Peace Child International Newsletter – August 2009 E-bulletin


Peace Child International – Empowering Young People – August 2009 E-Bulletin
I. Introduction
	Time seems to fly at the White House when deadlines are approaching. Everyone has been busy as some projects are at an early planning stage, while others are having to meet tight deadlines. This month we have some very important dates to keep in mind as on 9th August we will celebrate International Day of the World's Indigenous People acknowledging the effort to prevent discrimination in areas such as culture, education and development. On the 23rd, the International Day for the Remembrance of Slavery and its Abolition will pay tribute to the struggle of slaves for a basic human right: their freedom.
II. Goodbye Tebs : (
	Another bird has flown the nest this month. The champion of the gender project was recalled by South Africa, who will have to fight to have a bigger affection for her than us! Minorly delayed by the flu, Tebs took her laughter and singing away from the office on the 29th of July. While a member of the White House gang, Teboho worked on the Gender Empowerment project with Lydia. Her insights and hard work made a huge contribution to what will hopefully be a very successful toolkit. We could not have done it without her. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours, and only ask that she doesn't forget us here in Buntingford.
III. European Youth Congress 09 – Izola, Slovenia!
	Joao, Dana, Eugenia and Fatiha took part in the European Youth Congress in Izola, Slovenia, from 25th to 31st July. People from all over Europe gathered to talk about Challenges and Suggestions concerning Young People with Fewer Opportunities and then planned how to take Action based on the problems they identified. It was a hot week of intense work combined with lots of fun and a beautiful location. And, definitely, a very fruitful week: not only did the peace children facilitate the discussion groups, but also ran a skills workshop on Gender and Project Management and an Action Project on the Post-Carbon Future book. David, Rosey and John Hart joined us in Izola to work on the mentored process that helped participants to reflect in their action plans for after the congress. With the help of the Turkish and Estonian team, we also did some street improvisation theater exploring the themes of faith and religion for Alpha Omega one evening, from which some amazing material came out. Finally, a World Cafe to discuss the objectives for WYC 2010 put on the table some great ideas to hopefully make the next World Youth Congress in Istanbul one of the most memorable events for Youth led-development.
IV. Youth-led Development Advocacy Training!
	If you are an EU citizen between 18 and 25 years old, this is an opportunity for you! Peace Child International, with the support of the European Union is organising an intensive 10 days Advocacy Training for 20 lucky young Europeans passionate about Low-Carbon Youth-led Development. This is a unique opportunity for you to develop your skills and to learn how to communicate your ideas while using your creativity and passion to bring about the changes you want to see in the world! The participants coming from all across Europe will be challenged to design and lead an advocacy campaign to advance the Youth-led Development field in their countries. They will be expected to train up a group of other youth advocates in order to multiply the impact of their efforts. The accommodation and food will be provided by Peace Child. You are only required to pay for your own travel to and from the training, which starts on 27th September 2009 at Peace Child International?Äôs headquarters in the UK. The final three days will be held in Brussels, the capital of the European Union. Participants will experience what advocacy means in practice on a local, national and international level. Don?Äôt miss out this opportunity! Applications are now open until 31st August! To apply, send us a letter explaining your motivation to come. It should include: your name, address, nationality, organisation (if applicable). Most important, tell us why you want to come to this training? What do you hope to gain from it? And how will you use the skills you learn at it to recruit and train other young advocates back home in your own country for the campaign you are passionate about? Applications should be send to advocacy@peacechild.org For more information drop us a line or check the project blog http://pciadvocacy.wordpress.com
V. Post-Carbon Futures…
	This month we had the final reviews of the book, with lots of good feedback from several experts on Climate Change and Educational Books.In Slovenia the questions and answers for the book were produced by some enthusiastic participants of European Youth Congress, as well as the lesson plans that will be featured on the website. Meanwhile, back in the office in UK, The Post-Carbon Team has been working non-stop to give the final touches to a very exciting and great looking book which is almost out the door to the printers after such intense weeks of work. We hope that you will soon get the chance to have a copy in your hands!
VI. Alpha Omega workshops at La Retrait School
	In July we went back to school – taking our quest for youth input for Peace Child Alpha Omega (our multi-faith musical project) to Clapham, London. Over three hours, a team of 8 of us worked with a total of 150 twelve year olds to find out what they thought about their identity and values, to stimulate conversation about community and to test out some of our PCAO lesson plans. It was a wonderful day and we learned loads about what the young people saw as important in their lives; their families, making the most of opportunities, staying true to their values, remembering what its like to be a child… Most importantly we saw how serious these issues are to them and we hope to reflect that in the performance at Ely Cathedral on 30th January 2010.
