\ Young Changemakers Victor Ochen Uganda Born in a conflict-scarred part of northern Uganda, Victor grew up in refugee camps for internally displaced people. His childhood was a constant struggle to survive disease, hunger and war. His dreams were always hostage to the possibility of sudden and brutal terror. In 2005, at the peak of the violence that was ravaging his country, Victor formed the African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET) to help the innocent victims of war and mobilise Ugandan youth in support of peace in the country. Today, AYINET is a youth-led human rights organisation that facilitates rehabilitation, surgery and emotional healing for those affected by the violence in Uganda. It also provides leadership training to young people who could not complete school because of the war. In the ten years since it was established, AYINET has supported over 9,000 people who have suffered physical or psychological damage as a result of the conflict. It also helps female victims of sexual violence and exploitation to cope with their suffering and reclaim their future. Victor and his young team hope their work will heal divisions in the country and their efforts to build a safe and peaceful country will pay off soon. Victor was named the Commonwealth Youth Worker of the Year in 2015, the same year that AYINET was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Assmaah Helal Australia Young refugees are highly vulnerable to social isolation in their countries of resettlement, where they have to come to grips with learning a new language or adapting to a different culture very quickly. Through her work as the programmes operations manager at Football United, an Australian NGO, Assmaah has demonstrated that sport can assist young refugees integrate and assimilate in their new homelands. A former football captain herself, using sport as a tool for promoting development has provided Assmaah with the motivation to transfer her success on the football field to her passion: working with young people. Through a series of football-based leadership development initiatives, Assmaah and her team have helped over 6,000 young people, particularly young refugees, women and girls, become more resilient and empowered. Since 2006, Football United’s programmes have contributed to community cohesion within refugee and immigrant communities, and to fostering greater integration across ethnic and racial divisions. Assmaah was also a member of an advocacy campaign that succeeded in persuading the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, football’s governing body, to change its rules and allow the hijab to be worn by Muslim women and girls on the football field as part of the official uniform. As Chair of the Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Network, Assmaah co-authored a youth advocacy toolkit, encouraging young people throughout the Commonwealth to explore how sport can contribute to youth development in their communities and to persuade decision-makers to adopt sports-based approaches to youth development.