Tuesday, April 20, 2010
YPWC Newsletter
YPWC Newsletter - April 2010 is online. Please click on the following link to access:
Monday, March 1, 2010
Press Release:YOUNG PEOPLE WE CARE SELECTED AS REGIONAL LEAD AGENCY FOR
YOUNG PEOPLE WE CARE SELECTED AS REGIONAL LEAD AGENCY FOR
2010 GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY
KUMASI, GHANA – 25th February 2010 – Young People We Care (YPWC) together with its affiliates and other interested organizations will mobilize more than 15,000 children and youth to participate in the 22nd Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) from Friday, April 23 through to Sunday, April 25, 2010, across West and Central Africa.
GYSD is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries. During GYSD children and youth address the world’s most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments.
“The fact that millions of young people are offering their voluntary service for their communities and the world at large means a lot in helping to change the world and sends a powerful message of hope and healing around the globe,” said YWPC executive director, Sally Appiagyei-Frimpong.
Young volunteers will address important community needs through service and service-learning projects addressing climate change, education, literacy, poverty, human rights, and many other issues.
“Global Youth Service Day is a wonderful opportunity for young people to contribute to community development and re-echo the importance of youth-led development in making our world a better place to live,” said Mr. Alexis Dery Danikuu, board chairman of YPWC.
As a Regional Lead Agency, YPWC received a grant to coordinate regional GYSD projects to promote the idea that children and youth are assets and can be valuable resources in their communities. Following some preparatory planning with our affiliates, National Lead Agencies and Local Organizers, on the 1st of April 2010 YPWC will launch the GYSD. During the 22 days of activism and activities that will culminate in the GYSD, YPWC will organize street parades in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale, a forum on the MDGs and youth volunteerism, TV and radio discussions, as well as urban clean-up exercises. We will also call on a number of important figures including the Ministers of Youth and Sports, the Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Mayor of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly. These events are geared towards creating awareness of the GYSD and inspiring young people and other interested citizens to create events and volunteer in their communities from April 23-25, and are expected to bring together all relevant stakeholders in the areas of child and youth development and volunteerism. YPWC will motivate and support its regional partners to do the same with the limited resources they might be able to mobilize in their respective countries.
Youth Service America President and CEO Steve Culbertson commented that: “The diverse agencies participating in Global Youth Service Day all have the common goal of providing children and youth with opportunities to serve their communities. These organizations are committed to addressing local, national, and global needs and demonstrating that young people can be part of that change.”
GYSD is coordinated by Youth Service America. For more information about local events or to get involved, as a National Lead Agency, Local Organizer, Volunteer or Sponsor of events please contact Young People We Care at Phone: +233-244-212953; Email: gysd@ypwc.org or visit www.ypwc.org.
To learn more about the GYSD projects occurring around the world, to register your own GYSD project, or to find project planning resources, visit www.GYSD.org.
Youth Service America (YSA) improves communities by increasing the number of and diversity among young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive roles. Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership, and achievement. The impact of YSA’s work through service and service-learning is measured in student achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities.
Young People We Care (YPWC) is a youth led and youth focused organization headquartered in Ghana with satellite offices in the UK and Canada. The organization is operated by young people (ages 15–30) and adult allies working on youth and development related issues worldwide. Our mission is to educate and inform youth on global issues, inspire them to take action, encourage their participation in global issues, identify and build sustainable partnerships aimed at youth development and provide young people with tools and resources for effective action. Our vision is to provide a ‘youthful voice’ that seeks to address the numerous challenges facing young people by effectively using young resourceful minds to influence the course of global policy formulation and development in a consistent and harmonized manner.
2010 GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY
KUMASI, GHANA – 25th February 2010 – Young People We Care (YPWC) together with its affiliates and other interested organizations will mobilize more than 15,000 children and youth to participate in the 22nd Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) from Friday, April 23 through to Sunday, April 25, 2010, across West and Central Africa.
GYSD is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries. During GYSD children and youth address the world’s most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments.
“The fact that millions of young people are offering their voluntary service for their communities and the world at large means a lot in helping to change the world and sends a powerful message of hope and healing around the globe,” said YWPC executive director, Sally Appiagyei-Frimpong.
