At Fight for Peace, we take great pride in our community, a community that wouldn’t exist without the inspiring young people we have the pleasure to work alongside everyday.

This year, our London team has worked with over 1,000 young people, and each individual has their own unique story of how they came to become part of the Fight for Peace family, and their journey since.

16-year-old Zaynab was referred to Fight for Peace earlier this year after having a difficult time in her personal life, and has since worked with a team of mentors and coaches at our London Academy to improve both her mental and physical health.

In less than a year, Zaynab has progressed in leaps and bounds, becoming a prominent and valued member of our all-female personal development group, Lutadoras, as well as our Young Creatives project, and youth leadership group, Youth Power.

We checked in with Zaynab to hear about her experience, and some of the impact our services have had on her since joining.

“Lutadoras has helped me a lot. My experience at secondary school wasn’t great, so it helped me to know how to get out of toxic relationships and know when enough is enough. It also gave me the experience of having a girl friend group, and the wide age range means I learn a lot from the older girls, and I can help those younger than me.

I’m so glad I get to be a part of Youth Power and get to have a say in what happens at Fight for Peace. It’s increased my confidence because I lead meetings with staff sometimes and that’s like, WOW! I’m half your age and I’m the one leading and giving my perspective.

Young Creatives [a group of eight talented young people who develop experience, leadership and professional skills by producing creative content for Fight for Peace’s communications channels] has opened up a lot, too. I do stuff for the Fight for Peace page but given that experience I can actually go out and film other stuff for businesses and gain more experience and paid work.

Last but not least, boxing is my escape to release what I’m feeling whether it’s anger, sadness, or even happiness. Just hitting that bag helps me feel refreshed and new.

I always tell my mum Fight for Peace is my second home, my safe place. The whole atmosphere and environment in general is very welcoming and loving, everyone’s a big family, everyone knows everyone, even if you’re new, it’s like you’ve been here forever.”

This is the core of what we do, and as 2023 draws to a close we are filled with optimism for our young community. However, this is only made possible with the support from generous funders and supporters.

Big thank you to everyone who has supported us so far, it wouldn’t be possible without you. Together, we can continue to be inspired by all of the young champions that make up our Fight for Peace family.

Big thank you to Zaynab herself for sharing a part of her story with us, and for all of the invaluable contributions she continues to bring to Fight for Peace. To hear more from Zaynab, you can check out some of her creative work over on the Fight for Peace Instagram and YouTube channels. Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to stay updated on more youth-led content!