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

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)

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

International Youth Day

August 12 every year marks the International Youth Day (IYD). A celebration geared towards engaging young people across the world. IYD began on the 17th of December 1999 when the General Assembly, in its resolution 54/120, endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, August 8-12th, 1998) that the 12th of August be declared International Youth Day.

Since it began in 1999, IYD has been celebrated using various themes and current issues. These themes and issues are listed below.
IYD 2008 - Youth and Climate Change: Time for Action
IYD 2007 - Be seen, Be heard: Youth participation for development
IYD 2006 - Tackling Poverty Together
IYD 2005 - WPAY+10: Making Commitments Matter
IYD 2004 - Youth in an Intergenerational Society
IYD 2003 - Finding decent and productive work for young people everywhere
IYD 2002 - Now and for the Future: Youth Action for Sustainable Development
IYD 2001 - Addressing Health and Unemployment
First Observance of International Youth Day 2000

This year’s theme is “Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future”. The theme explores the idea that “sustainability” not only refers to maintaining environmental balance and renewal, but it also encapsulates three facets of life: the environment, society and the economy. The actions and inactions of mankind over the years have had adverse effects on the environment. The impact of climate change as a result of green house effect cannot be overemphasized.
As the environment slowly but steadily deteriorates, it becomes more obvious that there will be inevitable consequence for future generations. Water bodies are dry up; the sun’s heat level is increasing; the glaciers or ice on the Antarctic are melting; the sea level is elevating; fisheries population is diminishing; the cost of food prices is increasing.. As these environmental threats become more serious, we are confronted with our future survival and livelihoods as young people..

As young people, we need to take responsibility for reducing if not eliminating the effect of environmental hazards. According to an article published in the March 2009 edition of Newsweek, Earth had a life span of about 5,000 years, but due to environmental damage the planet is now expected to survive for only 850 years.
Fellow young people, our future has been jeopardized! We need to unite to put our shoulders to the wheel by helping our respective governments, civil society organizations, donor agencies, and others deal with this seemingly insurmountable challenge.

Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND), a youth-based NGO in Ghana, has environmental sustainability as one of its key thematic areas of work. We engage young people to learn, understand and contribute to finding solutions to the world’s problem.

SYND is calling all governments, civil society organizations, faith-based organizations and development partners to provide aid, assistance, opportunities and/or platforms for young people. Channeling youths’ talents, energy, and resources into environmentally sustainable activities is an indispensable way of ensuring success in this campaign. Young people have been labeled as “the energizers of today and the holders of tomorrow”!

According to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, “the future promise of any nation can directly be measured by the current prospects of its youth.” In the same vein, I want to state that the future sustainability of this planet can be directly measured by the level of engagement of our youth. The Management and Executive Members of SYND take this opportunity to salute young people all over the world and to wish them a happy celebration.

Fellow young people, let’s engage in sharing, learning, creating and trading information through the cross-pollination of ideas and ideals as future leaders for our respective homes, communities, societies, nations and the world as a whole.

Long live the positive dreams and aspirations of young people!
Long live our world!

Best regards.
Chibeze Ezekiel
Executive Director
Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND)
+233 244 967931
synd.ghana@hotmail.com

Youth-Led Development and Volunteerism: Making a Case for Sustainable Development

August 12th has been declared by the United Nations and is thus recognised by the international community as International Youth Day. Its purpose is to pay tribute to the contributions of young people in the development of their countries and also the world at large. It also serves to create a forum for discussion about issues surrounding both youth and development.

The theme for the International Youth Day 2009 was: “SUSTAINABILITY: Our Challenge. Our Future.”

Youth development issues continue to be one of the most significant and pressing issues of our era. Among the many issues that confront the youth of today are those such as high risk of HIV/AIDS, unemployment and underemployment, lack of education and skills, social exclusion, limited infrastructure to meet youth interests, civil war, unstable political environments and the struggle for identity.

The World Program of Action for Youth (WPAY) lists ten areas to be considered as of pressing priority. These areas cover a wide range of issues relevant to the youth of today, including: education; employment; hunger and poverty; health; environment; drug abuse; juvenile delinquency; leisure-time activities; girls and young women; participation; globalization; Information and Communication Technologies (ICT); HIV/AIDS; youth and conflict; and intergenerational relations. For the governments of developing countries, bringing these priority areas into their decision-making and policy development in order to promote youth development has proven to be little more than lip service. Countries such as Ghana can do little more than wait whilst the implementation of policies such as Ghana's National Youth Policy continue to be postponed

Young people form a major proportion of population segments in developing countries. This has major implications for policy formulation, resource allocation and the development of youth programs. Unfortunately, more often than not in the development arena, young people are perceived as a 'problem in development', rather than a 'resource for development' that can act as catalysts for the development of their countries. Thankfully, despite this prevailing attitude in some forums, the positive contributions of young people continue to illustrate the fact that if young people are given the required platform and resources they can “be the change” that we want to see.

Youth Led Development (YLD) initiatives are community service projects planned and implemented by young people under the age of 25 (although some African countries tend to define the age category to which ‘youth’ applies in a very broad sense, for example from 10 to 35). Such initiatives are generally grass-roots, small in size, and carried out mostly, but not exclusively, by youth volunteers. Resources are more often than not limited but YLD initiatives make important impacts in promoting human and/or community development.

Ghana is just one country that benefits greatly from YLD initiatives. It is important that this volunteerism is promoted, recognised and sustained, through initiatives such as the National Award scheme and events such as International Youth Day, and the annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) held in America. Nevertheless, further incentives are necessary to ensure that young people are motivated to offer their youthful exuberance for the purpose of development.

In his victory message after the United States elections, President Barack Obama remarked that “[Change] can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.” The Obama campaign highlighted its belief in youth by promising a US$4,000 education credit to students engaging in 100 hours of community service a year. This shows a practical approach towards promoting social entrepreneurship and aiming to reduce blame placed on the state for the all societies woes.

By investing in YLD, unemployment and underemployment among young people can be reduced. In an era where most employers want to see relevant working experience as part of their recruitment policy, volunteerism can be a stepping-stone towards meeting some of these demands. The youths involved in YLD learn invaluable project management, fund-raising and leadership skills, build self-esteem and self-confidence, all of which hugely boost their future employment chances. Additionally, promoting YLD can be seen as a cost effective approach toward promoting sustainable development as most young people value experience and knowledge rather than hard cash salaries, which many employers may not be ready to offer. Moreover YLD is a means of promoting human security towards sustainable development. Young people, who may otherwise fall into activities such as armed robbery and prostitution, find themselves doing something worthwhile that promotes their personal and community’s development.

Operational challenges facing youth structures and organisations are numerous, such as a lack of independence in terms of decision-making, lack of recognition coupled with the challenge of being seen as a credible organization, and lack of resources (both human and financial). One way of mitigating these limitations would be through the support of youth focused organisations by corporate institutions and governments. Similarly, there is a need for fellowship programmes that build the capacity of young people from regions like Africa as well as mentoring programmes that promote adult (experts)-youth engagement. Developments such as these would serve as a great step towards building the capacity of young people for them to make outstanding performances in their entrepreneurial activities.

Most operational challenges that confront young social entrepreneurs can be overcome by well-planned pilot processes, public-private partnerships and an enabling YLD and volunteering policy framework. The invaluable resource of youth needs to be recognized and invested in, in the same way in which other resources are. For development to be sustainable, we need to ensure that the next generation is enabled to participate in every step of the development process. However, rather than relying solely on top-down development and implementation of policy, we as youth can prove our worth by acting, caring, and making a stand.

Michael Boampong,YPWC