In Strengthening the Peace and Security Community: A Collaborative Planning Document, the peace and security community identified the cultivation of young people as the next generation of leaders, activists and experts as an important priority. The Peace and Security Initiative (PSI), partnering with Student Pugwash USA, conducted a survey to help identify existing resources and gaps in how our community recruits and retains young people.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Increase Financial Support for Attracting Young People
Respondents cited limited budgets and organizational capacity to adequately recruit and manage young people as factors in lowering the likelihood of retaining young talent in the community. Additional funding for NGOs to support intern stipends and young professional benefits would help organizations directly. Better funding of fellowships—particularly the successful yet under-resourced Scoville Fellowship Program—and other community opportunities to help young people would also help in this regard. Moreover, these recommendations should be implemented in concert to increase the impact of each individually.
Enhance Community Resources and Collaborative Efforts to Recruit Young Talent
Community-wide collaboration to harness the wealth of existing resources would go a long way toward coordinated efforts to recruit young people from diverse backgrounds. Collaborative efforts would also provide support to keep this new talent in the community over the long term. Community-wide resources to develop include guides for fellowships, internships, and employment listings; identifying “best practices” to help groups manage interns while enhancing organizational capacity; and increased links to peace and security programs at colleges and universities.
Develop Professional Opportunities for Advancement in the Field
Many groups provide limited opportunities to advance the careers of young people, so a community-wide effort to develop professional opportunities would help keep new talent in the field. Mechanisms must be created to allow young professionals to showcase their own skills and to develop professional relationships to deepen their commitment to the broader field. Initiatives include creating mentorships and networking opportunities specifically for the peace and security community; identifying publishing outlets for young people; and developing resources to help groups create a career ladder within their organizations.
By working collaboratively and making smart and immediate investments in existing and effective mechanisms, we can improve the sustainability of a vibrant and talented peace and security community.
Click below to access the complete survey results:
Next Generation of Talent Survey
Click below to access a resource that identifies internship, fellowship and networking opportunities for young professionals in the peace and security community:
Next Generation Opportunities
