Breaking In, Speaking Out: Opportunities and Barriers for Youth in Mediation

This session brings together three mediators and a youth representative for a candid discussion on the practice and future of mediation. The discussion opens with mediators reflecting on their responsibilities and how organizational mandates shape their work, before shifting to personal stories of entry into the field, the barriers faced, and the strategies used to overcome them. The session also offers advice to young people considering this profession, while raising difficult questions about whether, in the context of today’s funding crisis, mediation remains a viable path.

With perspectives from both early-career and more experienced mediators, the session aims to provide an honest, intergenerational look at the possibilities and limitations of mediation, and how the field may evolve in uncertain times.

Speakers & Moderator
Speakers:
 ● Ms. Lynn Hastings – Former UN Assistant Secretary-General, Resident and
Humanitarian Coordinator
● Mr. Elio Azar – Special Initiatives Manager at the Principles for Peace Foundation
● Ms. Diana Alpysbayeva – Project Officer at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

Moderator:
● Ms. Flavia Schwitter – Peacebuilding Initiative (PBI).