Build resilience & social change in conflict affected areas

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I grew up in a small town in the state
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of nagaland up in the northeastern hills
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of India this northeast India region is
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also called an anthropological paradise
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because this is a home to over 220
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different ethnic tribes where over 40
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million people reside we speak over 400
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different dialects but there is another
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one unique feature of this region and
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that is this region holds one of the
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longest unresolved armed conflict in the
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world December 27th 94 always flashes
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back into my memory this day is what I
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call the inspiration for every single
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thing I do today that December morning I
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was out with my family shopping I was in
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the car waiting for my mom and my dad
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when I heard the first gunshot this was
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followed by a series of gunshots I don't
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remember what I was thinking then but I
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saw my dad running towards me he took me
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out from the car through the car window
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we rushed inside the shop and we hid
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there for a couple of hours we were
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forced to surrender and we came out of
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the shop watching our car burn together
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with so many other cars hundreds of
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shops in flames men women and even a
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little baby burned alive men tortured
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when
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abused people shot that shops looted me
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and my family we were made to lie down
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on the road for hours in fact the whole
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day my mom told me that I slept off for
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a few hours I might have been tired
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exhausted unaware of what's happening
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but one thing I know for sure is that I
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wasn't ready to think about this
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incident ever again you may not have
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heard the stories or seen the pictures
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but all these experiences lay crystal
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clear at the back of a mine but in my
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region we talked about this experiences
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no more I look around and I don't know
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whether my people have moved on whether
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we have forgiven or whether we have
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simply accepted our faith but one thing
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I learned living in nagaland is the
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resilience our people have developed the
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resilience to withstand this
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disturbances caused by the terrors of
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armed conflict I believe that this
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resilience comes from social support a
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social value that have been passed on to
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me and our people from generation to
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generation in my dialogue we call this
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subha liebe the social values and norms
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that have been passed on to us through
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word of mouth or true way of living the
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social support is a selfless help to our
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family our friends our community every
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single Naga belongs to a particular
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tribe clan village and this together
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forms the Naga community and this Naga
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villages and this Naga community
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are so interconnected interdependent and
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we support each other and I really
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believe that this social support has
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helped us build this resilience to cope
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up with our environment even
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psychological studies in a number of
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other researchers have restated numerous
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times that we need social support work
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mark near and dear ones support from our
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friends to cope up with difficult
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situations back in university I began to
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question about Polly the politics of
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conflict I began to question the role of
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our government I began to question the
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role of us as individuals I began to
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question what kind of impact this
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exposure to political conflict might
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have had on me on people vote young and
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all so I continued to do my masters and
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pursue the research where I studied on
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the exposure to political conflict the
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fear and stress induced by it and how it
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impacts the psychological well-being of
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young people the results had damaging
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effects young people in my region showed
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low life satisfaction and low self
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esteem and it had effects on our mental
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health look at the plight of young
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people in conflict affected regions this
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unintentional dreadful consequence of
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conflict is so harmful for our future
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during the same time when I was
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conducting my research I also had the
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opportunity to attend some conferences
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organized by the UN the World Economic
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Forum and other multilateral
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organizations and international
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nonprofits each of this event was unique
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but there was one underlying common
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effect
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and that was a call out to young people
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to voice out your opinion to join in
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decision-making processes and to make a
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difference in our communities so with so
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much of hopes and dreams and aspirations
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I returned home but it was discouraging
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to see the situation of my region
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unemployment at such a high rate young
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people helpless because of the political
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and economic instability but most
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discouraging because to see young people
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helpless and losing faith in their
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capabilities and potential but along the
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way I met inspiring young people who
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were challenging the system who were
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making it big nationally internationally
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I met like-minded people and so together
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with them we founded a few programs we
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started a few community hubs training
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platforms for young people in the
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Northeast I remember a youth conference
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in a Glen
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during the feedback session a young
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delegate was sharing his experience he
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said someone dear to me was killed
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during the Kargil war and every time
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about I think about this war I think
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about this about Pakistan I am filled
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with anger and frustration but attending
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this conference I had to study about the
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social and political issues in Pakistan
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and what I realized was the challenges
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we face in Nagaland and the challenges
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they face in Pakistan are the same we
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have similar conflict young people in
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Pakistan aspire for the same dreams like
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I do a safe future the anger and
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frustrations I hold them no more his
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story moved me we seek for such
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impact young people have not completely
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immersed into the structures of the
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society and they are more willing to
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challenge it
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what we lack right now is not motivated
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young people but an environment that
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invites young people to be part of
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decision-making processes to join
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governance to rebuild conflict affected
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societies when you invite me to the
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table when you invite young people to be
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part of this policy making process in
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rebuilding our communities you are not
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only allowing us to express our opinions
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and our struggles but you are providing
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us with skills for the future you are
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strengthening our self-esteem our life
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satisfaction but most importantly you
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are allowing us to shape our future it's
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heart-wrenching to travel to different
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parts of the world attending conferences
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talking about international declarations
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and conventions on youth empowerment
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you´d participation and decision-making
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only to come back home and see policies
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implemented at snail's pace I was with a
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friend in Kojima when she said change is
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so local yet we idolize change so much
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we keep change at a pedestal and we
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can't reach it the resilience that my
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parents the our forefathers have taught
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us have brought me this farm have
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brought our community this farm but we
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need to take the next step together it's
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time to cooperate not only between
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religions countries or States or tribes
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but between age groups
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I'm confident in the power of sharing
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untold stories untold
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experiences that we have hidden inside
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us for too long no matter who you are
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what your background is how your paths
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have been we can use our experience to
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make a difference
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speak out thank you