Unlike larger networks or organisations, the goal of the self-organised and volunteer-based MENA Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security is not outward-looking, with what Messaoudi calls “traditional solutions.” Rather, its main target audience are the members themselves, and most efforts are focused internally. The coalition organises capacity-building activities, hosts events that allow members to exchange ideas and determine concrete courses of action, provides young at-risk activists with resources and connections, and does advocacy work. One of its flagship projects involves the training of so-called youth, peace and security trainers in Arabic so that they can share their knowledge locally and regionally. Recently, a Palestinian member went on a tour of American universities to recount his experiences in the besieged Gaza Strip. The coalition also supports private investment in the sector and has backed research into this field.   

But as ongoing conflict teetering on the edge of wider geopolitical unrest continues to threaten the stability of the MENA region, it is undeniable that the “just peace” Messaoudi and her fellow MENA Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security members so yearn for is perceived by many as an abstract, far-off concept that may very well be never achieved. Why, then, does Messaoudi continue to charge forward in the face of such adversity? The answer to this question, she says, has to do with the enduring power of hope. 

“There are many people willing to listen and there are many people who change their perspective,” she says. “If we understand that peace building is a process that takes years, and if the people on the ground really start to change their mindset and feel that injustice somewhere is injustice everywhere, politics will change. If the youth keep on fighting, peace will eventually come.”