WYMD Newsletter - March 2007

1) IV Foro de Juventudes Politicas del Mercosur (Brasil) March 22 - 25, 2007
The Fourth Mercosur Political Youth Forum will involve young people from diverse social movements and political parties from all over Latin America and from guest countries. The principal objective of the forum is the promotion of the political integration of young Latin Americans through debates and discussions which promote the development of relationships between these different organisations.
em português
en español

2) Children for Peace 2007 - Indo-Pak Youth Peace Camp (Pakistan) March 26, 2007
This is a continuation of Children for Peace 2006 (Indo-Pak Peace Camp) held in Chandigarh on October 2-6, 2006. The event will be held in Peace-city Sadikabad in March/April 2007. Find out more, and keep up to date with changes to programming at takingITglobal.org

3) National and Global Youth Service Day (USA and worldwide) April 20-22, 2007
Millions of youth will participate in National & Global Youth Service Day, the largest service event in the world, on April 20-22, 2007. They will tutor young children, engage in disaster relief, register new voters, educate their communities about good nutrition, distribute HIV/AIDs prevention materials and meet many more community needs through their service. National & Global Youth Service Day supports youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement, and educates the public, the media, and elected officials about the role of youth as community leaders. To read about last year's day, to register your participation, or to find about grants for projects, visit the website - here

4) EU Summit of Young Leaders (Russia) April 22-29, 2007
The Summit goal is to elaborate distinct projects for 2007 - 2011 (Program 2007 - 2011) between Russia and EU non-governmental organizations within the implementation of the Road Map on the Common Space of Research and Education, including Cultural Aspects approved on May 10, 2005 in Moscow. The program will cover: Political Engagement; Common Cohesion; Informal Education and Volunteering; Health; and Environment. Following the summit the elaborated Program 2007 - 2011 will be presented to the European Commission and Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to submit it for consideration and possible financing during the next EU-Russia Summit. The Program will then be implemented in 5-year period, from 2007 to 2011. The Summit will bring together heads or deputy - heads of the NGOs of the EU member-states, Russia and, as observers, of the NIS and European states, non-EU members. During the Summit all the participants of each working group will discuss the proposed proposals and draw up the final versions of approved projects that constitute the Program 2007 - 2011 for their common implementation.

March 2007 Newsletter
WYMD Updates 1) VOICE YOUR IDEAS - World Youth Movement for Democracy Launches Essay Contest 2) French website updates 3) Translators needed!! DEMOCRACY ALERTS/APPEALS from WMD 1) World Movement Participant Chee Soon Juan of Singapore Found Guilty of Attempting to Leave the Country 2) Bosnian Human Rights Activist Dusko Kondor Shot Dead in Home 3) Update: Environmental Activist Andrey Zatoka of Turkmenistan Convicted, then Freed HIGHLIGHTED ARTICLES, NEWS AND REPORTS FROM PARTICIPANTS 1) Group - Presentation: La Ligue des Jeunes des Grands Lacs (Grands Lacs Youth League) (Congo, DR) - French 2) Project: Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYCA)'s 'Knock the Door, Get Out the Vote Campaign' (Kenya) 3) Report: Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (K-MY-A) - International Youth Day, 2006 (Kenya) 4) Report: NAYMOTE Update 2007 (Liberia) 5) Report: Youth in Kenya and campaign launch (Kenya) HIGHLIGHTED NEWS FROM INTERNATIONAL PRESS 1) Serbia: Serbia cleared of genocide 2) Egypt: Egyptian blogger jailed for four years for insulting Islam and President HIGHLIGHTED FORTHCOMING EVENTS 1) IV Foro de Juventudes Politicas del Mercosur (Brasil) March 22 - 25, 2007 2) Children for Peace 2007 - Indo-Pak Youth Peace Camp (Pakistan) March 26, 2007 3) National and Global Youth Service Day (USA and worldwide) April 20-22, 2007 4) EU Summit of Young Leaders (Russia) April 22-29, 2007 OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRANTS, FUNDING AND PARTICIPATION 1) J8 Contest for Youth (International/Germany) 2) UNICEF Call for videos (International) 3) IIE Scholar Rescue Fund Fellowships (International) 4) Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) Summer 2007 Internships (United States) 5) Fourth Young Leaders in Rural Canada Awards (Canada) 6) Ashoka Spring/Summer Internship Opportunities (United States)
WYMD Updates
