World Youth Alliance Africa

WYAA MEMBERS SPREADING THE TRAINING

2012-01-31T15:58:00.002+03:00

ACTION STORIES: WYAA is proud of Arthur Samai our member from Liberia who recently completed his TRACK A training and on his own volition has been sharing the training ideas with other members in and around Monrovia.The picture shows him at the Conqueror Pentecostal High School in Kakata Margibi county,Liberia which is 48 Miles from Monrovia.Three youths groups sent in representatives to participate in the Training process,and students from the school participated in the program too.

We encourage such selfless efforts of sharing knowledge and the solidarity of our members in helping one another develop new capacities.

3RD NATIONAL SUMMIT

2012-01-26T09:36:00.001+03:00

The World Youth Alliance Africa invites youth leaders from across Kenya for the 3rd National Youth Summit on the 25^th of February 2012 at Ufungamano House in Nairobi.

The theme for this year’s summit is Kenyan youth: A force for economic development and change.

In the last election in Kenya, young people were used to cause mayhem, destroy property and kill fellow Kenyan’s by politicians. The aim of this year’s summit is to educate the youth leaders on responsible citizenship, importance of life, peace and to engage political leaders on issue based discussion on how we can move Kenya forward.

There will be a series of speeches, lectures from experts on matters of electioneering, good governance, peace and development and group discussions among the youth.

To confirm attendance contact Eddy Ombagi: eddie.wyaa@gmail.com or call World Youth Alliance Africa office on 020250 86 26.

All are welcome.

WYA Africa Director in West Africa

2011-12-05T14:20:00.004+03:00

Obadias Ndaba, the WYAA regional director was in Ghana over the first week of December. Earlier in the week he talked to students at two Universities in Accra and met the deputy minister of youth and sports who pledged to support and liked the mission of World Youth Alliance. He also had a live interview on TV3 and Metro TV, one of Ghana’s most watched show 'Good Evening Ghana' for 15 minutes where he and our chapter rep responded to questions on WYA work and how young people get involved with us. The Ghana chapter held its first national summit on 3rd NovemberThe West Africa trip will see him visit two other active countries; Togo and Cameroon

Eastland Solidarity Soccer Championship

2011-11-11T11:09:00.004+03:00

The World Youth Alliance Africa’s annual soccer tournament in Nairobi’s Eastland area kicked off on Saturday, October 29th, at the SOS grounds in Buru Buru with 16 teams battling for the championship.

The tournament, known as the Eastland Solidarity Championship, aims to bring young people from different slums in the area together for training in life skills and to expose the sporting talents among the youth.

The three winning teams of the tournament will take home trophies and cash rewards.

"At WYA, we believe that given chances, young people can be a force for good in any society through their talents and skills. Our aim next year is to have 32 teams so that we have more young people engaged in sports rather than idling, which is the leading cause of crime and drug abuse in the area," stated Hezbon Mogambi, WYAA Regional Director of Operations.

The final match will be held on the 19th of November 2011. For more information and pictureshttp://wya.net/regions/africa_current_events.html?catid=64

WYA Welcomes Baby 7 Billion

2011-11-01T09:06:00.001+03:00

WYA Welcomes Baby 7 Billion

2011-10-31T09:46:00.001+03:00

Welcome Baby 7 Billion

2011-10-28T09:18:00.001+03:00

2011-10-27T15:02:00.000+03:00

Welcome Baby 7 Billion

2011-10-26T09:37:00.002+03:00

Last month the seven billionth child on earth was born. In fact thousands are born each second each with potential to contribute in their own unique way.
All Unique,All talented,all different.

the World Youth Alliance calls the civil society,governments and international institutions to invest in the human person,and work with us in building societies which foster economic and human flourishing.human capital is our most important resource, responsible stewardship is a necessary condition of sustainable economic development.The potential of the human person to generate wealth using knowledge, skills and creativity is unique and reflects an aspect of human dignity. Therefore, investing in the human person, in a climate of freedom and respect, leads to integral human development and economic growth.

Eastland Solidarity Soccer Championship

2011-10-24T12:00:00.002+03:00

Today we feature one of the teams taking part in WYA'S EASTLAND SOLIDARITY SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP which began this weekend and will end on 19th Nov.

SHY – STADIUM HOMELESS YOUTH (REHAB PPROJECT)

Coach: Mr. Alex Mwangi

The team was started in the year 2011. The inspiration was borne from Alex, a City Council official who had a desire to help the street children who were living at the City Stadium Kiosks. He started SHY as a project and proceeded in opening other projects that could sustain the lives of the street children.

Unique to the group is the inculcation of sports, educational programmes and life skills training. A major boost is that the founder and coach is an experienced footballer having played for Sofapaka and KCB.

Among the players who have excelled include some who play for Makongeni FC and Local Government FC.

They hope to play for the premier league later.

He is confident of his team’s chances of bagging the World Youth Alliance cup but is putting more emphasis on experience rather than winning.

Africa Emerging Leaders Conference 2011

2011-08-25T15:59:00.001+03:00

Kenya under the auspices of the World Youth Alliance Africa will be hosting a major continental youth conference from 17th- 18th November 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference brings together over 100 youth leaders from more than 15 African countries.

The Africa Emerging Leaders conference is an annual training platform by the World Youth Alliance Africa for its African members and African youth leaders. This year’s Theme is Population and Economics- Investing in the African Youth. A number of topics have been lined up that will address population and Economics related issues. It will feature group discussions, speeches and expert lectures from local and international speakers drawn from the private sector, civil society,goverment and the diplomatic community.

WYA At World Youth Day On iphone and ipod

2011-08-02T08:42:00.002+03:00

Do you own an iPhone or iPod touch? Download the WYA at WYD 2011 app to know all the latest news while the World Youth Alliance is at World Youth Day! Search the Apple Store now or click the link below. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/world-youth-alliance-at-wyd/id440636964?mt=8

United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth: Occasion for World Youth Alliance to Shine

2011-07-28T09:25:00.000+03:00

New York City, July 26, 2011) -- The World Youth Alliance (WYA) brought thirty young people from almost twenty countries to the United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth, held July 25 -26, 2011 at UN Headquarters in New York City. Many of the WYA members were accepted onto the official delegations of their countries. This made for a heightened experience for many of the WYA delegates, especially those who found themselves sitting on the floor of the UN General Assembly amongst heads of state from all over the world. For Bernadette, from France, one short sentence summed it up: “This is awesome.” WYA welcomed the opportunity to present the voices of young people by promoting dignity, the family and authentic development.

WYA co-sponsored a side event at the meeting on July 26th called “Our Voices, Our Aspirations: A Youth Dialogue on Sustainable Development” with the Bahá’í International Community and attended by over forty participants. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, a WYA member from Nigeria, delivered a speech at the event, outlining his vision of sustainable youth development. Iyinoluwa pointed to the “context” in which sustainable development takes place, which is always “families and communities” first, and not governments. He acknowledged that the outcome document of the HLMY contains a paragraph which states that the “primary responsibility for youth development lies with the States,” and that this is contrary to what we know about authentic development. The primary responsibility for youth development falls to families and communities. WYA thanks and commends UN delegations that included its recommendations and the language of families in their addresses to the General Assembly on Tuesday July 26th.

For World Youth Alliance, the HLMY presented an opportunity to highlight the best of what young people have to offer at the international institutions. WYA delegates drafted newsletters, statements on the final outcome document and contributed to the “youth voice” at the UN, a voice which is too often oriented around guaranteeing “sexual and reproductive rights” rather than focusing on the real needs of young people in terms of development, like nutrition, education, basic healthcare, sanitation, decent work and a vibrant culture.

Recognizing the importance of the arts and culture in the lives of young people, WYA also hosted an evening event called “Art Speaks: A Gateway to Understanding the Human Person”, which highlighted young musicians, actors, filmmakers, and sculptors. 130 WYA members, friends and delegates joined us at WYA Headquarters to enjoy the evening of performances and visual art exhibits.

For more information:
Rebecca Marchinda, WYA Director of Advocacy
Email: becky@wya.net Phone: +1 212 585 0757 Website: www.wya.net

Working Towards Dialogue and Mutual Understanding Among Youth as Agents of Development, Social Inclusion, Tolerance and Peace

2011-07-26T10:19:00.000+03:00

This year’s High Level Meeting on Youth, concluding the UN International Year of Youth, will be dedicated to Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. The United Nations has invited a limited number of youth delegates to dialogue on issues they are facing today, so as to foster “mutual understanding,” among youth but also between authorities and youth. The World Youth Alliance and its members also prepared for the meeting and ensured that the voice of the world’s young people would be heard by representatives of Member States and the Secretariat of the U.N. In order to accomplish this, we proposed a series of amendments to the outcome document, and I was in charge of doing the initial analysis and creating an outline of our proposals.

In preparation for this meeting, the UN Secretariat issued a draft outcome document that Member States were invited to amend and develop. This document heavily drew upon the World Programme of Action on Youth (WPAY), drafted and signed by the General Assembly in 1995. But it also refers to other international texts–including the Millennium Development Goals. Draft amendments were proposed, accepted, altered or refused; paragraphs were deleted and moved; new issues were added. All in all, keeping a clear head while following this process and drafting our own amendments and proposals has been challenging.

There are ten priority areas addressed by the international community in the WPAY. These are all reflected in the final outcome document of this week’s High Level Meeting. The title of the document implies that the HLMY is about dialogue and mutual understanding. However, besides a few introductory paragraphs, only Paragraphs 18 and 26 specifically mention the official theme of the conference. The following title would have better mirrored the substance of the draft: “Involving youth with a view to more effective and better focused development.” The current draft combines the MDGs with the WPAY and focuses mostly on development issues: fostering “development,” enabling “youth development” and implementing the Millennium Development Goals. Therefore, the World Youth Alliance has strong hopes that young people from developing countries will be well-represented.

The World Alliance proposed three amendments to the draft outcome. The first emphasized respect for the dignity of the human person as the foundational principle underlying human rights. The second stressed the special vulnerability of young people to the multiple challenges that the world at large faces. The third added a dimension that is too often forgotten: the family plays a very important role of the life of all young people, since it is the first setting in which a youth learns how to dialogue, understand and compromise with the persons closest to him.

Personally, I would have added much more: An emphasis on the best interests of youth, a more pronounced acknowledgment of the role men and boys play in respecting women and fostering gender equality, an encouragement to strengthen policies supporting family unity as a measure to prevent crime, a stated need for policies supporting the integral development of each person in order to bring about “youth development.” I trust, however, that despite the absence of these issues in the final document, representatives of States will keep them in mind by implementing the outcome according to the principle of subsidiarity. In the end, the main challenge of my work on amendments was the likelihood that with so many proposals, none of them would make their way into the next draft. I just had to restrain myself and keep to the most essential ones. I didn’t realize how much reading would have to be done just to analyze a UN outcome document, but I enjoyed every minute and gladly accepted the challenge.

- Bernadette
WYA Member, France
Age 29

A Call to Action!
Letters from World Youth Alliance members in Saint Lucia
Dear delegate,

Quality education is the gateway to the development of our world in order to impact our community; we must learn to harvest the infinite reserves of the human mind. Yet, millions of youth from around the world are constantly denied opportunities of self-awareness and realization. Human dignity is denied when education is withheld. In countless instances where education is provided it serves not necessarily to encourage brilliance and ingenuity of thoughts, but rather to dampen creativity and force conformity. Education must inspire us to grow and change to have the audacity to create.

