Sesame Omphile Mogotsi , Botswana
Sesame is the Country Coordinator of Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN) for Botswana, a network of young people that works to promote peace using positive peer engagement and youth development approaches. To date CYPAN Botswana has sensitised over 3,000 young people in southern Botswana through its awareness programmes.
The Peace Education Programme is a structured programme that consists of school and community outreach sessions, each tailored to address local needs. These interactive sessions are non-sectarian and cover topics ranging from tolerance and self-awareness, to femicide and rape culture. The sessions teach values essential to the promotion of peace, and enable participants to think constructively and creatively about how to tackle issues of contention in their local communities. CYPAN Botswana has plans to further develop the Peace Education Programme into a longitudinal project, covering participants from primary school right through to adulthood.