“Let’s act for peace”: national contest honours Swiss youth

More than 2,200 teenagers from 13 Swiss cantons developed ideas for a more peaceful world as part of the contest "Let's act for peace," organized by the Eduki Foundation and various partners including the United Nations Office in Geneva. 

Interactive plays, sculptures, songs, murals, comic strips... Swiss teenagers put together over 70 projects tackling this year's theme, "Peace, justice and effective institutions" (Goal 16 of Sustainable Development), from various angles. Student proposals dealt with topics such as the links between peace, and environmental protection or human rights. This was the seventh edition of the contest, which is held every two years.

"This year’s theme shows all its importance today as humanity is in the process of containing the COVID-19 pandemic," said UN Geneva Director-General, Tatiana Valovaya, who praised the students' ability to deal with complex subjects "with an open-mind and great sensitivity. 

"A few weeks ago, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a global ceasefire. No progress in the fight against the pandemic can be made in a world of conflict," she said.

For the first time this year, the Françoise Demole Scholarship was awarded to the best idea submitted by Secondaire II students in the “concrete action” category. The students from the Emilie-Gourd College and Business School in Geneva won this award. They will receive up to CHF 10,000 to develop their project.

Called "A Serious Game: an educational escape game on migration", it aims to promote understanding between migrant and refugee populations and host communities. Locked in a room, players have to solve a series of migration-related puzzles that put them in the shoes of a migrant seeking to reach Switzerland.

19-year old Julie Bron was part of a group of about ten students who created this game. "The main thing participants learn is a better understanding of the reality of migrants. In class, we see pictures, we learn numbers... But we remain a bit detached from all this information. Being immersed in this universe allows them to be confronted with the reality of migrants. And it's quite gripping, even if it's just a game," she explains.

For this student, "a greater understanding the issue of migration will help us better manage its consequences" and thus promote peace.

The jury saw in this escape game a "real potential to raise awareness among youth in all schools," and underlined the quality of the research done by the students, who met with experts and collected testimonies from migrants and refugees.  This allowed them to develop an "original and engaging" role-playing game, according to the jury.

The list of winners and more information on the winning projects are available on the Eduki Foundation's website.

Photo : Winners all: a group of students from the Emilie-Gourd College and Business School in Geneva created a migrations-themed escape game.