stigma and punitive approaches often push young people away from health and support services, deepening mistrust. These shifts mean that old responses focused only on law enforcement cannot keep pace with how drugs now reach and influence young persons.

Way Forward
Innovative responses must center youth as partners, not problems. Creating peace starts with prevention through peer education, life-skills training, and mental health support that gives young people tools to manage stress without substances. Protection comes from expanding access to skills acquisition, enterprise development, and safe spaces where youth can earn income and build identity outside the drug economy. Participation is key when young people lead mediation circles, community projects, and awareness campaigns, they replace cycles of violence with cycles of responsibility.

The moral is clear: peace cannot exist where young people are left with no hope beyond the drug economy. When we choose inclusion over exclusion and opportunity over punishment, we affirm that every young person deserves a future worth protecting.

Conclusion
This combination of opportunity, solidarity, and inclusion moves us from managing drug-related crises to building societies where young people choose peace. Until every youth has a reason to believe in tomorrow, our work for a drug-free, peaceful society must continue.

Amb. Careen Nkereuwem
Coordinator

World Citizen PAC & The Peace Pad
IOM - UN Migration
IOM Nigeria
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
UNHCR Nigeria
Unodc Nigeria
World Health Organization (WHO)
UNFPA
ISSUP - International Society of Substance Use Professionals Cross River State Diaspora Commission