Creators of Peace for The Young Generation

The year 2025 marks a special milestone as IofC Indonesia’s Creators of Peace (CoP) opened its first class for young people in Bandung. This class was created to provide a safe space for youth to grow, share stories, and unite their hopes. As the world becomes increasingly chaotic and loses its meaning, the first crucial step is to care for ourselves—by becoming individuals willing to create peace within, even through small actions.

The class was held once a week, exploring two of the ten points in the CoP module each session. Every meeting brought new insights for participants. The class was even more dynamic because the participants came from diverse backgrounds—students, activists, teachers, and housewives. Each story shared became a source of mutual strength, even though only three participants remained out of the eight who initially registered.

The method used in this class went beyond storytelling. It introduced quiet time, and fun and reflective activities for each lesson point.

Chintia, one of the CoP participants, shared that she was reminded of her purpose, to bring together the pieces that are scattered. She is currently on a journey to gather the scattered fragments of herself and has committed to continue this process through the School of Reconciliation (Sekolah Rekonsiliasi).

(Chintia Sharing what is peace for her)

She shared a bit about her CoP experience: “After joining CoP, I became more convinced that I need a safe space to share my stories, and I realized there are people who truly listen with their hearts. I also learned that responding differently is necessary to maintain inner peace. The first response matters because it shapes the next actions. It’s also important to keep healthy boundaries, so we don’t get overwhelmed or ‘contaminated.’”

Another participant, Ahso, said that the value of listening with the heart deeply touched her. She said: “All this time, I wanted to be understood rather than trying to understand others. Through the stories shared, I realized that there are many unseen wounds, and peace grows from the courage to listen without judgment.”

Ahso often felt anger at the injustice she saw but didn’t know where to start. After joining Creators of Peace, she learned that peace isn’t about being perfect—it’s about showing up, listening, and changing, even if slowly.

She closed by sharing one concrete step she would take: to start small conversations in her community. She wants to create a place where people can share their stories without fear of being misunderstood. Lastly, she plans to document their stories through visual art as a form of real, creative peace practice.

Finally, Aulia discovered that nurturing peace within is essential before sharing it with others. She learned to reflect on what peace truly means to her and revisited life events through the lens of the 10 Points of Peace. She wants to build the courage to continue living while striving for peace, both within herself and through her community, Iteung Menggugat.

The most memorable part for Aulia was the Listening Inner Peace card. She was amazed at how the values, quotes, and reflective questions card connected so beautifully even though they seemed random.

Aulia ended with a commitment to keep practicing the lessons she had learned as part of her ongoing journey to create peace. She also wishes to share these lessons with her community so they can build peace together.

The CoP classes are an essential initiative, one that contributes to creating a more peaceful world for everyone within it.

Writer : Annisa

Editor & Translator : Ari Budi Santosa

Proofreader : Peter Heyes