Young volunteers will address important community needs through service and service-learning projects addressing climate change, education, literacy, poverty, human rights, and many other issues.
“Global Youth Service Day is a wonderful opportunity for young people to contribute to community development and re-echo the importance of youth-led development in making our world a better place to live,” said Mr. Alexis Dery Danikuu, board chairman of YPWC.
As a Regional Lead Agency, YPWC received a grant to coordinate regional GYSD projects to promote the idea that children and youth are assets and can be valuable resources in their communities. Following some preparatory planning with our affiliates, National Lead Agencies and Local Organizers, on the 1st of April 2010 YPWC will launch the GYSD. During the 22 days of activism and activities that will culminate in the GYSD, YPWC will organize street parades in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale, a forum on the MDGs and youth volunteerism, TV and radio discussions, as well as urban clean-up exercises. We will also call on a number of important figures including the Ministers of Youth and Sports, the Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Mayor of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly. These events are geared towards creating awareness of the GYSD and inspiring young people and other interested citizens to create events and volunteer in their communities from April 23-25, and are expected to bring together all relevant stakeholders in the areas of child and youth development and volunteerism. YPWC will motivate and support its regional partners to do the same with the limited resources they might be able to mobilize in their respective countries.
Youth Service America President and CEO Steve Culbertson commented that: “The diverse agencies participating in Global Youth Service Day all have the common goal of providing children and youth with opportunities to serve their communities. These organizations are committed to addressing local, national, and global needs and demonstrating that young people can be part of that change.”
GYSD is coordinated by Youth Service America. For more information about local events or to get involved, as a National Lead Agency, Local Organizer, Volunteer or Sponsor of events please contact Young People We Care at Phone: +233-244-212953; Email: gysd@ypwc.org or visit www.ypwc.org.
To learn more about the GYSD projects occurring around the world, to register your own GYSD project, or to find project planning resources, visit www.GYSD.org.
Youth Service America (YSA) improves communities by increasing the number of and diversity among young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive roles. Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership, and achievement. The impact of YSA’s work through service and service-learning is measured in student achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities.
Young People We Care (YPWC) is a youth led and youth focused organization headquartered in Ghana with satellite offices in the UK and Canada. The organization is operated by young people (ages 15–30) and adult allies working on youth and development related issues worldwide. Our mission is to educate and inform youth on global issues, inspire them to take action, encourage their participation in global issues, identify and build sustainable partnerships aimed at youth development and provide young people with tools and resources for effective action. Our vision is to provide a ‘youthful voice’ that seeks to address the numerous challenges facing young people by effectively using young resourceful minds to influence the course of global policy formulation and development in a consistent and harmonized manner.
Monday, February 1, 2010
UN Online Volunteering Award 2009 for Young People We Care Team
Recipients of Award:Chelsea Wyatt, Daniela Georgieva, Haddy Sarr, Kwame van Eijndhoven, Laurene Graziani, Stella Mihailova, Tizeta Getaneh, Wei Wang
A team of eight online volunteers helped Ghana’s youth-led NGO Young People We Care (YPWC), to develop a strategic proposal to address youth migration issues and involve youth in international dialogue and decision-making.
Each member of the online volunteering team worked on a different aspect of the proposal such as problem statement, objectives, activities, sustainability and partnerships. A team coordinator, appointed by the volunteers, facilitated their collaboration.
YPWC was able to use the proposal to attract funding and technical support from several organizations. The UNICEF initiative, Voices of Youth, supported a four-week online consultation on migration and development, which was one of the activities conceived by the online volunteers. The consultation engaged youth from across the world and led to the first youth statement to be presented at the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Manila.
Some of the online volunteers involved in the development of the programme have extended their support to the implementation of its various projects and activities, writing the background paper for one of the themes discussed during the consultation, for example, or acting as mentors and advisors.
“The different ideas that the members of this intercultural team brought to the programme led to an outstanding proposal that has served as a stepping stone for YPWC, helping the organization work in a sustainable way in addressing issues of youth migration,” says Michael Boampong, the organization’s founder.
