INTERCULTURAL

LEADERS

Vyonne Akoth
Founder and Director, Impart Change

Summer Schools

Vyonne Bellys Akoth is a peace practitioner by profession. She is the founder and director of Impart Change, a local non-profit organization in Kenya that empowers young people with peacebuilding, conflict management, and violence prevention skills, knowledge and information. She has a bachelor’s degree in peace and conflict studies and is in the process of pursuing a master’s degree in international security. Vyonne is passionate about peace research interventions. This has led her to contribute to various researches on youth, peace, security, digital and human rights with organizations such a Peace Direct, the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) and the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) - the Graduate Institute, Geneva. She has also contributed to publications such as the Stability Operations Lessons Learned and Information Management Systems (SOLLIMS), a peacekeeping and stability operations publication, and in the development of UN Women’s ‘Voices against Violence’ non-formal educational curriculum. Vyonne’s zeal for championing sustainable peace and security has led her to be an official youth delegate representing Kenya and Africa in numerous regional and global conferences organized by the US Institute of Peace (USIP) and the United Nations. She has been selected a key speaker and panelist in global events such as the 1st Global Forum on Youth Policies, the 2015 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum and the 2017 US – Africa Partnerships Symposium. Vyonne is also a professional youth trainer with USIP where she has trained young people from South Sudan and Uganda on peacebuilding and conflict management strategies. She is a 2019 Sakharov Fellow with the European Parliament and a 2019 Emerging Leader with the Obama Foundation Africa Program. Vyonne is an avid campaigner of a violence-free society and would like to see more youth play an active role in sustainable peace, development and security interventions.