Growing up in South Sudan, "the kids in my neighborhood helped me survive." Regina, 18, lost her parents as a child. For a time, she lived with relatives until abuse drove her to flee.

From then on, violence permeated her young life. "I became familiar with gangs." Despite being Regina's closest thing to a new family, gangs struck fear into communities. "Their members were violent. They would steal, fight with people, but they respected me."

In 2019, Regina made new friends: young people determined to use their voices to build a safer community. Through the "Youth Talk" project, she became one of the leading voices on the "Lugara Shabab" radio show. Regina bridged the gap between gangs and communities, giving everyone a platform to express themselves. "Youth involved in gangs can now open up about their challenges and grievances and offer solutions."

In addition, Regina underwent conflict transformation training, further empowering her as a champion for peace. As a result, she became a trusted mediator beyond the radio studio, often reconciling conflicts with and between gangs.

Recently, "one gang had taken machetes to fight another group. Their sole instruction was to cause considerable pain." Alas, parents and elders had little influence on gang members to prevent their fury.

That's where Regina stepped in.

"Their leader trusted me. I managed to talk him out of it." Then she enlisted the support of a local leader to bring the two gangs together. Through dialogue, they eased resentment, prevented violence, and even turned gang members into allies to promote peace.

"Now both gangs are helping the local leader clean up the neighborhood and mitigate violence."