Youth For Peace and Solidarity (YPS)
Youth For Peace and Solidarity (YPS) is a youth-led, civil society organization established in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. Founded by Syrian diaspora youth with lived refugee experience, YPS is built on a foundation of professional expertise in social work, community development, and grassroots civic action.
Who we are
YPS is built on lived realities, local knowledge, and community accountability — designed to be scalable across conflict-affected contexts.
Identity & Foundation
Youth For Peace and Solidarity (YPS) is a youth-led, civil society organization established in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. Founded by Syrian diaspora youth with lived refugee experience, YPS is built on a foundation of professional expertise in social work, community development, and grassroots civic action.
Governance & Inclusion
YPS is governed by a diverse and inclusive management structure: 60% of the Board of Directors are Females, and over 85% of board and core team members are refugees or individuals with former refugee experience. This composition ensures that decision-making processes are grounded in lived realities, local knowledge, and community accountability.
Regional Bridge
YPS aims to serve as a bridge between Syrian youth—inside Syria and across the diaspora—and broader regional dynamics in the Middle East, North Africa (MENA), and the South Mediterranean. By leveraging the unique perspective of youth living at the intersection of displacement and host-community integration, YPS develops innovative models for peace that are scalable across conflict-affected contexts in the region.
Mandate
The organization’s mandate is to advance the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda (UNSCR 2250). While deeply rooted in the Syrian context, YPS maintains a strong regional focus, aiming at fostering South-South cooperation and solidarity between youth movements across the Mediterranean basin. We work to transform youth from “subjects of conflict” into active agents of democratic transformation and social cohesion.
Equal Opportunity & Zero Tolerance
YPS is an inclusive organization operating on the principle of equal opportunity. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination. Our programs and partnerships are open to all, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or disability, fostering a culture of universal human rights.
Core Thematic Pillars
Five focus areas that structure our programming, partnerships, and advocacy.
Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation
Building pathways that shift communities from violence and fragmentation toward trust, dialogue, and durable social cohesion.
Democracy & Participatory Governance
Strengthening inclusive civic space and community-led decision-making that reflect lived realities and local accountability.
Gender Equality & Women’s Leadership
Advancing women’s leadership as a core condition for peace, representation, and rights-based community development.
Meaningful Youth Participation
Ensuring youth influence decisions that shape their futures — not symbolic inclusion, but real participation and power.
Youth Empowerment & Civic Engagement
Supporting youth-led civic action through skills, networks, and practical opportunities that translate into community impact.
Goal, Mission & Vision
A clear direction that guides strategy, programs, and regional cooperation.
Advance peace, democracy, and social cohesion
To advance peace, democracy, and social cohesion by strengthening the leadership of youth particularly young women and marginalized groups in Syria, the South Mediterranean, and the wider MENA region.
Empower youth to contribute to transformation
To empower youth to actively contribute to peacebuilding, democratic governance, and social transformation. Through capacity building, research-driven programming, and regional advocacy, YPS connects Syrian and diaspora youth efforts, fosters cross-border solidarity, and promotes inclusive participation in post-conflict and transitional contexts.
Youth as architects of peacebuilding
A Mediterranean and MENA region where youth are the primary architects of peacebuilding and decision-making, shaping a democratic and stable future for all.
From lived experience to regional impact
We connect Syrian and diaspora youth efforts, foster cross-border solidarity, and promote inclusive participation in post-conflict and transitional contexts across the South Mediterranean and wider MENA.