1) VOICE YOUR IDEAS - World Youth Movement for Democracy Launches Essay Contest The World Youth Movement for Democracy (WYMD), is pleased to announce an essay contest for young people to share their perspectives on democracy. Young activists, students, and citizens aged 14 to 30 are invited to write short essays (under 2500 words) reflecting on their experiences with the ideals, the realities, and the future of democracy in their communities and countries. This essay contest is part of WYMD's Global Youth Campaign for Democracy, which encourages young people around the world to be part of political processes in their respective communities and regions. All submissions must be received by April 15, 2007. Learn more 2) WYMD French website updates The WYMD's French website has been updated! The French website now has a new home page, updated applications forms, and updated information on the WYMD - here 3) Translators needed The WYMD is currently seeking volunteer translators for its Spanish, Portuguese and French pages, and to help create Spanish, Portuguese and French materials. If one of these is your native language, and you think you would be a suitable candidate, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for people who can work independently, from home, school or college, and who can provide accurate and clear translations from English into their native language. If you think you can help, please email us at: wymd@youthlink.org contact us
Democracy Alerts/Appeals (from the World Movement for Democracy)
1) World Movement Participant Chee Soon Juan of Singapore Found Guilty of Attempting to Leave the Country On February 26, Dr. Chee Soon Juan was found guilty of attempting to leave Singapore without permission. He was fined 4,000 Singapore dollars or 3 weeks imprisonment. Dr. Chee has indicated that he will appeal the decision, and the judge has given a stay pending the outcome of the appeal. Dr. Chee, the Singapore Democratic Party secretary-general, sought to attend the World Movement for Democracy's Fourth Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey in April 2006. Since suffering bankruptcy, due to cases lodged against him for criticizing heads of government, Dr. Chee has to apply for permission whenever he wishes to leave the country. To date, 11 of his requests for permission to attend various democracy conferences and workshops have been rejected. When he went to the airport on April 1, 2006, Dr. Chee was stopped by immigration officials and his passport was seized. He was subsequently charged. In December 2006, Dr. Chee was released from prison after serving more than three weeks of a five-week sentence imposed when he refused to pay a fine of 5,000 Singapore dollars, after speaking in public without a police permit during party activities ahead of May 2006 general elections. Dr. Chee faces seven other charges for speaking in public without a permit and a civil lawsuit related to his political activities. Read more WMD Democracy Alerts 2) Bosnian Human Rights Activist Dusko Kondor Shot Dead in Home On February 22, Dusko Kondor, one of the founders of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska and the head of its division on education and human rights, was gunned down in his home in the northeastern Bosnian town of Bijeljina. His daughter was also shot, but thankfully survived. According to the initial release issued by the organization, threats against Kondor's life had increased in the last few days, yet repeated attempts by Committee members to secure police protection for him failed. At this time, the motive for his murder remains unknown. Participants in the World Movement for Democracy are profoundly saddened by the loss of this courageous activist, and we are greatly concerned by the circumstances of his brutal murder. The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska urges individuals to send letters to the highest representatives of authority in Republika Srpska calling for a full and thorough investigation into the murder of Dusko Kondor, and to take measures to help protect all human rights activists in the country. More information from B92.net 3) Update: Environmental Activist Andrey Zatoka of Turkmenistan Convicted, Then Freed On January 31, environmental activist Andrey Zatoka was convicted of possessing illegal weapons and poisons, but freed from prison and allowed to return to his home. As mentioned in previous DemocracyAlerts, Zatoka was arrested at the airport in his hometown of Ashgabat on December 17, 2006. Zatoka, who has been involved in civil society activities concerning environmental issues in Turkmenistan for many years, was detained for an alleged breach of public order. Following a search of his house, authorities charged Mr. Zakota with unlawful acquisition or possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of poisonous substances, specifically snake venom, which he uses in his work. He faced a maximum sentence of eight years in prison, but received a three-year sentence, which was suspended, and he was allowed to return home. More information from zakota.wordpress.com
