By William Rui

Recently, the Criminal Justice club visited the Global Peace Foundation, Kenya, to understand its mandate in respect of community harmony and peacebuilding. It afforded members an opportunity to mingle with people committed to social cohesion and ethical societies.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., GPF works globally under the ideal of "One Family under God." The Foundation engages in several activities such as education, peacebuilding, environmental conservation, and youth development. In Africa, GPF branches operate for different sets of activities: for example, peacebuilding processes in Nigeria, family-related issues in Uganda, and educational initiatives in Kenya.

In Kenya, some initiatives like LEAP Hubs provide skills in entrepreneurship to high school leavers, hence fostering innovation and preparing the youth to be productive in the job market. Other initiatives like Great Places to School make students' experiences and learning environments better. The club members also had an opportunity to listen to the Kenyan initiative, Kenya Daima, which helped in promoting peaceful elections in the country and GPF working with the United Nations to prevent violence and to counter extremism.

Youth development remains the cornerstone of several GPF initiatives: training youth in entrepreneurship, incubation of businesses, and mentorship through the Presidential Fellowship Program, supporting reintegration through correctional facility visits, donation drives. These programs empower the youth to resist radical ideologies by way of community-based activities and awareness campaigns.

During the visit, the club examined potential collaborations between GPF and academic institutions with the aim of enhancing their initiatives through conferences and events. Furthermore, they deliberated on the expansion of violent extremism prevention (PVE) training at the university, with the objective of equipping students to promote peace and safety within their communities. The visit sparked the students to appreciate the work of GPF and showed them how they, as legal professionals, could assist in changing society.