There are few iconic NGOs that truly capture the success of the nonprofit sphere. Despite its young age, Generations For Peace just may be one of them. At first glance, its grassroots peace-building mission seems nearly impossible. Asking youths rather than governments to bring about peace may sound a bit naïve. But when you face GFP’s army of young, articulate, peace-pushing volunteers, then you understand that something big is going on here. There seems to be no limit to the organization’s ambition and discipline. What began as a peace-through-sport initiative of the Jordan Olympic Committee has now trained nearly 9,000 peace-building volunteers in fifty countries, with such tools as Arts, Advocacy, Empowerment, and Dialogue for Peace augmenting the original Sport For Peace approach, delivering sustainable impact.
In conflict zones, communities often reject other communities, particularly those perceived as different. This is where Generations For Peace makes a difference: the organization mentors young people to bring about powerful and desperately needed social change by building mutual respect, tolerance, and trust through dialogue. Further, GFP recognizes the importance of reflecting deeply on its own work and the many projects it conducts. The organization is constantly innovating, experimenting, evaluating, and then scaling up the projects that work. For instance, the organization is currently growing its programs in response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis by 263%.
Generations For Peace brings its multi-pronged model to bear on all key scoring criteria. In 2015, GFP climbed up the ladder from rank #94 to #32, at a time when many other organizations saw their rank drop or stagnate. To deliver impact as well as innovation at the grassroots level requires dedication to developing a new culture around peace, not to mention a great sense of motivation. Perhaps some of GFP’s drive comes from its CEO, Mark Clark, who has brought passion and discipline to the organization over the last five years.
Generations For Peace is on its way to another great ranking in 2016.