To solve this issue the developing world must adapt comprehensive policies which recognize both the human and strategic importance of education. True education should be filled with both compassion and information. Teachers should receive adequate training so as to inspire their students. Students must be supplied with relevant and advanced materials which encourage them not only to accept conventional teaching, but also to discover the world around them. Measures should be implemented to build student confidence in order to produce emotionally intelligent and balanced world citizens. Inadequacies in teaching compromise both student self-esteem and ability to learn. We in the developing world grow weary of waiting. It is the hour for change.

Sincerely,
Jarnickae
Age 16
Saint Lucia
St. Mary’s College

Dear delegate,

I am an eighteen year old, and I have written this letter in hopes that some of the issues facing Saint Lucian youth may be alleviated. I believe that my homeland is blessed with many beautiful young persons, some of whom are not granted the necessary opportunities to nurture their God-given talents. I say this because most of the crimes committed in my country are committed by young persons between the ages of fifteen to thirty. Most of these individuals lack opportunities–either for education or opportunities which stimulate good impulses for instance, the importance of being a good citizen. I believe there should also be forums and development programmes on parenting as some youth may be poverty stricken and suffering from neglect from parents, and the home indeed is where it all starts.

I believe that young persons with so much energy to spend need to be channeled in the right direction. We need development programmes, more education opportunities, mentors, counselors. Young persons need help and guidance. We need to know that there is still hope despite any predicament, be it poverty, teenage pregnancy or parental neglect.

People in Saint Lucia are very critical of Saint Lucian youth because of all the crimes. We are considered to be lazy and fail in comparison to the generations that have gone before us, or so the adults say. Regardless, I do admit that it would be an amazing feeling to have a sense of security restored when walking the streets.

Sincerely,
Latonia
Age 18
Saint Lucia
Sir Arthur Lew Community College

2011-07-25T10:01:00.003+03:00

The Value of Family Promotion in Protecting the Intrinsic Dignity of the Human Person

The World Youth Alliance welcomes the General Assembly’s proclamation of the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. Youth represent a significant proportion of the world and are therefore not only the future, but also the present. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that educating and empowering youth is integral to the improvement of social and economic conditions and the well-being and livelihood of future generations. The World Youth Alliance also recognizes that all persons have intrinsic dignity; it is only through respecting this dignity that the ideals of peace, freedom, justice, tolerance, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, solidarity and development can be effectively achieved.

With this as our foundation, it is clear that authentic human development begins with investment in the human person. This needs to ensure that the person is placed in the right conditions and environment to foster his well-being, fulfillment and productivity. Such investment must begin with the family, which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares is the “fundamental unit of society.”

The family promotes a stable environment that is necessary for the person to flourish. Children with supportive parents are more likely to be engaged with their school education at home and receive help from their parents if faced with difficulties. Also, with the support of the family, children are encouraged to strongly value their education and are often guided to pursue post-secondary education. With a supportive family, an attitude of positive optimism and future ambition is cultivated. Indeed, the family encourages development of skills and concepts necessary for social change. For instance, the family plays an invaluable role in the child’s development of language and speech and the nurturing of cognitive abilities. This is consistent with the established relationship between language and power and the fact that language is fundamental to human agency and social transformation.

Discrimination, isolation and poverty are integrally linked. When the person is isolated from her family she is more susceptible to discrimination due to the associated vulnerability that comes with the absence of support and solidarity. The UN Committee on Educational, Social and Cultural Rights has correctly recognized that poverty is often caused by people having no access to existing resources because of who they are, what they believe or where they live. Especially in developing countries, belonging to a family provides more locus standi, and allows for easier integration into the wider community.

Statistics have shown a clear and consistent relationship between the ideal of united families and economic buoyancy. For instance, when compared to single adults, married adults have a significantly higher average household income. Likewise children of married parents in comparison to those of unmarried parents have been found to do better economically. The breakdown of the family unit goes against the world’s aspirations for forward strides to be made in social and economic matters. Research has shown that divorced adults, especially women, experience greater economic hardship.

Promoting the family is essential to providing the right conditions for the human person to develop and flourish. The simple and yet integral value of family promotion is often overlooked in international documents. Promoting the family would have far-reaching positive effects on education and empowerment of the human person. It will also work to negate the possibilities of discrimination and thus enhance dialogue and mutual understanding as well as increase the integration of youth within society at large. Strong family units lead to the development of strong young men and women, empowered and equipped to positively contribute to our world, and to ensure the dignity of every person is recognized. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that dignity is something shared by all human persons and therefore there must be solidarity in recognizing this immutable fact. The essence of family promotion is to promote solidarity in its most fundamental form.

A Call to Action!

Letters from World Youth Alliance members in Saint Lucia

Dear delegate,

Quality education is the gateway to the development of our world in order to impact our community; we must learn to harvest the infinite reserves of the human mind. Yet, millions of youth from around the work are constantly denied opportunities of self-awareness and realization. Human dignity is denied when education is withheld. In countless instances where education is provided it serves not necessarily to encourage brilliance and ingenuity of thoughts, but rather to dampen creativity and force conformity. Education must inspire us to grow and change to have the audacity to create.

To solve this issue the developing world must adapt comprehensive policies which recognize both the human and strategic importance of education. True education should be filled with both compassion and information. Teachers should receive adequate training so as to inspire their students. Students must be supplied with relevant and advanced materials which encourage them not only to accept conventional teaching, but also to discover the world around them. Measures should be implemented to build student confidence in order to produce emotionally intelligent and balanced world citizens. Inadequacies in teaching compromise both student self-esteem and ability to learn. We in the developing world grow weary of waiting. It is the hour for change.

Sincerely,

Jarnickae

Age 16

Saint Lucia

St Mary’s College

Dear delegate,

I am an eighteen year old, and I have written this letter in hopes that some of the issues facing Saint Lucian youth may be alleviated. I believe that my homeland is blessed with many beautiful young persons, some of whom are not granted the necessary opportunities to nurture their God-given talents. I say this because most of the crimes committed in my country are committed by young persons between the ages of fifteen to thirty. Most of these individuals lack opportunities–either for education or opportunities which stimulate good impulses for instance, the importance of being a good citizen. I believe there should also be forums and development programmes on parenting as some youth may be poverty stricken and parenting as some youth may be poverty stricken and parenting as some youth may be poverty stricken and suffering from neglect from parents and the home, indeed is where it all starts.

I believe that young persons with so much energy to spend need to be channeled in the right direction. We need development programmes, more education opportunities, mentors, counselors. Young persons need help and guidance. We need to know that there is still hope despite any predicament, be it poverty, teenage pregnancy or parental neglect.

People in St Lucia are very critical of St Lucian youth because of all the crimes. We are considered to be lazy and fail in comparison to the generations that have gone before us, or so the adults say. Regardless, I do admit that it would be an amazing feeling to have a sense of security restored when walking the streets.

Sincerely,

Latonia

Age 18

Saint Lucia

Sir Arthur Lew Community College

You’re invited to join us at…

Our Voices, Our Aspirations: A Youth Dialogue on Sustainable Development

A High Level Meeting on Youth side event sponsored by the Bahá’í International Community United Nations Office, Alas de Rio, and the World Youth Alliance.

Tuesday, July 26^th from 1:15-2:45pm ~ 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120 ~ RSVP: bic-nyc@bic.org

ART SPEAKS

Art Speaks will celebrate the conclusion of the High Level Meeting on Youth with an evening of performances by professional actors and musicians, a photography and sculpture exhibit, short film screenings, and testimonials by young delegates and participants from the High Level Meeting on Youth.

Tuesday, July 26^th from 7-9pm ~ World Youth Alliance Headquarters ~ FREE ADMISSION

228 East 71st Street, New York, NY / www.wya.net

KENYA'S GOT TALENT COMPETITION

2011-07-25T09:47:00.002+03:00

The Kenya high school a premier high school in Nairobi, Kenya is this year’s winner of the Kenya’s got talent competition. The competition that was held on 25th June was a platform to celebrate the talents among our members in high schools around Nairobi. The competition comprised of Public debates, singing, dancing, modeling and poetry categories. The second runner’s up were the Highway secondary school. Both schools have strong WYA clubs and their members have been attending both local and international events by World Youth Alliance like International Solidarity forum and the summer camp. In case you are interested in starting a club at a high school, kindly get in touch through africa@wya.net

ALUMNAE RE-UNION

2011-07-25T09:46:00.001+03:00

In the month of June the World Youth Alliance Africa hosted the former interns for re-union. The social afternoon was meant to provide platform for the interns to get to know each other and also update them on the progress that WYA has had since. The Alumni consist of our best members who have had a chance to train with us, interned either regionally or in the head office in New York. Among those present was Tessy Omina a committee member who has in interned both in Nairobi and New York and currently living in New Jersey. Many of the alumni present continue to carry out the WYA mission as witnessed from the initiatives they are currently involved in.

WYAA TRAINS KIBERA YOUTH BEADING

2011-07-25T09:43:00.000+03:00

Ten youth from the sprawling Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya benefited with beading skills courtesy of the World Youth Alliance. The dignity project organized by Sylvia Omina, an intern was aimed at tackling unemployment amongst the youth through skills training and directing Small business in the community towards achieving sustainability. The participants were drawn from Nairobi Ngoma -a youth group in Kibera that is involved in such activities as theatre; where the youth are engaged in choral verses, dances, skits and puppetry. Their objective is to equip the youth to serve the community to achieve sustainable community development, enhance behavior change and create

Registrations open! WYA delegation to the UN High Level Meeting on Youth in New York

2011-05-04T16:21:00.000+03:00

Join young leaders and be part of the WYA delegation to the UN High Level Meeting on Youth!

In the context of the International Year of Youth (IYY), the United Nations announced that a High Level Meeting on Youth will be held in New York on July 25 and 26.

The World Youth Alliance will send a large delegation of members to this conference, and you can be part of it if you are aged 18 to 30!

The deadline for registration with WYA is May 31st, 2011. Please download and send the registration form filled in to wyae.bernadette@gmail.com. If you represent a youth organization, please specify it in your email.

WYA cannot provide scholarships for any expenses occured for the transportation to and accomodation in New York. Once registrations are sent duely completed, we will be in contact to offer our help and advice in varous matters.

We will update this webpage as more information are public. If you are interested in receiving more information, please email your questions to wyae.bernadette@gmail.com.

More information can be found on the UN website : http://social.un.org/youthyear/

Investing in the Human Person

2011-04-15T11:44:00.001+03:00

The World Youth Alliance supports the work of the Commission on Population and Development in their efforts to promote the human person as the central subject of development. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that all persons have intrinsic dignity; it is this dignity that provides the basis for all human rights. This reality should drive and order the work that is pursued here, and precipitate the question, “How can we best serve the needs of the human person?” Only with a full understanding of the human person, with his or her physical, mental, spiritual, social and emotional needs, can we pursue policies that lead to integral human development.

With this as our foundation, it is clear that authentic human development begins with investment in the human person. What does it mean to invest in the human person? This can only be accomplished within a holistic paradigm that respects the dignity and complexity of each human being. It begins by investing in the things that human beings need for fulfillment and productivity; the most basic of these are healthcare and education.

Adequate healthcare promotes a healthy population and is essential to the ability of a person to live up to their potential. Women’s access to health care is a key indicator of development, impacting both maternal and child health. High maternal and infant death rates are indicative of social and medical failure, and each death has a devastating impact on the family, the community, and economic and social development. Women should be able to live happy, flourishing lives; however maternal health policies that focus primarily on family planning do not ensure healthy pregnancies and deliveries. These are ensured through investment in skilled birth attendants, prenatal and postnatal care and provision of health education for women and families.

