“From Crisis to Courage: How Akram Became a Youth Peace Champion in Camp-16 Youth Peace Café”

Name: Mohammed Akram Age: 18 Sex: Male Location: Camp 16, Block C-6

Mohammed Akram, now 18 years old, lives in Camp 16 Block C-6 with his parents and four siblings, but his journey to becoming a young peace leader began in trauma and displacement. In 2017, during the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar, his family was forced to flee their home in Taung Bazar township under Buthidong district. His father, a local teacher, lost both his profession and their vital citizenship documents when the military seized everything and ordered them to leave or be killed. At only ten years old, Akram walked for fifteen days with his family, starting on the morning of Eid-ul-Adha. The journey was devastating as one of his aunts collapsed and died on the way. After crossing into Bangladesh, the family stayed with a host family for three nights before moving into the Rohingya refugee camps, where they faced insufficient WASH facilities, limited shelter, food shortages, and inadequate healthcare, like thousands of others.

Despite these challenges, Akram remained determined to continue learning. He attended a camp-based learning centre for seven years. In 2022, driven by a growing sense of responsibility for his community, he began volunteering with ActionAid Bangladesh, participating in youth-led initiatives aimed at awareness, safety, and positive engagement. Over time, Akram became increasingly disturbed by the rising violence, abduction incidents, and fear spreading among youth in the camp. The growing tensions between Rohingya and host community members also pushed him to think deeply about the type of leadership the youth needed. In early 2025, when a Field Facilitator from SHED informed him about the Youth-Led Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion (YPSC) project, implemented by SHED and technically supported by ActionAid Bangladesh with co-funding from the European Union, Akram felt it was the opportunity he had been waiting for. The project aims to empower youth as peace actors who prevent conflict and strengthen social cohesion in Rohingya and host communities. He immediately joined the Youth Peace Café as a youth peacebuilder among 150 other youth from Camp 16. Through regular sessions, such as quarterly capacity building, bi-monthly Peace Adda, community watch group meetings, and youth-led social cohesion activities, Akram found a safe and inclusive space where youth could discuss problems openly, learn about conflict prevention, and work together on peaceful solutions. The Youth Peace Café strengthened his ability to communicate, resolve conflicts, and mobilize others. Akram’s commitment soon stood out. In September 2025, he applied to become the Peace Champion of Camp 16 youth peace cafe and was selected through a competitive process. This role has given him a new sense of purpose. He now mobilizes youth for peace activities, supports coordination with community structures, encourages responsible behavior, and mentors his peers to stay away from harmful influences. For him, becoming a Peace Champion fulfilled a personal dream, one he once thought impossible after being displaced from his homeland. Today, Akram stands as a symbol of resilience and hope for young people in his camp. “Peace is not just the absence of violence; it is the courage to stand for what unites us. Through the Peace Café, I discovered my voice, and now I want to help others find theirs too,” he says. His transformation reflects how EU-supported initiatives like the YPSC project empower young people to become agents of change, strengthening social cohesion and contributing to safe, peaceful communities even in the most challenging environments. “Akram’s journey also revealed that youth in the camps respond strongly to peer-led activities when they are given structured support and safe spaces. One challenge was sustaining consistent participation due to safety issues, but the Peace Café model has shown resilience by creating youth ownership. Moving forward, the project aims to strengthen youth-to-youth mentorship, expand cross-community dialogue, and enhance youth-led monitoring of conflict risks to ensure sustainable peacebuilding efforts.