Promoting youth peacebuilding through social entrepreneurship in Mbare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The interest of this study is premised on the urgency for new contextual practices that interact with young people and allow them to be part of the solution in addressing the patterns of violent conflicts that disrupt peace within their communities. Hence, the study promoted the role of social entrepreneurship as a peacebuilding tool that has much to offer towards promoting youth agency and positive participation in building peace in the context of Mbare, Zimbabwe. The aim was to contribute to youth violence prevention mechanisms in Mbare, which is a hub of complex violent youth activities that involve electoral and political trends, drug abuse, and various socioeconomic issues tied to the political economy of informal business. These factors have disenfranchised youth from participating positively in the broader community as they have gained a reputation as violent and problematic. The study addressed this gap, with the drive to contribute towards Zimbabwe’s still budding peacebuilding frontlines and invest in ideas that help to promote and shape sustainable measures that channel young people to participate positively in promoting peacebuilding within their communities. This study employed practical and alternative strategies for engaging youth in peacebuilding. It utilised action research to explore social entrepreneurship and peace innovation lenses to reflect on ideas and practical steps that can harness the potential of youth peacebuilding in the local urban community of Mbare. The synergistic integration of qualitative stakeholder interaction with quantitative outcomes to guide action/intervention design was crucial in identifying how social entrepreneurship tools can attract and facilitate youth agency in peacebuilding practice. The findings revealed how social entrepreneurship offers practical educational tools to promote youth's role in peacebuilding by building capacity for different peace ventures. The study responds to the UNSC Resolution 2250 global policy recommendation to engage and promote local youth peacebuilding strategies. It established how social entrepreneurship as a peacebuilding tool helped create an interactive platform for the participation of youth from different political orientations and encouraged innovative and actionable knowledge.