Education addresses the intellectual and social needs of the human person; it is one of the most important means of empowering persons with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process. Investing in the human person through education is a multi-dimensional task. It not only entails an adequate educational system with trained, uncorrupt teachers but also the elimination of barriers which prevent attendance, especially for the girl child. Investment in infrastructure, including roads and means of transportation, fosters student access. Systems should be developed to retain boys and girls in school, such as adequate record-keeping and provision of hygiene supplies for adolescent girls as they begin menstruation.

Investment in the human person fosters integral human development and thus greater economic and social flourishing. Educated, healthy persons enter the labor force at a higher level and are retained longer, leading to greater economic productivity. When persons have their basic needs met and are equipped through education, they can invest their time in intellectual, social, and cultural activities. The human person, with his or her capacity and creativity, can develop new ways of engaging the world, effecting areas of resource management, distribution and sustainability. Healthy and educated parents can raise healthy future generations, perpetuating societal and economic growth. The promotion of healthcare and education is not only critical to achieving authentic, sustainable development, but more importantly is fitting to the dignity of persons. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that human dignity and a holistic understanding of the person is the only foundation on which appropriate and effective programs and policies can be developed.

When Populations Age

2011-04-15T11:36:00.001+03:00

The World Youth Alliance recognizes that regions of the world are at different stages of demographic transition. Regions in an advanced stage of demographic transition are aging. Population aging is caused on the one hand by a decrease in fertility and on the other hand by overall progress in global health. The latter has permitted a drop in child and maternal mortality; it has also enabled the population at large to remain healthy and active up to a more advanced age.

Over the years, a global population growth has given rise to the concern that demands – especially demands for food – created by large young populations could not be fulfilled. This concern has been the justification for encouraging people to reduce family sizes. This has been the rationale behind population management policies such as Chinas’, where people are allowed only one child per family. More recently, the government of the Philippines has debated a law proposal in which it encouraged its population to make responsible choices in family planning, and expressly favored two-child family size.

Population management policies that coerce parents to have a certain number of children are not only contrary to the basic right of all couples to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children. They are also based on the faulty assumption that overall population growth is caused by families who have more children than a given ideal number. This assumption unduly puts the burden of culpability on the shoulders of these families.

The World Youth Alliance believes that high fertility and lack of family planning are not the only causes of global population growth. Rather, this growth has been caused by increased life expectancy. In the last decades, the overall fertility rate has dropped. However, this fertility drop has not prevented overall population growth: In Europe, it is population aging that creates concern, now that the region is under the replacement rate required for stabilization.

The World Youth Alliance recognizes that young populations do not hinder development but can facilitate it. Post-War Europe was reconstructed by a young population and reached a high standard of living. In a similar way, the young population of Hong Kong did not hinder the economic miracle in the region but facilitated it. Therefore equating young populations with underdevelopment is untrue. Development depends on access to education and healthcare.

Policies aimed at reducing population growth through mainstreaming family planning practices / use of contraceptives should be attentive not reach the excessive adverse results. A dramatic decrease in fertility has already led to an insufficiently low fertility rate in Western Europe, where populations age with a sparse young population taking over. Such policies do not ultimately serve new generations: Where social security systems are not able to overcome social costs related to aging i.e. youth unemployment, retirement and health care for the elderly, youth has to face disproportional simultaneous burdens of work and care for their elderly. Moreover, such contexts generate an environment prone to potential intergenerational conflicts.

As a global coalition of young people, we urge governments to focus their resources on providing education and health care information to their young populations, and to associate their experienced citizens to direct their resourceful youth on the path of long-term development.

WYA Declaration on Population and Economics

2011-04-15T11:34:00.000+03:00

New York, March 2011

We are young people of diverse ethnic, religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds from every region of the world. Many of us are from the developing world, which has large, young populations capable of innovation and creativity, a driver of economic growth. Some of us are from the developed world, which currently has lower fertility rates, ageing populations and in some cases stalled economic growth. As young people, we are concerned about the relationship between population and economic prosperity. A proper understanding of this relationship is necessary in order to propose policies that will reduce poverty and lead to both human and economic flourishing.

The economy is the system of production and management of material wealth in a given society. Proper social and cultural development is a necessary condition for, rather than a result of, a thriving economy. When societies are built upon respect for human dignity and the family, sustainable economic growth follows, demonstrating that cultural and human capital are the primary resources driving overall human development.

The intangibility of human capital makes the relationship between population and economics complex. The potential of the human person to generate wealth using knowledge, skills and creativity is unique and reflects an aspect of human dignity. Therefore, investing in the human person, in a climate of freedom and respect, leads to integral human development and economic growth. Investing in the human person requires investing in healthcare and education, as healthy and educated persons can reach their potential in the workplace, engage civilly and raise healthy families, thus contributing to the economy. A society that recognizes, supports, and encourages the value of occupations that respect human dignity, including informal care-giving, allows for the maximization of human capital and economic growth.

Since human capital is our most important resource, responsible stewardship is a necessary condition of sustainable economic development. Population management programs categorize human beings, especially vulnerable populations, as burdens instead of essential participants in long-term economic development. The premise that fixed resources and equitable distribution require fewer individuals is not only flawed but inconsistent with human dignity. Population management programs ignore the real causes of economic growth: anti-corruption policies, protection of basic human rights, access to education and investment in infrastructure.

Human capital is first and best developed within the family, the basic unit of society. It is within the family that children first understand their dignity, realize their potential and are prepared to be responsible agents of economic and social development. We recognize that both the role of the mother and the father are significant to the child’s development. Civil society, governments, and international institutions can play an important role in the development of human capital by creating supportive environments in which families thrive.

We call on civil society, governments and international institutions to invest in the human person, and to work with us to build societies which foster economic and human flourishing.

World Youth Alliance Calls For Release of Chen Guangcheng From House Arrest in China.

2011-03-15T12:44:00.002+03:00

New York: March 14, 2011

The World Youth Alliance, a global coalition of young people promoting the dignity of the human person in policy and culture, calls for the release of Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng, who has been put under house arrest by the Chinese government for accusing it of carrying out forced abortions.Guancheng is a well-known human rights activist in China, and spent four years in a Chinese prison before his release this past September.

Freedom of speech and freedom of conscience are fundamental human rights. The violation of these rights constitutes a violation of human dignity. The guarantee of these fundamental freedoms is necessary in order to have peaceful societies where human being flourish and the common good is realized.

“Chen Guangcheng has made an accusation, and in doing so has exercised his rights of conscience,” says World Youth Alliance Director of Advocacy, Rebecca Marchinda. “By placing him under house arrest, the Chinese government violates his dignity as person. If he is right, then China is also violating the rights of mothers and unborn children, and if he is wrong, China still acts in a manner not in keeping with international human rights standards.”

China’s government-managed “one-child” policy is well-known, but less known are the methods employed for enforcing this policy in the rural areas. Cheng Guangcheng accused the government of carrying out thousands of forced abortions in his province.

For more information about the World Youth Alliance please contact WYA Director of Advocacy, Rebecca Marchinda.

2011-03-07T11:57:00.002+03:00

Empowering Women

The World Youth Alliance supports the work of the Commission on the Status of Women and its efforts to promote and empower women and girl children. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that all persons have an intrinsic dignity; it is this dignity that provides the basis for all human rights. All persons are equal in dignity regardless of sex, race, culture or creed and this equality demands equal participation in the development process including full and equal access to education. Equal access to education for women and girls is the only proper response to their dignity as persons.

Through education, women are empowered with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the whole development process. Education, including training and access to science and technology are increasingly urgent in a world of economic and technological changes. Education not only empowers women emotionally and socially, but can also contribute to their economic empowerment, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and other national and international development goals.

The World Youth Alliance recognizes education is a foundational element of development. The goal of education must be to help people recognize their dignity and the dignity of others and equip them with the necessary tools to exercise their potential. Understanding and exercising one’s own potential is authentic empowerment, and is essential to the sustainable development of society. When every member of a population is aware of how their education contributes to development, they will be able to fulfill their responsibility in society.

Interrelated issues of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment all effect women’s access to education and are compounded by discrimination. It is necessary for individuals, society, governments, and institutions to work in solidarity to foster the adequate conditions such as freedom, peace, and equality that lead equal access to education for women and girls. Women’s equal access to education is not only critical to achieving poverty eradication and authentic, sustainable development, but more importantly is fitting to their dignity as persons. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that human dignity is the only foundation on which appropriate and holistic programs and policies can be developed.

Esperanza! Women and Work, 55th Commission on the Status of Women

2011-03-02T09:05:00.002+03:00

The World Youth Alliance recognizes that all persons have an intrinsic dignity; it is this dignity that provides the basis for all human rights. We recognize that all persons are equal in dignity regardless of sex, race, culture or creed and this equality demands equal participation in the development process especially access to education and decent work. Equal access to education for women and girls, including science and technology education and skills training, is the only proper response to their dignity as persons.

Education, including science and technology, not only equips women with the tools they need to take part in decent work, but more importantly empowers them with the confidence to dream and to pursue their goals. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that in providing access to education, women and girls are enabled to exercise their freedom to choose their own vocation and future. We recognize the many gifts of women that empower them to participate in development in a multitude of ways, from the very heart of development in the primary care of children and the family, to successful careers in all areas of the workforce. Authentic equal opportunity for women should not force women to conform to one particular career path or model, but must recognize that care-giving and motherhood are not only career options, but have great worth and are essential for the development of society and culture.

We recognize that as women are empowered to make choices about their futures, there must be social frameworks that support these choices. The promotion of gender parity in the workforce must take into account the freedom of women to choose an alternative vocation. We must not only facilitate decent and equal career paths for women, but also respect their choice to act as mothers and family caregivers. It is important to work with women and men to develop suitable solutions for the care of children and to build social inclusion networks that enable women to use their skills and talents to contribute to society.

The World Youth Alliance recognizes the inherent dignity of all persons. We affirm that every person is free, possessing the power to choose to act in accordance with the reality of the dignity of all persons, and to freely determine their vocation and their future. Increasing access to education, including science and technology, and promoting equal opportunity in the labor force empowers women with the tools and the structures they require in order to choose the future that most corresponds with their goals and dreams.

Engineering a Path to Empowerment

We are told as young people of a prosperous nation that the need for responsible citizenship is more necessary today than ever before. We are exhorted that we can make a difference. We are given the charge to pursue our dreams and build a future of our own. And so the questions are raised in our minds, “How can I make a difference?” and “What must I do to achieve this goal?”

As a young girl, I was encouraged by my parents in my fascination and desire to study mathematics and science. I was taught that gaining knowledge through education would become the most valuable asset in allowing me to make a difference in the world. The trust my family gave me supported my decision to pursue an engineering degree at the university level. Learning the fundamentals of math and science and implementing analytical and critical thinking skills in technological applications allowed me to participate in a fast-paced culture of innovation and change. Numbered among a few women in a crowded thermodynamics lecture or being the only female on an engineering design team, I was empowered by having accomplished a success few others had achieved.

I was aware that most young women my age were discouraged by the lack of female students enrolled in the science and engineering departments. It was common to discuss amongst friends and classmates that a potential career in technology seemed counterintuitive for a woman to pursue if she wished to remain in the home as a full-time mother. I witnessed firsthand my own mother who chose to put educational and career goals aside to care for my siblings and me in the home. Although she was one of the first people to encourage me in my pursuit of being on the cutting edge of technology and gaining the education to establish a long-term and sustainable career, she showed me that my technological endeavors did not have to be the ultimate end to which I was headed.

