Sarah Oliver

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Global Youth and Learning Coordinator

Sarah began her journey with URI in 2016, working as the Youth Coordinator for the URI Southern African region. In this role, she designed and facilitated interfaith and leadership skills training programs with youth from Cooperation Circles across South Africa, Malawi, and Mozambique. Sarah worked with CCs to develop the Girls Not Brides Campaign addressing early child marriage particularly in Malawi. In 2019, Sarah joined the Global Support Office, stepping in to coordinate the global youth network of URI. In doing so, she initiated projects of global connection for young people across the network, such as the URI Youth Connection Café’s, regional facilitator training programs, cross regional youth camps, and the youth capacity building and seed grant program. The aim being to enhance meaningful youth engagement and leadership across the network. In 2023, Sarah joined the Learning and Impact Strategies team, where she now serves in designing and facilitating collective learning experiences to advance our URI Purpose, with ongoing attention to URI's youth programming. 

As an experienced facilitator, Sarah is passionate about connecting issues of interfaith dialogue, youth leadership, peacebuilding and social justice. Locally in Cape Town, South Africa, Sarah volunteers with the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, the African Climate Alliance and ChangeWays: Centre for Collaborative Justice - as a reminder that in a global network like URI, it’s important to always have one’s feet on the ground! 

URI Stories of Impact

The Urgency of Peace: Marking the Countdown to the UN International Day of Peace

On September 21st, the world will come together to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. In our current world where conflict is a harsh reality, this day is not just a date on the calendar, but a reminder of the constant need to work for peace, justice, and healing.  

URI Youth gather to honour the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

January 27th marks the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. Therefore, the Youth Connection Café for this month focused on the importance of this day, why it is important to remember the Holocaust and what the experiences of anti-Semitism look like in our world today.