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‘Young people have so many ideas that can be implemented. I think it’s important that their voices are heard,’ Elliott Lancaster said. He believes in the importance of supporting the initiatives of young people, as they drive innovation and creativity. He established the Youth Advisory Board within the Wolfpack Project so young people could take a leading role and feel represented and listened to. Elliott said that by creating an ecosystem of young people, he hopes to reach a larger audience for his peacekeeping efforts. Like a snowball effect, ‘Once you've got active young people on board, then you increase your reach. If I see a young person doing it as well, then actually I might want to do it myself.’

According to Elliott, social media and digital means are critical in expressing what an organisation can achieve. It is a simple approach for young peacebuilders to reach out to their peers and inspire them to do the same. Elliott established Utter Rubbish in recognition of the power of internet platforms. This is a social media company dedicated to environmental peacebuilding through technology. Utter Rubbish was developed in collaboration with residents and local authorities, and it employs innovative technologies to promote proactive environmental measures. The enterprise encourages open conversation and helps to avoid disputes by resolving misunderstandings, particularly concerning environmental issues.

Elliott said environmental peacebuilding focuses on long-term resource utilisation to address and resolve conflicts. This concept is particularly visible in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, where poor environmental practices lead to large-scale conflicts. While the nature of these disputes differs from that of the UK, they are nonetheless noteworthy. The Wallace quarry is a prominent example in Elliott’s local setting. This massive refuse collection centre is producing environmental challenges, including unpleasant odours, affecting the surrounding area and posing health risks.

Elliott’s current peacebuilding efforts mainly stay within the borders of the UK, although he said he does harbour aspirations to eventually have a more global outreach. Despite the absence of large-scale conflicts in the UK, Elliott highlights the need for proactive action and the need to confront conflicts at their core causes, regardless of size. ‘It’s a spectrum, in terms of the sorts of conflicts that people have, in their daily lives and in macro form as well,’ he said. He promotes the cultivation of a general understanding among people, encouraging acceptance of differences and recognising the value of what he calls, creative conflict.

Elliott said he recognises the positive impact his collaborative peacebuilding efforts have had within a local context. He hopes that, in the future, more young people will be in leadership roles for such initiatives. His advice for young people is to not be afraid of starting, to assess their strengths and to reach out and collaborate with others in order to achieve their ideas and goals. ‘I think it’s all about empowering the next generation, because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who are going to inherit the society that we live in, so it’s important that they are able to shape that themselves.’