The training I received as an engineer provided me the tools to think critically about my path to success and the freedom to choose the future I was building. I recognized that I was more than the sum of my education and had many gifts I was capable of using. My mother first showed me the example of using such gifts as my ability to teach, encourage and inspire. Access to education and opportunities for employment empowered me with a confidence to pursue dreams of my own. It is my hope that this future includes becoming a mother for my own children as mine was for me.

Amanda, 26, USA

EMPOWERING GIRLS AND WOMEN THROUGH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

2011-03-02T08:53:00.003+03:00

The World Youth Alliance recognizes that all persons have an intrinsic dignity which demands respect for the human body, human life and human flourishing. The biological and social nature of human sexuality demands an approach to reproductive health that takes the whole person into account. The World Youth Alliance recognizes that a knowledge-based approach to reproductive health will help persons to understand more fully their physiological and reproductive capacities and more importantly will develop a greater respect of our biological potential and wonder. This leads to a greater sense of one’s own self-worth and value, and the worth and value of others, a solidarity that promotes the flourishing of persons and societies.

Knowledge-based reproductive health and education builds on the most recent medical developments on women’s reproductive health, and the recognition that human sexuality is both biological and social in nature and constitutes just one part of the whole human person. Knowledge-based reproductive health methods teach a woman to understand her fertility and reproductive system, enabling pregnancy achievement or avoidance, with the same use-effectiveness as the pill. Uniquely, this method tracks a woman’s biomarkers providing a “snapshot” of her full reproductive health-identifying infertility, cysts and endometriosis prior to the onset of symptoms. This knowledge is also important for men; learning the intricacies of a woman’s reproductive health system, men can more fully respect women, and learn to work together to achieve sexual and family goals. Understanding sexuality in both its biological and social nature develops free and mature decision making and self-control. This model recognizes the relation between character and future health and well-being. The daily discipline required to achieve its results encourages future-mindedness, self-control, character development and academic achievement.

The World Youth Alliance recognizes that a knowledge-based approach to reproductive health has the whole person as its basis and human flourishing as its end. It proposes to develop a more holistic and healthy identity by placing sexuality within its proper context of a person’s whole life, their goals, desires and purpose. This approach is critical to ensuring long-term health and well-being, and empowering women and men with the skills and character to make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual choices, marriage and child-rearing and educational, career and vocational goals.

WYA Interview with Miriam Grossman, MD.

What are the hidden challenges and needs facing girls today that are currently under served?
Most people are aware of the social, educational, health and other challenges facing young girls today. Overlooked is the fact that girls have unique biological sensitivities that increase their vulnerability to the negative consequences of sexual activity. For example, the adolescent cervix is a way biology tells girls to wait to become sexually active. It’s immature and vulnerable to infection due to a delicate area called the transformation zone. The T-zone is covered by only one layer of cells, so bacteria and viruses, especially HPV, can take up residence with ease. With time, the T-zone is replaced by many layers of cells that are more difficult to penetrate, making infection less likely.

What is comprehensive sex education and is it important?
Sex education, like all health matters, should be based on biological truths. That’s obvious, right? But the websites and curricula created for young people by “comprehensive” sex educators omit critical biological facts. Contrary to their claims, these groups do not provide students with medically accurate, up to date information. The priority of organizations like Planned Parenthood and SIECUS is radical social change. While it is noble to fight social injustice, the goal of health education must be to keep people out of the doctor’s office. When sex education is based on social agendas instead of science, it gives young people a false sense of security, and the consequences are disastrous.

Your approach to reproductive health and sexual education has focused on science and knowledge based methods. In your research and practice, what have you discovered is missing in comprehensive sex education?
There are a staggering number of critical items that are omitted from reproductive health and sexual education, among them:
*Intimate behavior causes the release of a hormone from the brain that promotes feelings of attachment and trust, even if you are with a stranger. This appears to be particularly true in girls and women.
*All sexually transmitted infections and HIV are 100% avoidable by delaying sexual activity, finding someone else who waited, and then remaining monogamous. From a health perspective, that is the ideal.
*A girl’s immature cervix increases her vulnerability to genital infections. HIV aside, girls and women carry 80% of the burden of negative consequences from early sexual behavior and multiple partners.
*Feces are filled with dangerous pathogens. Contact with the anus is associated with serious infectious diseases such as salmonella, shigella, and hepatitis A, B, and C.
*The physiology and anatomy of the anus is vastly different from the vagina. Regarding HIV transmission, anal intercourse is at least twenty times more dangerous than vaginal intercourse.
*As stated on condom wrappers, breakage is more likely to occur during anal intercourse
*Oral sex with multiple partners is associated with throat cancer. There is compelling evidence that HPV causes cancer of the tongue and tonsils the same way it does in the cervix.
*Chlamydia may cause fertility problems even if it is detected and treated in a timely manner. Sex-ed material reassures girls that if they follow guidelines, get tested once or twice a year, and take antibiotics when necessary, they’ll be cured. But that’s not always the case.

In your writings you discuss the link between hormones and human bonding. What is the relationship there and how do they shape our experience and relationships with other people?
A young woman has unique biological sensitivities that increase her vulnerability to the consequences of sexual activity. For example, intimacy releases oxytocin, a primarily female hormone that fuels feelings of attachment and trust. This chemical turns red lights green. It alters brain chemistry, so she’s more likely to overlook a guy’s faults, and to take risks she otherwise wouldn’t. These are things that people should be educated about, along with all the education about contraceptives and the availability of abortion.

Going forward, how can we better protect and empower girls and women?
We need to have our sex education based on biology, not ideology. Biology flatly rejects the idea that women are just like men. Girls are protected and empowered when they have a knowledge and understanding of their unique gifts, especially their sexuality. This empowers them to make prudent decisions concerning their sexual activity, decisions which lead to greater reproductive, emotional and psychological health.

2ND EMERGING LEADERS SUMMIT

2011-03-01T15:54:00.003+03:00

The Emerging Leaders summit is an annual training event for the Kenyan youth on relevant issues of national concern. The inaugural summit was held in 2010 on Peace and was attended by 250 youth from across the nation. The interest by young people and the necessity for dialogue amongst the youth and policy makers led to the creation of this annual forum.

As a policy oriented organization, World Youth Alliance continues to impact policy at the international institutions as well as nationally. The World Youth Alliance identifies the critical role that good governance plays in empowering individuals and communities to affirm their dignity, enhancing freedom, justice and respect for human rights. Through the summit WYA created a platform for the youth to meet their peers from across the country, opinion leaders and Experts who helped them understand issues related to good governance and development.

Themed Uniting Kenyan Youth on Good governance and development, this year’s Summit took place on February 26th 2011 at the Ufungamano house in Nairobi. The summit attracted a total of 412 youth leaders from as far as Awendo in Nyanza, Mombasa in the coast, Isiolo in North eastern, Nakuru in Rift valley provinces and all major learning institutions in Nairobi.

Among the key speakers were representatives from the Kenyan Anti-corruption commission, Transparency International, civil society congress, Iren-Kenya, political parties and the national youth sector alliance.

The morning session was a panel discussion that was aimed at scrutinizing the roles of different sectors and institutions in promoting good governance with an objective of showing the youth how they can be involved in the already existing structures as agents of good governance. The role of youth as agents of good governance was discussed at length by Stephen Mwakesi from National Youth Sector Alliance, a policy youth network that is behind the convening of the quarterly Prime minister- Youth roundtable.

The Role of media in fostering good governance as a fourth estate after the executive, Legislature and Judiciary was discussed in detail by Peter Kilonzo a young journalist with a vast experience with different media organizations including DSW.

All youth leaders of political parties had been invited but only two parties SDP and National Agenda Party were able to attend and were given an opportunity to explain to the youth leaders the values and ideals that their parties stand for. The aim was to start a conversation where political parties face the masses with issues rather than propaganda.

To conclude the session there was a lively debate between the delegates and Prof Naituli of Muilt-Media University on whether Kenya needs strong men or strong institutions. He walked the delegates through the Kenyan perception of a strong man and the true meaning of a strong man. There was a unanimous conclusion that we need both strong institutions for accountability and strong men and women who can build and maintain the strong institutions.

The afternoon session was designed as learning platform with experts drawn from institutions that have been involved in the field of governance issues for a while. The young people heard how the civil society congress, IREN-Kenya, Transparency International and the Kenya Anti-corruption commission are fostering good governance through their initiatives. Sameer Malik of TI-Kenya, James Sitiemei of KACC, Morris Odhiambo of National civil society congress and Josephat Juma of Iren-Kenya were the speakers who shared their experiences with the delegates.

From the contributions of delegates there was a feeling that the forum should be held more often as opposed to once every year. Apart from the conversation and dialogue which they termed necessary and informative, advocacy action plans and outreaches to other youth were recommended.

We thank all those who made the 2nd Emerging Leaders Summit happen. We thank our able team of interns and volunteers for their mobilization and fundraising efforts. We thank the Norwegian Church Aid for their generous donation that ensured the delegates get food; we thank Mr. Alovi and Nairobi bottlers for taking care of the PA system and donating water for the delegates. We thank our able panelists and more importantly we thank our delegates for seeing reason enough to attend and actively participate in the summit.

WYA's Oral statement at the UN Commission On Social Development!

2011-02-18T08:39:00.004+03:00

Watch WYA Spanish Fellow Ignacio Fernandez Torres delivering an Oral Statement at the Commission On Social Development at the United Nations!

Esperanza: Aging: Intergenerational Solidarity in Action

2011-02-18T08:28:00.001+03:00

As more persons survive into the advanced stages of life, the needs and issues of aging populations have risen to the forefront of the development process. Aging is not a separate issue from social integration, economic stability or issues of poverty.(1) In fact, the eradication of poverty has a specific dimension in the context of aging, since older persons remain one of the largest groups affected by poverty in many societies. (2) Respect and care for the elderly is the only appropriate response to their intrinsic dignity. Because of their vulnerability, older persons require the support and consideration of society and governments at every level.

As a global coalition of young people, the World Youth Alliance recognizes the dignity and value of every person and acknowledges the important role that older persons have in the integral development of younger generations. We understand that aging is a lifelong process and universal to the human family. We are all members of an aging society; policies and agendas created for the elderly today will be ours tomorrow.

The family plays a critical role in achieving sustainable development, and is pivotal to the physical, social and economic well-being of the elderly. It is primarily within families that care and support is provided for the elderly worldwide. (3) The family is also the school of solidarity and deeper humanity in which elders fulfill the role of educating and passing on values to the younger generation. This role has ensured man’s survival and progress and promoted a culture in which intergenerational solidarity fosters the common good, especially the realization of responsibilities towards future generations.

As stated in the Madrid Plan of Action, “Intergenerational ties, obligations and solidarity remain at the very heart of every society regardless of its stage of development.” (4) Respect and care for the elderly, which has been one of the few constants in human culture everywhere, reflects a basic interplay between self-preserving and society-preserving impulses which has ensured the survival and progress of the human race. Worldwide, the overall responsibility of the family to provide traditional care and support the needs of the aging is diminishing. Therefore, there is an evident need to educate the general public, and in particular families, with regard to the aging process. Poverty eradication requires recognizing the role that families play in the lives of all persons, including the young and the old.