Laurene Graziani, France: "As a postgraduate in international and human rights law, I was very interested to work on the specific issue of children and immigration. I wrote the part of the proposal related to the legal aspects of migration. Later on, I moderated the third week of the online consultation, which dealt with solutions to reducing illegal migration. In the team, we kept in touch quite often, and shared any difficulty that we were facing or any suggestion that we needed to make. I think it had a real impact on youth in Ghana and helped to strengthen the potential of YPWC."
Tizeta Getaneh, Ethiopia: "I have chosen YPWC to volunteer online because their need was something I was interested in, and I had experience in working with youth. The task was to help YPWC prepare the project planning on the issue of youth migration, adding my ideas from Ethiopia’s youth perspective."
Source:UN Online Volunteering
Friday, January 22, 2010
UN proclaims International Year of Youth in 2010
18 December 2009 – In an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world’s youth in overcoming the challenges facing humankind, from enhancing peace to boosting economic development, the United Nations today proclaimed an International Year of Youth starting on 12 August 2010.
“The International Year is about advancing the full and effective participation of youth in all aspects of society,” UN Focal Point on Youth Nicola Shepherd said. “We encourage all sectors of society to work in partnership with youth and youth organizations to better understand their needs and concerns and to recognize the contributions that they can make to society.”
In its resolution proclaiming the Year, the General Assembly called on governments, civil society, individuals and communities worldwide to support activities at local and international levels to mark the event.
Under the theme ‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding,’ the Year aims to encourage dialogue and understanding across generations and promote the ideals of peace, respect for human rights and freedoms, and solidarity. Read rest of this news piece here.
Clinton Global Initiative University:New deadline for CGI U 2010
Due to overwhelming demand, we have extended the application deadline for the third Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), to February 22, 2010. This year’s meeting will take place at the University of Miami, Florida from April 16 – 18, 2010. Visit our website to apply to attend.
The 2010 meeting – hosted jointly by President Clinton and the University of Miami – will focus on how students like you can take practical action to solve global challenges in education, environment & climate change, peace & human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health. Attending the CGI U Annual Meeting is free. Travel assistance is available for those who qualify.
European Youth Foundation Grants
Introduction
The European Youth Foundation (EYF)is a fund established in 1972 by the Council of Europe to provide financial support for European youth activities. It has an annual budget of approximately 3 million Euros. Since 1972, more than 300 000 young people, aged between 15 and 30 and mostly from member states, have benefited directly from EYF-supported activities. In 2007 the EYF supported some 300 projects involving more than 15 000 young people.
The EYF thus provides financial support to the following types of activity undertaken by non-governmental youth organisations or networks or by other non-governmental structures involved in areas of youth work relevant to the Council of Europe’s youth policies and work (Read rest of article here)
Monday, October 5, 2009
UNDP's Human Development Report 2009, challenges common migration misconceptions
Bangkok — Allowing for migration—both within and between countries—has the potential to increase people’s freedom and improve the lives of millions around the world, according to the 2009 Human Development Report launched here today.
We live in a highly mobile world, where migration is not only inevitable but also an important dimension of human development. Nearly one billion—or one out of seven—people are migrants. The Report, Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development, demonstrates that migration can enhance human development for the people who move, for destination communities and for those who remain at home.
“Migration can be a force for good, contributing significantly to human development,” says United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark. “But to realize its benefits, there needs to be a supportive policy environment as this Report suggests.”
Indeed, migration can raise a person’s income, health and education prospects. Most importantly, being able to decide where to live is a key element of human freedom, according to the Report, which also argues that large gains in human development can be achieved by lowering barriers and other constraints to movement and by improving policies towards those who move.
Read rest of report on the UNDP website
We live in a highly mobile world, where migration is not only inevitable but also an important dimension of human development. Nearly one billion—or one out of seven—people are migrants. The Report, Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development, demonstrates that migration can enhance human development for the people who move, for destination communities and for those who remain at home.
“Migration can be a force for good, contributing significantly to human development,” says United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark. “But to realize its benefits, there needs to be a supportive policy environment as this Report suggests.”
Indeed, migration can raise a person’s income, health and education prospects. Most importantly, being able to decide where to live is a key element of human freedom, according to the Report, which also argues that large gains in human development can be achieved by lowering barriers and other constraints to movement and by improving policies towards those who move.
Read rest of report on the UNDP website
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