Youth & Peace: One of the key mandates of AYSO is working for youth empowerment (learning, connecting, working, and leading) as well as for social peace by full involvement of the young generation. AYSO has a dedicated department and section in its structure which is working for peacebuilding and youth development. AYSO has been connecting the youth through the community-based program to the societies as well as to the governmental and non-governmental organizations for seeking job opportunities. Many short-term courses on management and leadership have been conducted in Kabul, Nangarhar, Helmand, and Badghis provinces for youth development and women engagement.

AYSO provides a range of supports for the youth volunteers including but not limited to:

·       Training in topics that will help them to effectively carry out their roles in society, such as effective teaching skills, rights of persons with disabilities, advocacy, child protection, women's rights, and other courses. 

·       Information sharing through IEC/BCC channels to ensure that volunteers know what to do in emergencies or how to deal with gender-based violence (GBV) or a child protection concern.

·       Guidance to give the youth volunteers a chance to ask questions and check out any concerns.

On top of that, AYSO for the first time in Afghanistan has taken the initiative to recognize outstanding achievements of youths working in Afghanistan with “AYSO Development Leadership AWARD (ADLA)”. The aim of “AYSO Development Leadership Award (ADLA)” is to recognize extraordinary young talents and to encourage them to be effective and productive citizens contributing to their communities. As part of this action, AYSO invites applications from talented individuals (especially youths) all over Afghanistan irrespective of their nationality, religions, gender, ethnicity, and physical appearance to apply for the “AYSO Development Leadership AWARD (ADLA)”.

The objectives behind Award (ADLA) are:

·       To recognize the outstanding work done by young persons;

·       To provide  development professionals with  the incentive to achieve excellence in various fields;

·       To encourage youths in the development of their personality through positive social attitudes and values.

·       To Stimulate Different Sectors to Empowering Professional and Young People

·       To Draw the Attention of the Governmental Authorities to the Unique Youth Experiments and Make Them Accessible for the Government to Use.

In Addition, AYSO has established Afghan Youth Peace Council (AYPC).  The Afghan Youth Peace Council (AYPC) of AYSO with 249 members (182 Male and 67 Female) in 34 provinces of Afghanistan work for peace and the main aim of the department is social peacebuilding.

      I.Peace: Afghan Youth Peace Council (AYPC) is a program of the Peace & Youth Department of AYSO. It came into existence in early 2019 through a transparent process in 34 provinces of the country where around 2500 applications were received from interested male and female applicants. Out of them, 1500 applicants were interviewed virtually and physically. Finally, 249 national members (187 male and 62 female) were selected in proportion to the population of each province. The AYPC program with short and long-term objectives has an independent structure as one Advisory Board made up of 24 civil societies` representatives and a Leadership Board. In addition, 30 members (Afghan refugees living abroad) from 30 countries have been selected to support national members on peacemaking/peacebuilding through sharing their lessons learned and experiences. All members were guided on how to carry out dialogues on peace, and to use different methodologies for collecting information in every village, to find the root causes of the conflict. All AYPC’s members are connected through email, WhatsApp groups, and other virtual means. AYSO defined and contextualized its vision, mission, goal, and objectives for the Peace Department, besides forming a comprehensive organogram, as well as a broad network at the country level. AYPC has also set its general objectives for the creation and strengthening of lasting and dignified peace, scientific progress and development, secure living, and a culture of mutual acceptance in the new generation as follows:

Vision: Afghanistan owns sustainable peace, scientific progress, and youth development, through the full involvement of youth and utilization of their potential and power.

 Mission: The youth help and cooperate with the community and government of Afghanistan in bringing sustainable peace and scientific development through youth councils, community engagement, and public awareness. Support to the young generation for full involvement at all levels of peace bringing and country development.