Elderly Wisdom and Memories

As a young person who was nurtured within a loving family, I have witnessed firsthand the importance of the family to the sustained development of society and culture. It was through my family that I first and most strongly experienced love and recognition as a unique person with worth and dignity. Relationships with my elderly relatives have taught me to respect and care for older persons and to value the unique gifts they bring to society. I have been given the great gift of care-giving for my grandparents as they grew older, deteriorated in health and mind, and eventually passed away. These experiences were irreplaceable and precious to me and to my development as a person.

Attending closely to my grandmother as she slowly suffered and her body was ravaged by cancer, I was privileged to be a witness to her life and to what it truly means to “die with dignity” as she made a gift of herself to the last, even as she was receiving care for her most basic of needs. Although she lacked the capacities deemed by many as “useful,” she was able to give us her love and to call each member of my family to a deeper discovery of themselves as persons through a mutual giving and receiving of ourselves.

This week marks one year since her death last February. It is in grateful memory of her that I recognize the importance of older persons in the life of the family and of society as a whole, and of promoting projects and activities that grow intergenerational solidarity. I value the family as the first school of personhood and the fundamental unit that enables social function and development. It is crucial to give families the place of primacy in development programs so that the formation, education, care and mutual responsibility of all persons can begin at the earliest stages of development and continue to the end of life.

Gabrielle, 24, USA.

Esperanza: Youth for Intergenerational Solidarity

2011-02-16T16:32:00.001+03:00

The long fight against poverty has had limited real and sustainable results. However, the current focus on social inclusion as essential to the eradication of poverty has brought renewed energy and vision to the battle. It is universally agreed upon that special attention must be given to youth as one of the most vulnerable groups of society, and particularly susceptible to social exclusion and the intergenerational poverty.

Young people are the most disproportionately affected by poverty. Not only is the number of youth living in poverty dramatically larger than that of other groups, but the experience of poverty itself can shape the way young people interact with the world. Young people who experience the fruits of poverty such as hunger, malnutrition, lack of education and access to basic healthcare need strong support structures to receive the help and vision they need to identify a path and means out of poverty. The strongest support structure is the family. While all families are not necessarily strong, the presence of a strong family can make the difference between continuing in intergenerational cycles of poverty, or breaking out of them.

The support provided by the family ameliorates the effects of poverty by providing young people with a supportive, inclusionary environment from the very beginning of their lives. The family is a person’s first and most formative experience of society and inclusion. It provides a consistent, evolving experience of social inclusion and inter-generational co-operation through all stages of a person’s life from birth to natural death. The family is the primary place where young people are formed and encouraged to flourish. Even in the case where access to social networks is limited, the family can serve as a concrete experience of inclusion and support for vulnerable individuals.

The family can also be the engine through which group solidarity takes place to overcome poverty and exclusion. For example, the sacrifices that older siblings or parents make for younger children to go to school, in order to break the intergenerational cycles of poverty, are well known. These sacrifices not only enable the children to receive an education, but in and of themselves provide natural lessons in cooperation, hard work and the importance of education and future goals. As younger children see the sacrifices made for them by those whom they look up to in their family, they are encouraged to follow their example, and so the family becomes the primary school of personhood and societal engagement. This is just one of the many ways that the family serves as the agent of change in breaking poverty cycles.

The World Youth Alliance recognizes the centrality of family in the fight against poverty and in the realization of sustainable development. Our wide membership of young people from over 160 countries, and our grassroots projects which promote holistic, person-centered development give us real experience to speak of and a strong voice to speak with. We are privileged to represent our members at the international commissions of the UN, as we acknowledge the importance of protecting and promoting the family in order to achieve the eradication of poverty and authentic, sustainable development.

(1) Young People Today and in 2015: World Youth Report, 2005, Chapter. 3, P.61. (2) Young People in a Globalizing World: World Youth Report, 2003. Ch. 15, P. 400

World Youth Alliance Oral Statement at the 49th UN Commission on Social Development.

2011-02-16T16:24:00.004+03:00

New York, February 14, 2011

Thank you Mr. Chair, esteemed delegates and members of civil society.

1. The World Youth Alliance, a global coalition of young people promoting the dignity of the human person in policy and culture, welcomes the opportunity to review the current year’s priority theme for the Commission for Social Development: poverty eradication. We are convinced that people are the most important drivers of development and that human creativity is a critical resource and a catalyst for development. In preparation for the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, we want to re-affirm the importance of the family as the fundamental unit of society. The family is indeed the fundamental community where poverty can first and efficiently be fought, thus addressing the primary needs of the most vulnerable members of our communities such as young people, older persons, and persons with disabilities.

2. Poverty eradication takes place at an individual level, by educating and investing in persons, and enabling their creativity and natural capacities to develop and flourish. It requires whole communities to work together for the common good. Poverty eradication, which disproportionately affects young people, requires strong families who take their duties and responsibilities in caring for their members and building intergenerational solidarity seriously. The State must support efforts that encourage person-centered solutions for the eradication of poverty, as well as encouraging the development of opportunities and programs that contribute to human flourishing.

The Family

3. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society. The family is the first and fundamental environment where children are welcomed in life, and first experience what it means to be loved and accepted unconditionally. We recognize this as the primary purpose and function of the family.

4. The family is “natural” because it is both prior to, and necessary for, the development of free, healthy and flourishing States. Thus support for the family should be accorded at the political and the cultural level because of its importance for social functioning, and because of the essential role the family provides in caring for children, the aged and the most vulnerable.

Youth

5. The launch of the International Year of Youth on 12 August 2010 marked the beginning of a year’s worth of activities aimed at encouraging youth participation and dialogue and mutual understanding. Young people commit themselves to dialogue on issues affecting them.

6. For youth, family is of primary importance since the family influences the way in which young people see the world. Family support directly impacts the ability of a child to do well in school, and to overcome the effects of poverty. Supporting and strengthening the family is essential to combating poverty.

Persons with Disabilities

7. Promoting the equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms for disabled persons shows our respect for the diversity of the human condition. Persons with disabilities have a unique contribution to make in society, and encourage us to fulfill our duty to aid and protect them.

8. There are approximately 690 million persons with disabilities in the world and 80 percent of them live in developing countries, many in conditions of poverty. They suffer isolation because of stigma, discrimination, myths, misconceptions, and ignorance. While poor people are more likely to have a disability because of the conditions in which they live, disability is likely to make people poorer because of limited opportunities and discrimination. Too often, governments and communities fail to provide special health care and education needed for the integral development of persons with disabilities, which generates cycles of poverty through generations.

9. Both in developed and developing countries, individuals are targeted for termination based solely on their disability; genetic diagnosis and prenatal screening technologies are often used to identify persons with disabilities prior to birth. Member States should adopt measures to eradicate these violations which encourage poverty and underdevelopment.

10. The family is the primary place where persons with disabilities can be cared for and learn how to care. It is within this institution that the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society are defended and protected.

Older Persons

11. Older persons are those persons ages 60 or 65 and older, reaching retirement ages in most developed countries. In the past few decades, issues related to ageing populations have risen to the forefront of the development agenda, since greater numbers of persons are surviving into the advanced stages of life.

12. Legalization of euthanasia has followed from the debate on issues of an ageing population. Under the framework of “dying with dignity,” some countries have legalized assisted suicide for people suffering chronic physical and mental pain. It is acknowledged that in various cases assisted suicide was carried out for people who appeared to be lucid. Nevertheless, respect and care for the elderly, which has been one of the few constants in human culture everywhere, reflects a basic interplay between self- preserving and society-preserving impulses which have ensured the survival and progress of the human race. Assisted suicide will lead, over time, to a decrease in political will to provide palliative care and health-care services. Pressuring the terminally ill to take their own lives when they believe they have become a burden violates human dignity.

13. Since the family is the school of solidarity, it is necessary to enable the family as a whole, including its male members, to participate in and share the burden of caregiving. Elders fulfill the role of educating and passing on values to the younger generation; this role has ensured man’s survival and progress and promoted a culture in which intergenerational solidarity fosters the common good, especially the realization of responsibilities towards future generations.

14. Worldwide, the overall responsibility of the family to provide the traditional care and support the needs of the ageing is diminishing. Therefore, there is an evident need to educate the general public, and in particular families, with regard to the ageing process.

Conclusion

15. Poverty eradication requires recognizing the role that families play in the lives of all persons, including young people, persons with disabilities and older persons. Social development, and therefore economic development, cannot occur without this fundamental recognition by the State and society, and a corresponding support structure for the family. We call upon the commission to reflect these recommendations in the resolution “Poverty Eradication.”

By Nacho

WYA MEMBER'S EXPERIENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS SUMMIT

2010-11-26T10:23:00.002+03:00

The World Youth Alliance was a key partner in hosting the international young leader’s summit in mid November that was held in Nairobi Kenya. The summit was hosted by the Global peace foundation attracted many young people from across the world. A member of World Youth Alliance, Duncan Mikae was among the delegates and shares his experience below.

THE just concluded International Young Leaders Summit was quite an experience to me,Meeting other Young leaders from across the planet has always motivated me but above all I was so much inspired by several speakers who come from diverse economic and political backgrounds.

While youths are assumed to be leaders of tomorrow by the society,this conference said otherwise,from it I realized that many youths out there are now ready to take up the challenge and most of them are now up and ready for the task.

As President Mwai Kibaki and PM Raila Odinga put it,this conference has brought into our realization that we are all one under God and we all belong together.

I was particularly impressed by the contribution of several youth leaders from outside the continent, towards developing their countries and the world at large,from this conference also i came into full realization that young people cannot afford to sleep now,we have to be more aggressive than ever before because all the indicators right now show that the old guard isn’t ready to comply with our needs.

I will not forget the powerful presentations that will go ahead to shape most of us who participated in this conference, I wish to single out that the story by US. Senator Emanuel Jones on how he ascended to where he is, is not only motivating but also inspiring, it takes very few people the determination to start up humbly and endure all the challenges in the path of success. As a young entrepreneur and aspiring Community Leader I will take Senator Jones’ encouragement with me to wherever I will go.

In a nutshell this conference enabled me get to understand more about problems that face the youth and how they affect the general development of society, however it is my wish that this conference would have had a more action oriented climax, this would have helped the facilitators and ‘we’ the participants measure the progress of the deliberations and commitments made by both parties. I suggest that in future when we are invited to attend such conferences, the facilitators organize a way that could enable a number of us if not all of us to come out with a project or assignment that can be evaluated over time, a good example for this is; If we are going to talk about empowerment and entrepreneurship , there should be measures to ensure that a number of the participants are enabled to access credit facilities for whatever project that they would wish to execute, this of cause should be subject to a certain maximum amount and other practical examples relating to the theme and topics of the deliberations. If we incorporate such and other strategies, then we will be able to know whether these conferences are really helping the intended group or they are just a waste of time and resources that would have otherwise helped reduce the major problems affecting youth.

BY: Duncan Ogaro Mikae

WYAA DONATES FOODSTUFFS TO A CHILDRENS' HOME

2010-11-26T01:57:00.004+03:00

An African proverb asserts that it takes an entire village to raise a child. This meant that it is everyone’s responsibility of every member of a society to enusre that children are raised well.The world youth alliance Africa in partnership with AIYCC Kenya on the 14^th November visited and made donations

at an orphanage called Watoto Wema Center located in kayole estate in Nairobi Kenya.

This project was organized by Ivor Makasa a Zambian intern from

world youth alliance Africa and Richard omondi a program coordinator from AIYCC Kenya,

Watoto Wama Center recently has 55 orphans’ ranging from the age of 3- 19 this project attracted more than 20 participants from both world youth alliance and AIYCC Kenya.The aim was to interact and play with the kids as well as ensuring that their are raised in a safe ,secure environment with basic needs catered for.