Highlighted Contributions from Youth and Democracy Groups
News on projects, issues and experiences; articles and reports; news of events and information on groups and organizations, from people working on youth activism and democracy issues 1) Group - Presentation: La Ligue des Jeunes des Grands Lacs (Grands Lacs Youth League) (Congo, DR) - French The Grands Lacs Youth League was created in May 2001 following the painful events that were experienced in the African Grands Lacs region, left scarred by the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the wars and conflicts which have since 1998 ravaged Congo, DR, - wars which resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000,000 and the displacement of many, the majority of whom were young people. The league aims to help form and support strong youth leadership, to reduce human rights violations - including those suffered by young people. The League's mission closely invloves organizations, movements, and associations of young people such as student committees etc. The League's activities are built around solving problems suffered by Congolese youth, and improving their situation, and uses young people as a source of information and inspiration for its activities. Read more - here 2) Project: Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYCA)'s 'Knock the Door, Get Out the Vote Campaign' (Kenya) The Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYCA) is a civil society network in Kenya engaged in advocacy programs and projects involving in and out of school youth and adults. CYCA is a youth initiative focussing on schools, colleges, universities, CBOs, Churches, at the grass-root level and in the neighborhoods. CYCA is launching its 'Knock The Door, Get Out The Vote Campaign' on 1st March 2007 with the aim of encouraging young people to register and vote in the coming general election. We will go to most colleges, universities, slums and rural areas. The Campaign will be carried out under CYCA Youth For Democracy, Human Rights & Civic Engagement Program. It is hoped the program will help lead to the establishment of a democracy institute in Kenya (SMID-Kenya), which will mentor and emancipate the youth to be good advocates of democracy, human rights, peace, tolerance and interdependence cultures in Kenya. The launch of the Campaign will coincide with the start of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK)'s voter registration exercise in which CYCA has been nominated to mobilize the youth to register as voters. Read the full project details - here 3) Report: Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (K-MY-A) - International Youth Day, 2006 (Kenya) Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance is an independent national youth organisation formed to address issues of good governance, human rights, HIV/AIDS and health related issues, and social exclusion, amongst other issues, in an effort to improve the participation of young men and women in all areas of life and development. This report details K-MY-A's participation in the 2006 International Youth Day (which takes place annually on August 12th). The group organised and participated in an educational rally, an education awareness and career exhibition, football tournaments, and environmental clean up activities. Educational activities focused on making young people more aware of their rights, possibilities for participation, and of issues affecting them and other young people. Read the full report - here 4) Report: NAYMOTE Update 2007 (Liberia) The National Youth Movement for Transparent Elections - Partners for Democratic Development has intensified its civic education campaigns through a series of events aimed at consolidating Liberia's emerging democracy. Activities undertaken by NAYMOTE-PADD in January, 2007 include youth leadership forums, community forums, meetings and public education activities. The results have been increased consciousness among youth and their leaders, and increased consultations between government, elected officials and communities in key decision-making areas. Read the full report - here 5) Report: Youth in Kenya and campaign launch (Kenya) by George Okanga This report discusses the current situation faced by young people in Kenya. The author details the major problems faced by young people, and asserts that the lack of policy aimed at this large and potentially influential group of people highlights and exacerbates the situation. He writes "it is high time political leadership be trusted upon the young and energetic, people who can think in modern times", and laments an "old order" which still largely controls and influences contemporary Kenyan politics. The report also details George's recent campaign launch - which focuses on many issues of youth and youth participation. Read the full report - here Check out WYMD's Resource Page for toolkits, guides, and more articles.
