Post by Tom Martin

I'm very happy to share some exciting news: I'm able to announce that following our successful application I am now a founding member of the: UNESCO Chair on Arts-based Methods for Peacebuilding with and for Children and Young People, hosted at the University of Lincoln. This has been a team effort, built through the Mobile Arts for Peace (MAP) network. The chair is led by the inspiring Professor Ananda Breed, connecting youth advisors and partners across Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia to create real pathways for impact across education, gender equality, health, and peace. This feels like a real moment for me. Those of you that have known me for a long time will know that I was/am not a ‘naturally academic’ person – I’m a practical maker and a doer!  I feel so incredibly lucky that I’ve been able to find a path through life, where I can put my skills to use - and even if in a small way make a positive change in the world. I know this isn’t the Oscars, but thank-you to everyone who has been part of that journey. A significant factor for being included in this chair was a recent project I led in Rwanda, using youth participatory filmmaking to influence national mental health policy — and seeing young people's voices genuinely find their way into policy conversations. I honestly can’t believe that as a kid with dyslexia who ‘didn’t really get-on with school’ I’ve been able to do work like this. I really do believe that the education system as it stands in the UK lets young people down, and is more concerned with units of assessment than genuine learning and growth. I was lucky to find a route through, with some inspirational people in my local FE college that saw me as a human and believed in me, thank-you X The official launch is at UNESCO's Culture and Arts Education Week in May 2026. I can't wait. Let me know if you’d like to know more. #Peacebuilding #Education #ArtsBasedResearch #UNESCO #MobileArtsForPeace #YouthParticipation #MentalHealth #Rwanda #SDGs