Women just need their dignity respected

2010-11-12T12:42:00.002+03:00

At the start of the new millennium, world leaders pledged to tackle poverty, disease, ignorance, and inequality. They went beyond generalities and committed themselves to eight specific Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be met by 2015.

Ten years later, the goals — particularly those relating to women — remain a distant hope. Although women were the focus of discussion at the MDG Summit in New York last September, progress on the goals directly relating to women, namely: “Promoting gender equality and empowering women” and “Reducing by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio” has been discouraging.

The maternal mortality ratio in sub-Saharan Africa is by far the highest, where one in 23 women face the risk of dying, compared to one in 2,300 in Europe. Children living in Africa have a much higher chance of dying before five years of age.

In Kenya, the maternal mortality ratio during the 10-year period before the 2008/9 Kenya Demographic Health Survey was estimated at 488 per 100,000 live births, which is higher than the figure of 414 per 100,000 live births reported in the 2003 survey.

This implies that in the period between the two surveys, the rate of maternal deaths had either stagnated more or less at the same level, or had actually increased.

Either way, it is clear that these figures do not depict a declining trend towards the target of 147 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births set for 2015.

Most of the world’s women either are or someday will be mothers. Our mothers are of primary importance to each one of us. They are the women who gave us life and, in most cases, educated and nurtured us through childhood.

Mothers as a group form the cornerstone of any healthy society. Not only do they give physical birth to new life, they give moral and intellectual birth to children who will become productive members of society. Thus a society whose mothers are not valued and protected is doomed to slow but certain disintegration.

By putting into consideration the welfare of mothers, there is a ripple effect of a better welfare for the child. It is a double-edged sword.

Ensuring the health of a mother and child during pregnancy and at delivery is central to the development of society. Most causes of complications are preventable and can be addressed by improved access to basic healthcare, nutrition, medicines, and technology.

Essential programmes to ensure healthcare for mothers must be given priority in the development and funding of local, national, and international health initiatives.

As efforts are being made to develop social and economic policies to improve the livelihood of women in Kenya, it is critical to mobilise resources and strengthen political will to promote maternal health.

The world leaders at the UN Summit met to re-energise global commitment to achieve the MDGs. Women’s issues receive heightened attention. But women don’t need attention; they need developments and investments that recognise their dignity and intrinsic worth.

It is only through respecting the dignity of our women and fostering solidarity among individuals that this goal will be achieved by 2015. This way, we can finally live in a new millennium that we are proud to bequeath to future generations.

By Felogene Anumo

Ms Anumo is a committee member of the World Youth Alliance Africa. Email: fganumo@gmail.com. This article was published in Daily Nation, a leading Kenyan Newspaper.

WYAA TRAINS DOMESTIC WORKERS IN NAIROBI

2010-11-10T09:57:00.002+03:00

Having strongly affirmed that the dignity of a person is intrinsic in nature and cannot be given or taken by any individual or state, WYAA realized that some domestic workers’ dignity has been violated in a number of ways like verbal abuse, sexual harassment, low pay, and denial of right to education among others.

Therefore in response World Youth Alliance in collaboration with changing fortunes held one day training for domestic workers from around Nairobi. The 30 domestic workers who turned up we trained on issues such as HIV/AIDS, first aid, financial management and personality development.

Statistics have shown that 77% of domestic workers earned less than the minimum wage while 32% were physically, verbally or sexually abused in their homes.

The successful dignity project was organized by Alpha Gitau, an intern from Kenya. Among those who graced the occasion was WYA staff, CFO staff and Mr. Oscar Beauttah, A member of WYA international board.

WYA Member at the UN MDG Review Summit

2010-11-03T12:08:00.009+03:00

I recently got a rare opportunity, through the World Youth Alliance, to engage in an interactive, global and multi-cultural learning experience, with global leaders from all over the world at the UN High Level plenary Summit for the 65^th General Assembly in New York.

The UN MDG Review Summit was hosted at the United Nations in New York with the primary objective to accelerate progress towards

all the MDGs by 2015 by reviewing successes, lessons learnt, obstacles and gaps in achieving the MDGs. It also provided an opportunity to re-energize the global commitment to the achievement of these goals.

There were 6 plenary meetings and 6 interactive roundtables over the course of the three days and LOTS of side events and meetings.

I participated at the UN Summit for the very first time. They were Heads of States, CEOs and business leaders, Executive Directors of Global institutions and even musicians and celebrities all under one roof. Many issues were raised and among them what really came out was trying to come up with innovative ways by which we can accelerate the achievement of MDGs by 2015.

Based on our WYA Declaration on Maternal Health 2010, I was keen to see the developments and some of the issues that would be covered by the UN especially as concerns MDG goal 5 – Improving maternal health. This goal targets a three quarters reduction in the maternal mortality rate and universal access to reproductive health.

There was a lot of attention surrounding this goal at the Summit. This is because it is currently among the worst performing goals and surprisingly so as majority of the reasons that account for maternal mortality in developing nations are avoidable. Most of the solutions that came up in the forums were increment of funds towards family planning methods which I felt did not address the core issues.

High maternal death rates are indicative of social and medical failure. I believe they should have given more priority to investment in skilled birth attendants, access to health education, good nutrition and medicines, use of correct equipment and technologies, building new and improving the existing infrastructure such as roads and health care facilities.

This experience gave me a chance to contribute feasible solutions to global challenges by sharing and exchanging of ideas and experiences in an intellectual, global and cross-cultural setting.

I also gained knowledge on and increased capacity in problem solving, consensus building, and conflict resolution, through active lobbying and negotiation exercises at the Forums. I wrote an article for publishing to further expound on the maternal health issues covered at the Summit.

I would like to thank Rebecca Marchinda, Director of Advocacy and the whole WYA family for giving me this great opportunity to participate in the Summit.

Felogene Anumo, WYA Kenya

WYAA AT THE KENYAN YOUTH CLIMATE CONFERENCE

2010-11-01T09:23:00.005+03:00

The world Youth Alliance Africa was at Kenya’s youth gathering on climate change. The youth conference was held from 27^th- 30^th

October at the Multimedia University in Nairobi. The event was organized by Kenya youth climate network which is a movement by leading youth organizations among them St John community centre, Third movement, Africa Youth Initiative on climate change, World Youth Alliance Africa among others. The aim of the conference was capacity building for youth leaders across Kenya in issues of adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Among the sponsors of the event was the office of the Prime Minister and Norwegian church aid.

The World Youth Alliance was represented by Maisara Othman and Sharon Muriuki – former interns, Alpha Gitau –an intern and Hezbon Mogambi, the Regional Director of Operations.WYA distributed brochures, the declaration on responsible stewardship, held one on one meetings within different regions with an aim to hold intro sessions and Hezbon Mogambi spoke at the plenary on the work of the World Youth Alliance and how the more than 140 delegates could benefit from our advocacy, training and cultural initiatives.

WYAA INSTALLS A HANDWASHING STATION IN MUKURU

2010-10-26T14:03:00.007+03:00

Hygiene and sanitation are basic necessities in the building of a healthy society. World Youth Alliance Africa installed a hand washing station at Maendeleo learning centre in Mukuru slums in Nairobi. The station aims to improve hygiene of the pupils in this populated slum through encouraging the washing of hands every time they visit the toilets. There is likely to be a dramatic reduction of Cholera, diarrhea and worms through the constant use of the station. The simple set up was made possible by the experience of our intern who shared the technology from Rwanda as his dignity project. Dignity projects are a platform for our interns to do a community project through their skills and knowledge that portrays their understanding of dignity. The enthusiastic teachers and pupils were shown how it station operates, how to maintain it and they promised to replicate the same in their homes and neighboring schools. Among those present in putting up the station was: school staff members, World youth Alliance staff and interns.

Is Africa overpopulated?

2010-08-18T17:03:00.002+03:00

Development policy in Africa assumes that “less population equals more development.” This idea originated in the West and has been repeated so many times by leaders and media in our countries that everyone seems to agree with it or at least accept it without questioning its viability.
Recently the National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD) of Kenya warned that ‘Kenya’s population is expanding too fast, and may become unsustainable in the near future’. This is a typical declaration and mindset of many, especially policymakers in the developing world and Africa in particular.

The thinking behind this declaration is too simplistic to be valid: the fewer people a country has the better the government can take care of those people. Human beings are reduced to what the governments can manage or a ‘manageable’ population. In other words, people are the problem and seen, as the old perception of people in the third world countries by their masters, as mouths to feed and not minds to think and innovate for a better future.

Let’s make a few comparisons. According to the UN report ‘World population 2008’ there are 170 people per square km in Western Europe versus 33 people in Africa per sq km. For instance the UK has 253 people per sq km while Kenya has only 69 people per sq km.

Where is the overpopulation? Clearly not in Africa or Kenya, even if the Africa’s population increases 5 times what it currently is; countries of Western Europe like France, Germany or Switzerland will still be more “overpopulated” than African countries. Despite these figures, the myth continues to associate population size with development in Africa and other developing regions.

The same thing being preached to Africa was preached to Hong Kong in the 1950s when it was still poor. Predictions were made that the overcrowded Hong Kong without natural resources had a bleak future, and one newspaper proclaimed that the country was ‘dying’. Its government lamented that ‘the problem of a rapidly increasing population lies at the core of problems facing the country’.

The apocalypse predicted never came to pass. Instead, Hong Kong witnessed an economic miracle and today Hong Kong boasts a population of 7,026,400 people with 6,460 people per sq km (2009 estimate). In addition, according to the IMF 2009 estimates, it has a per capita income of US$42,748 (the 8th highest place in the world, if separated from mainland China). Still, its population has increased about six times the number it had in the 1950s, when it was said to have a population beyond its ‘carrying capacity’.

What these statistics tell us is that there is no relationship between population size and development. Evidence has shown that when people are educated and earn a high income, authentic development occurs. However, today illiterate people in villages across the developing world are being taught, through different government or donor funded programs, that birth control is the way to development.

This is just placing an emphasis where it shouldn’t be placed. Birth control is a stage in development, when people are provided with good education, security, healthcare services that reduce child mortality and opportunities to exercise their talents they will make free choices, and as history has shown they will responsibly determine the spacing of their children according to their needs, desires, hopes and dreams.

This mindset of “managing population” has shifted attention away from more pressing issues like education, healthcare services and transfer of technology that would boost economies in poor countries. This is easily done by associating population growth with every other problem from food shortages to environmental degradation. Though the world population has more than doubled since 1950, food supplies have more than tripled globally in the same period (though the food production was not equally shared).

In developed countries, there were improvements in people’s lives through education and healthcare services, followed by a trend or preference in smaller families. In fact, economic boom requires a large labor force to take off. So if current trends continue, Africa may end up in few decades with negative population growth, not unlike the situation in developed countries, where fertility rates are far lower than what is needed for replacement. If this happens, Africa will have the dual problem of a depleted workforce and underdevelopment.

Obadias Ndaba, the author of this article, works for the World Youth Alliance Africa office in Nairobi. The World Youth Alliance is a global coalition of young people committed to promoting human dignity and building solidarity between youth from developed and developing countries.

FOR REFERENCE CLICK HERE.......