VII. Global Student Forum 2009 in London
	"When I grow up I want to be…" is exactly what most people say when they think about their future. Unfortunately in some places, that is not the case. That is exactly what inspire the theme "If I grow up…" for the Global Student Forum 2009, held on 30th June in London organised by UNICEF, together with DfID, Christian Aid and World Vision. The Conference gathered in Westminster 600 sixth form students from across the UK to discuss and explore some of the issues behind child mortality in developing countries. Joao was there, representing Peace Child and helping UNICEF in the facilitation of their workshop that showed students how they can use creative strategies to raise awareness among their peers, to advocate for what they believe in and specially to bring about change.
VIII. Mosaic Garden Party
	Tanya and Candia attended the Mosaic International Summer School Garden Party at Clare College, Cambridge, where they met many interesting young Muslims from countries such as Bahrain, Pakistan and Indonesia. The keynote speaker was Tony Juniper former Executive Director of Friends of the Earth now Sustainability Advisor to the Prince of Wales Rainforest project, who urged us to become leaders in the fight against climate change. The summer school was a unique opportunity for young Muslims from around the world to learn about leadership, the role of individuals in society and to form an international network. We look forward to hearing how the delegates got on in their second week out in the community.
IX. Stop Climate Change Coalition Summer Gathering and AGM 2009
	July 16 2009 was Stop Climate Chaos Coalition's summer gathering and AGM, held in London. Isaac was there, representing Peace Child, member of the coalition. Apart from a short briefing of last year's achievements, there were a couple of workshops addressing different issues facing the world today, all related to the 21st century's most pressing threat – Climate Change! Among the workshops held that day, the WWF's ?ÄúAct Fair and Fast?Äù was very clear and straightforward. The WWF called for financial support, technology transfer and capacity building to the developing economies of the world. OXFAM's demanded a right package in the deal (Copenhagen) for developing countries and called upon rich countries to commit $100billion a year to help them cope with the effects of climate change! Greenpeace held a workshop called ?ÄúQuit Dirty Coal?Äù asking the government to realize that coal is the biggest issue when it comes to climate change in the UK and demanded a halt to construction of more coal stations, while at the same time demanding Carbon Capture Storage Technology to be tried out in the already existing coal stations. The Coalition is also organizing, through city representatives, ?ÄúThe Wave?Äù 10,000 people are expected to show up on 5th December 2009 in London to form ?ÄúThe Wave?Äù, which will start from Embankment to encircle parliament. The Wave is UK's major tool calling on government to quit dirty coal, protect the world's poorest, and to deliver a fair and fast deal on climate change!
XI. Opportunities
– Global Forum 40 Deadline extended until Friday 21st August. Global Forum 40 will bring together forty young people, from across the Globe to San Patrignano, in Rimini Italy from 11th to 16th April 2010. They will be engaging in a number of exciting activities, as well as sharing information and knowledge on a number of key sexual health issues, with the main focus being HIV and AIDS. More info www.global-changemakers.net – Advocacy Training Opportunity in Peace Child You can find more information above, or check out the project's blog at http://pciadvocacy.wordpress.com. Deadline for applications is 31st August 2009. – Brave New Talent If you were born between 1984-1986 and want to kick-start the process of leading both your country and your generation, Brave New Talent want to connect to you! They are leading the international hunt for the next generation of global leaders for a live event called 'One Young World'. This will take place in London on February 8th to 10th, 2010. 1,500 young leaders will be selected through a voting system to participate from 192 countries around the world. http://www.bravenewtalent.com/OYW – Call for Proposals The organizers of the International Project Against Drugs "Be aware, NOT addicted!" invite interested institutions all over the world to promote the Competition "It's my life! It's my decision" through local, regional or national events under its aegis. The call of proposals is opened until October 10th 2009. This project is included in the European Commission Agenda for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. http://antidrog.blogspot.com/2009/08/call-for-proposals-events-under-aegis.html – Inspiring other young people to get their voices heard? BYC (you must give full name) is looking for 16-25 year olds to join new Full Time Campaign Volunteers Team. Volunteers will learn about campaigning as a way to encourage other young people to bring about change, and have the chance to gain a Certificate in Youth and Community Work (valued at VRQ Level 2, 18 OCN credits). Based at the BYC offices in London Bridge, travel and lunch expenses are paid. For more information visit www.byc.org.uk . Deadline: 11th August.
XIII. Contact Us!