Luke Dowdney, founder of Fight for Peace (FFP), has developed a community-based response to the arming and employment of young people by drug trafficking gangs in Brazil. Since its founding in 2000, FFP has become a global youth development NGO delivering a comprehensive, research-based methodology towards violence prevention including martial arts, combat sports and skill training.
For his social engagement Luke Dowdney received one of ten 2018 Klaus J. Jacobs Awards. With the award money of CHF 100,000 Luke Dowdney plans to invest in advocacy work to increase awareness of the issue of youth violence, and galvanise support to catalyse the existing violence prevention strategy as a template for other communities and building key international development partnerships.
More information about the awardees and the award ceremony can be found here.