Africa Emerging Leaders Conference 2010

2010-08-18T15:49:00.010+03:00

The World Youth Alliance Africa held a second regional conference from 11th-13th August 2010 at the Kenya High School in Nairobi,Kenya.The Africa Emerging Leaders Conference was another success after last years’ Decade of Dignity and Development conference.Aiming to create solidarity between African youth on challenges facing the continent,the conference successfully brought together 51 youth leaders from 12 countries. Among the countries represented was Zambia, Malawi, South Africa,Angola,Nigeria,Rwanda, Morocco, Sudan, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya and Canada. There were Expert lectures,speeches and Group discussions on the key issues touching the theme Uniting African youth on Good governance and Development.

The delegates had great moments during the extra curicula activities like the Debate night,Cultural night,Gala night and a night out in Nairobi. At the end of the three days knowledge was transfered,new skills were learnt, friendships made and the next generation of Africa's leaders went home inspired.The next Africa Emerging Leaders conference will be announced shortly.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

2010-08-04T11:36:00.000+03:00

You will find poetry nowhere unless you bring some with you" This quote keeps running in my head before i lie down to sleep. I believe poetry is an evidence of normal life put in writing.People experience life in a different way. I value every view from everybody around the globe. I love sharing mine as well but its not possible to take a microphone, stand by the road side and keep shouting. That's why i decided to put it in writing and not just writing but doing it with passion. Am ironical, satirical and sarcastic in my writing. Life inspires my writing and choice of theme. I base on corruption, positive living and showing love to others. I do my poetry in any public gathering as long as its an educational forum. Thats the only way to gently deliver the point to the world. A writer once said a poem is never finished, its only abandoned, well i dare you to finish the abandoned ones.

Sylvia Robina Barasa

I'm a performing artist and soon I'm planning to start recording my songs. I'm also a song writer and l plan to pursue a course in music writing and arrangement. I play the guitar and the piano though my favorite instrument is the saxophone that I'm planning to go to school to learn. I'm passionate about music and I use this to educate different kinds of people on a particular message that I would like to pass. Mostly, I like working with the young as I get to learn more about the young people that I don't know. Most of my themes in my music is about Christianity, love, unity and peace. I perform in public places like events such as weddings, corporate functions, concerts and I also visit organizations such as schools and charity homes. I believe in myself an that all my dreams will be fulfilled one day since I know Rome was not build in a day and so is our success.
God bless you!

Boniface Mutinda

HABAKKUK ODUKO ARE MY REAL NAMES.SO HABASCUPER WAS COINED FROM HABAKKUK WHICH CAN BE INTERPRATED AS The soul winner.I choose the name since I wanted to be Christ like in my doings.

My music's are youthful,powerful and educative.being a gospel artist, I minister to all ages through my music.

The theme in my music is God's love.I choose the theme since every verse of my music speaks on how God
loves his people.

lastly I represent JESUS CHRIST TO THE FULLEST.NOT A JOKE

HABASCUPER MIC IS MY HAND.THANKS

Habascuper
ZIBROS
We are a team of 4members Martin Mutiso,Samson Orengo,Samwel Kariuki and Benson Gitonga. We are from A.I.C Ziwani Nairobi and thats where we discovered our pottential then came together to realize it. We have a broad range of art perfomance, plays,skits,narratives,poems,dance, songs to mention but a few. Our name is Fraternity n we look foward 2change th world not with swords,neither rallies but with impact from where we are with what we have.

--
Foyo Juma
Intern
World Youth Alliance Africa

2010-08-04T10:58:00.002+03:00

The XVIII International AIDS conference

The XVIII International AIDS conference last week in Vienna is probably one of the most eye opening situations I have been in, in my life.During thewhole week I have been in a lot of meetingswith people with all types of lifestyles and backgrounds -heterosexuals, transgender, sex workers, doctors, teachers, activists, lawyers, the 42^ndPresident of the United states of America Bill Clinton… only to mention a few.

In all the meetings I attended I felt like I’m all alone, like I’m the only one thinking different. Most of the talks I have been in have focused on the means to provide the most marginalized and helpless people with short-term solutions and not addressing the cause of their problems, trying to help them exiting their situation of distress. Taking the example of drug addiction, instead of working on changing the people’s behaviour, the focus was on providing clean needles to the drug users and there are now funds being given for this specific purpose. In my opinion, we have to implement a person-centred solution which will make it a more lasting solution.I believe there is a change we as young people and also asWYA members can make :in my experience as a committee member of the WYA Kenya chapter, when we focus on the persons and teach them to respect themselves and find work, I know that benefits them as a holistic individual and gives them fulfilment.

There was also a youth meeting on ‘Sex and sexuality: that mainly focused on pleasure’. It was interesting to hear from all the panellists since they all had diverse backgrounds, however they all had one only point, that young people have the right to enjoy sex, and that the conditions need to be favourable for them to practice this right. They talked about the right to enjoy pleasure no matter your gender and lifestyle, through pornography and other preferences. I know that sex education for young people plays an important role in the fight against AIDs butwhat came to my mind at that point is that as young people there is more to “US” than sexual pleasure: we have creativity, talents, skills, responsibilities and gifts that make us who we are.

The screening of the movie “Shuga”, a 3 part documentary on youth behaviour in Kenya aimed at the youth was something I appreciated very much at the conference. The findings from the show throughout youth in Nairobi showed that more youth showed less interest in participating in concurrent sexual relationships and also went to get tested for HIV/AIDs.

During the conference I really enjoyed meeting and working in an international delegation, with Marie-Caroline, the Directorof WYA for Europe; Luz, an intern at the European office from Costa Rica and Kellen, a WYA member from New York.

Hannah Ondiek, WYA delegate at the XVIII International AIDS conference in Vienna and Kenya chapter committee member

TALENTSHOW

2010-07-14T15:42:00.016+03:00

On July 10th 2010 I had the pleasure of hosting a coffee house, along with the other interns and directors at the World Youth Alliance house. When the day began, I was nervous as to how the event would turn out as this was the first such event hosted by WYA Africa. The disc jockey, doubling as the sound technician, arrived early in the morning to set up his equipment. Once that was done, we simply had to prepare the refreshments, organize the house as well as the stage, and wait for both the performers and audience to arrive. The performers started arriving about 1 hour before the event was to begin, with audience members trickling in slowly। By the proposed start-time, most of the performers had arrived and were ready to go; however, the audience members-who were less than those of us hosting the event-did not look encouraging. We decided to push back the start. In the meantime, the dj, with his impressive skills, entertained those that were present as well as attracted the interest of passers-by causing the wall at the back of our compound to be spotted with curious faces. These unexpected visitors stayed with us through the performances once the show began. At 4pm, with all the performers present, and a substantial audience present, we began the show। We had a variety of performers, from singers to dancers and poets to comedians। The dancers, a group of young children from Mukuru, were the definite stars of the show. Their enthusiastic presentation of a traditional number as well as a poem, through which they compared the ‘old’ days to our modern times, enthralled and entertained the audience. A group of three young men provided the comic relief for the show through a skit and a narrative. The audience was also given an opportunity to spontaneously participate, as open-mic segments were imbedded within the flow of performances. At the show’s end, the dj played some more tunes as performers, audience members, and WYA staff mingled and got to know one another.
This WYA coffee house was called Art Dignified, the theme being to promote the dignity of the human person through different art forms. Art has a way of captivating those that experience it thus there was no better way to present the message of human dignity than in the creative form of art. On the other hand, we see more and more frequently that art, especially music and dance, is used to promote messages of violence, materialism, and overt sexuality. Having the performers use music and dance to promote dignity was a refreshing experience for the audience and the WYA hosts. The event was a success, made all the more so by two prominent members of the WYA community; Mr. Oscar Beauttah, an international board member, and Esther Kanyi a previous director of operations. Foyo Juma Intern

Dignity, Dreams and Development in Society

2010-07-13T16:04:00.001+03:00

My name is Tukeni Obasi. I am a Nigerian presently studying at McGill University. I joined the World Youth Alliance a couple of years back but it was not until the beginning of this year that I finally took the Track A training. It is difficult to put down my experience with Track A in words but the things I learnt from that training shook me up: the idea of the dignity of the human person challenged all my prior beliefs about the human race. It empowered me to seek out the truth and stand up for it in my everyday life. This summer, I started teaching at a primary school called Child Concern International School in the Gambia, in an area called Latrikunda German. Latrikunda German is an impoverished part of the second capital of The Gambia, Serrekunda. In this community, the illiteracy rate is high, illegal migration is not uncommon, and many of the teenage girls and even some girls as young as 12 are engaged in commercial sex to make ends meet. As expected, many of these girls are also school drop-outs and some of them have already had a number of children and as a result, are engaged in other menial jobs to take care of their children. Having observed and been informed of these facts, I knew I would have to live the truth in that community. Two days into my project, with the help of two grassroots organizations, I-representing World Youth Alliance- was able to organize a three-day seminar from May 8-May 10 titled 'Dignity, Dreams and Development in Society'.

The turn-out on the first day was impressive given the short notice. We had at least 40 people in attendance. On the first day, we explored the concept of dignity. At first, very few people believed they had dignity but by the time the session was over, they seemed all convinced that their dignity was innate. I also pointed out the link between dignity and dreams explaining that because everyone had dignity, everyone has the power to dream and set goals for themselves and work towards them. By recognizing the dignity in others, we are also able to respect them and work in solidarity with them towards the common good.

The next day, May 9th, about 62 people showed up. I talked in detail about the circumstances surrounding the birth of WYA. Afterwards, I made them break into groups to talk about who should be having sex and the consequences of sex for the individual and the community. This was a very intense session because for many, this was the first time they were openly talking about sex. This was my favourite part of the 3-day seminar and I am grateful for the opportunity to shake up the youth and launch in the open, the one issue that had been left unsaid and was undermining real progress in their society. In spite of this, at the end of the group discussion, all groups agreed that sex was to be delayed until later on in life. Some people felt at the age of 20, some people due to religious convictions said only after marriage. I personally said that unless two people are able and ready to start a family, they had no business having sex because the family is the fundamental unit of society and children in a family unit are better able to grow and add value to the society. I also argued that sex kills the dreams of young people especially women and I explained in detail the consequences of sex (STDs and HIV/AIDS). Then I talked about the role of parents in the religious and moral education of the child, and showing unconditional love to the child. I also explained to them more about our work at WYA and some of the issues WYA and WYA youth are involved with presently. At the end of this session, many were blown away expressed interest in joining WYA and working with us to protect the dignity of the human person and address the many issues that plague society.

The next day, I focused on peer pressure and during their group discussions, I had them distinguish between things that were considered cool in the society and things that were actually smart/ wise- the right things to do. Many agreed that it was wise to go to school even though it was cooler to sleep around and make ‘quick’ money by dishonest means. After the group discussion, I introduced the concept of the Truth and living in the Truth even when everyone else is living outside of the Truth. I also talked about the importance of solidarity drawing examples from the Solidarity movement in Poland and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa which I had learned in detailed during my Track A training. I encouraged them to work together and support one another assuring them that even though it seems impossible, living in the truth pays off. I encouraged them to think of ways to build a better community for themselves rather than seeking illegal ways to migrate to Europe and to work together in the fight against prostitution and promiscuity to combat the spread of diseases, guard their dreams and promote a healthier society for all.

The response to the 3-day seminar was encouraging. Many wanted WYA to come back and organize more seminars to empower them. They also said that they wished the program was longer (say a week) so that they could learn more. But all in all, many described it as a life-changing experience; some said it restored hope. Others said it was definitely an eye-opener and had changed their lives for the better.

As for me, I thought it was a fruitful exercise altogether and I am really grateful for the opportunity to empower the youth of Latrikunda German while sharing with them the very ideas and principles that changed my own life, the ideas and principles of the World Youth Alliance.

