In a world deeply affected by geopolitical tensions and violent conflicts, peace is rarely built in polished conference rooms – it is cultivated on the ground, through human to human interaction. Few resources capture this reality as effectively as the Roots Peacework Guidebook.
First published in 2019 by YMCA Europe, the guidebook was written by Ankica Dragin (Serbia) and Wolfgang Heinrich (Germany). It emerged as a synthesis of real-world knowledge – capturing over a decade of lessons, tools and best practices from generations of young peacebuilders involved in the Roots for Peace project (formerly known as Roots for Reconciliation).
What sets the Roots Peacework Guidebook apart is its foundation on authentic practices. Rather than offering purely academic theory, the authors focused their work on practical methodologies – such as the “Do No Harm” framework, tailored specifically for youth leaders operating in conflict or post-conflict regions.
Upon its initial release in 2019, the guidebook quickly gained widespread recognition and very soon the active peace practitioners took the initiative to adapt the text for local impact – leading to its translation into Russian and Serbo-Croatian languages, ensuring that practitioners across Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans had direct access to its methodologies in their native or familiar languages.
The most recent testament to the guidebook’s enduring relevance is the publication of its Ukrainian translation. Released amidst the ongoing war, this milestone carries profound symbolic and practical significance.
When active peacebuilders push to translate and distribute conflict-transformation tools during wartime, it sends a clear message: violent conflict is temporary, but the work of building a sustainable society is continuous. Equipping communities, youth workers and local leaders with peacebuilding tools in Ukraine ensures that when the guns eventually fall silent, the initiatives and motivation required for healing, justice and long-term reconciliation is already in place.
The journey of the Roots Peacework Guidebook – from a collection of YMCA youth experiences in 2019 to becoming a vital resource across Europe and now in Ukraine, reminds us of a fundamental truth: peace is inevitable and is the only answer.