Commission on Population and Development

2010-04-21T22:01:00.005+03:00

I want to share my experience at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the 43rd Commission on Population and Development (CPD) entitled ‘Health, Morbidity, Mortality and Development’. As a new staff member for the WYA regional office in Africa, I was very interested in speaking with African delegations to find out their positions on the resolution being negotiated at the meeting. I had the chance to ask many African delegations questions about their statements and to offer my perspective as a young person whose country is impacted by development policies, foreign aid and the decisions being made at this Commission.

While everybody agrees that the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), promoting sustainable and equitable development, are very important and worthy of international commitment, few agree on how to make them a reality. Strangely, some countries and NGOs, mainly from developed countries, seem convinced that “sexual and reproductive health services and rights” are the best way forward to achieve all MDGs.

At one side event I attended, very experienced panellists presented their findings on how much universal access to reproductive health would cost. There were around forty participants in the room and one stood up and asked the following question: How do you ensure that what you advocate for respects the moral values of people in developing countries?

Not surprisingly, the panellist responded that the event was not about ‘moral values’ but ‘financing reproductive health’.

After the event, I congratulated the participant on his excellent question and he responded, “That was the only thing I could do.”

His response reminded me of an article I read in World Youth Alliance training called The Power of Powerless

There seem to be a policy at the UN that fertility reduction is the best way to reduce maternal mortality although this has nothing to offer pregnant women in developing countries the care they need. It seems the most popular idea on the table is that the best way to improve maternal health is to prevent motherhood.

Speaking as a young person from Rwanda I know what is lacking - people need access to basic medical care, doctors and nurses, a clean blood supply and for that matter clean water. Denying these real needs will further make the MDGs unlikely to be achieved. The unfortunate fact is that developing countries are not always able to assert their needs at the UN because donor countries are convinced they have the answers.

Obadias Ndaba (age 24)
Rwanda
Staff in Training

MAHLULI DUBE'S WYA INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

2010-02-22T17:51:00.005+03:00

Hailing from that wonderful land south of Nairobi, Kenya called Bulawayo, Zimbabwe…. I have had the amazing opportunity to join the World Youth Alliance as a spring intern from January 25 to May 7th 2010. So far the experience has been simply stellar. I live in a house with seven other interns who are as remarkable as any I have ever met. I have made new friends from Mexico, India, the United States and Canada. In many ways they draw me out from my *sometimes* too introspective way of looking at the world, and things around me. Yes, they challenge me to engage New York City and the world on different terms-it is an education. This has been exciting and I have learnt a lot about myself through the experience. I have dignity!!—as do you.

Now let me catch you up on what I have been doing so far here as an intern…First, the task that I have been most immediately involved in- The Commission on Social Development (CSocD) held at the United Nations.

The Commission on Social Development held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City marked the 15th anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995 (the largest gathering of world leaders at that time). During the Copenhagen conference world governments reached the consensus that it was essential to put people at the center of development. The governments pledged to make the conquest of poverty, the goal of full employment, and the fostering of social integration overriding objectives of development.

The priority theme for the 2010 conference was “Social Integration.” The World Youth Alliance presented an oral statement that touched on solidarity, disabled families, youth, and families. As is always the case with the work that we do here, human dignity took “front and center” in our discussions, networking and the friendships…(lets hear a hearty old African cheer for that amazing spirit of Ubuntu!!!!!)

So what’s next?

As the Commission on Social Development ends, I will be switching my gaze from the United Nations building and focusing more of my time on organizing cultural activities in New York. These will probably include things such as film nights for interns and all the other young people here the World Youth Alliance house.

2009-12-08T12:18:00.012+03:00

A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE

Man is a social creature who really likes to meet and socialize with others. It is naturally written in my blood that we cant live without one another and we have to treasure everyone in our society and more so, recognize the family and its role in modeling the character of a person;Family: A social unit where the father is concerned with parking space, the children with outer space, and the mother with closet space an aspect that grows up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. That gives me a real understanding of the role of family in nurturing the intrinsic worthiness of a person.

Doing my internship at the regional office in Nairobi has provided me with a chance to explore the main idea behind the reaffirmation of human dignity, a journey that has proven to be worthy in my life, WYA you have really touched my life and know I'm aware of the intrinsic worthiness of person in the society. KUDOS for the pathway you have set in my life and I will forever emulate it for the rest of my life.

Lastly I would like to salute my colleagues for the great work they have done in the effort of marketing WYA. Maisara I will miss your smiles and creativity, Sharon the joy you have imparted in my life shall be like a night candle, Kachoul, thanks for your inspiration, may the Lord give you the desires of your heart.

Love you guys......:-), :-*

MERRY XMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR WYAA FACULTY

Onesmus Mutua

2009-12-08T09:46:00.013+03:00

A POLISHED GEM

Interning at the Regional office in Nairobi has provided an opportunity to be trained on various matters not learnt in school. It was a school of life for me. I am a polished gem now and I believe am ready and able to move to the next phase in my life. Thank you W.Y.A and W.Y.A.A

Sharon Wangechi

THE BEST FALL 2009 INTERNSHIP

2009-11-19T18:16:00.008+03:00

Hannah Ondiek, 21 years,Kenya

In 2007 immediately after High School, I did an internship in the World Youth Alliance Africa office. We were in the old office in the city. Esther Kanyi was the Director of Operations and our supervisor then and Winnie Beauttah was the Regional Director. It was great working with them and I learnt a lot during my internship. Apart from serious work, we had short salsa dance lessons in the office on Friday afternoons, and we were always laughing about one thing or another. It is funny because some of my fellow interns in the 2009 Fall North America internship keep asking me why all the Kenyan’s they know are always happy, I guess it is because “Hakuna matata”. It was a great experience and I guess the highlight for me was accompanying Winnie the Director then for her visit and trainings to Uganda. I have also had the pleasure of working with Irene Mwangi Regional Director and Hezbon Mogambi Director of Operations and they are just amazing.

The WYA International internship in New York has taught me a lot and I hope more young people from the Africa office will have the chance and will to come and do this internship. The beauty about this internship is that we have people form all over world from different backgrounds working together. It has been great working with and learning from people from Guadalajara Mexico, Austria, and Belgium, Philippines, Nigeria and different states in America.

We as interns at World Youth Alliance have gone through thorough training on United Nations negotiations and documents and how they affect us, and have been following through different Working groups and some third committee activities. We had the Halloween costume party which I was in charge of and with help from Mary and all the other interns we were able to have people over and enjoy dance and interact. Other projects were the City adventure, the African event, conferences, trainings, cocktails and parties. At the UN Headquarters, New York

It has been a great experience and I am grateful to everyone who made it possible in one way or another.

Hannah Ondiek hannah.wyaa@gmail.com

Kenya chapter committee member

Fall intern North America 2009

Nairobi, Kenya.

DDD

2009-10-28T14:05:00.005+03:00

Decade of Dignity and Development

…the verdict…

Q. What did you like most about this event?

A. The various facilitators/speakers were great and congratulations on a successful conference. (Yaw Ofran Dapaa, GHANA)

Q. What did you least like at the event?

A. Nothing I can think of.(Dualle Hafsa Abdi, KENYA)

Q. What were your expectations?

A. To have a discussion with other young people, to share views and experiences and consequently gain an in depth understanding of WYA’s philosophy.(Obadios Ndaba, RWANDA)

Q. Were your expectations met?

A. Certainly yes! (Charles Egwuba, NIGERIA)

Q. What topic/themes covered interested you most?

A. The role of young people and youth organizations in developing Africa’s potential.(Gladys Madara, ZIMBABWE)

Q. In what area would you like us to improve on?

A. Take us to the community, we would like to see the people of Africa.(Mdemka Sakhumzi, SOUTH AFRICA)

WHY I LOVE WYA

2009-10-21T21:28:00.008+03:00

Amira Ali, 20 years, Kenya

This being my third internship at the WYAA office, I wanted to ensure that all the knowledge I accrued in my previous internships were put into use. This meant that I would carry out my projects with more experience, diligence and utmost efficiency. All my expectations were more than met as evidenced by the big success of the seminar we organized for the high schools on the 13th June 2009. I must say that I feel confident of my abilities as an organizer, goal-oriented, time conscious, detailed and an inspiring leader judging from the fact that the students were ready to listen to me and work with us on the preparation of the seminar. Needless to say I feel honored to have had a chance to work with WYA again.

My internship experience would not be complete without the people I worked with. I loved working with people like David. He is good at anything he lays his hands on! He delivers in all projects that he is assigned as he is spontaneous, innovative, social, resourceful and incredibly smart. I partnered with him in many projects and I found myself working with a man of high integrity and a pleasant chap too! I would work with him any other time anywhere. I also met Mutsa Murenje, an intern from Zimbabwe. A quiet, polite, diligent, good-hearted, humorous man with an impeccable talent in writing and a great mind to go with everything else!

INSET:WITH DESMOND ORJIAKO FROM THE A.U AND A WYA MEMBER FROM THE KENYA HIGH SCHOOL DURING THE WYA AFRICA DDD CONFERENCE AUGUST 2009 NAIROBI, KENYA

I found myself learning a thing or two from each of them and this makes my internship experience invaluable to me for a long time. I would not forget our supervisors, Hezbon and Irene, for their help all the way. They made it possible for us to carry out our projects with the least problems possible and I found that to be highly commendable!

MUTSA MURENJE PRE-INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

2009-08-27T09:33:00.009+03:00

MUTSA MURENJE, ZIMBABWE,26

PRE-INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

A problem exists whenever there are facts to be accounted for, facts which are plain to any careful reader, a reader with an active orientation towards read material as opposed to a passive one. Perchance this explains why the late renowned political scientist Professor Masipula Sithole said that “Any social scientist, or even a layman, knows that an issue is generally studied when a problem has arisen.” A problem has indeed arisen especially with regards the sad and discouraging moments that I went through before the commencement of my internship at the World Youth Alliance Africa headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2009.

It all started in the year 2007 when I made an application to be considered for internship. I patiently waited for the response with joyous hope and longing expectation. It never dawned on me that I would later experience great grief and consternation. I was overly optimistic that the response would be positive. After all, I am of the opinion that optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope and confidence. So it is for this reason that I was overly optimistic that my application would succeed. But the response was quite negative and I was almost down on my knees. I didn’t expect it. I wasn’t ready for that kind of response. My application was unsuccessful. I was really devastated.

But it didn’t end there. For we all know don’t we, that the failure of one crop does not deter the planting of seeds. Success is born of trying and trying again. In short, victory is born of struggle. I had to resume the journey again. I remember reading elsewhere that it’s not a long way to a man’s heart’s desire and that on the road to one’s beloved there are no hills. I had to wait for close to two years before I could be considered for an internship in Nairobi. But believe you me; it didn’t come on a silver platter. It had to be a long wait indeed and it came with a price. I had to come by bus yes by bus all the way from Harare, Zimbabwe. Yes right there in Southern Africa. For your own information, Kenya is part of the East African Community and us we are from SADC!

The journey was extraordinarily long and tiresome but eventually I made it. If I were somebody I would have given up prematurely. But because I am a called person as opposed to a driven one, I have strength from within, power and perseverance that are impervious to the blows from without. I know that somebody elsewhere may be going through the same predicament that I went through. My encouraging words are please don’t lose heart because if you do, you won’t be able to make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in. I, myself have made a career of humanity and this is where I am today. I put it to you.