Highlighted News from the International Press
1) Serbia: Serbia cleared of genocide (The Guardian) February 26, 2007 Serbia has been found guilty of failing to act to prevent the genocide of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica in 1995, the UN's highest court has ruled, although it has been cleared of direct responsibility for genocide and complicity in genocide in Bosnia, during the 1992-1995 war. The verdict was reached through a series of votes - with clear results deciding Serbia had "not committed genocide, through its organs or persons whose acts engage its responsibility under customary international law" but that Serbia had "violated the obligation to prevent genocide". Serbia's claim that it was powerless to prevent the massacres "hardly tallies with their known influence" over the Bosnian Serb army, the ruling stated. The verdict will be a disappointment for Bosnia, which brought the unprecedented case to court. Never before in its 60-year history has the international court of justice ruled on a state's culpability in the execution of genocide. The court decided that the best form of reparation would be a statement from Serbia acknowledging its failure to act on an obligation to prevent genocide, rather than the billions of pounds in compensation demanded by Bosnia following the campaign to create a "greater Serbia" in which 100,000 people, mostly Bosnian Muslims, died. Read the report 2) Egypt: Egyptian blogger jailed for four years for insulting Islam and President (The Independent) February 23, 2007 February 22, 2007 - an Egyptian blogger was sentenced to four years in jail for articles published on his website. Abdel Kareem Soliman, a 22-year old former law student from Alexandria used the alias Kareem Amer to publish articles considered to incite hatred of Islam and insulting to president Hosni Mubarak. The ruling marks the first time an Egyptian blogger has been formally prosecuted for an opinion published online. Soliman was arrested in November after complaints from his former university al-Azhar, after referring to it as "the university of terrorism" He had also referred to the President as the "symbol of dictatorship". The sentence was critcised by Amnesty, who called it a "slap in the face for freedom of expression". The sentence comes at a time when bloggers have recently begun to form an important part of the Egyptian pro-democracy movement, calling for reform and exposing human rights abuses through blogs. Read the report
Highlighted Forthcoming Events
1) IV Foro de Juventudes Politicas del Mercosur (Brasil) March 22 - 25, 2007 The Fourth Mercosur Political Youth Forum will involve young people from diverse social movements and political parties from all over Latin America and from guest countries. The principal objective of the forum is the promotion of the political integration of young Latin Americans through debates and discussions which promote the development of relationships between these different organisations. em português en español 2) Children for Peace 2007 - Indo-Pak Youth Peace Camp (Pakistan) March 26, 2007 This is a continuation of Children for Peace 2006 (Indo-Pak Peace Camp) held in Chandigarh on October 2-6, 2006. The event will be held in Peace-city Sadikabad in March/April 2007. Find out more, and keep up to date with changes to programming at takingITglobal.org 3) National and Global Youth Service Day (USA and worldwide) April 20-22, 2007 Millions of youth will participate in National & Global Youth Service Day, the largest service event in the world, on April 20-22, 2007. They will tutor young children, engage in disaster relief, register new voters, educate their communities about good nutrition, distribute HIV/AIDs prevention materials and meet many more community needs through their service. National & Global Youth Service Day supports youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement, and educates the public, the media, and elected officials about the role of youth as community leaders. To read about last year's day, to register your participation, or to find about grants for projects, visit the website - here 4) EU Summit of Young Leaders (Russia) April 22-29, 2007 The Summit goal is to elaborate distinct projects for 2007 - 2011 (Program 2007 - 2011) between Russia and EU non-governmental organizations within the implementation of the Road Map on the Common Space of Research and Education, including Cultural Aspects approved on May 10, 2005 in Moscow. The program will cover: Political Engagement; Common Cohesion; Informal Education and Volunteering; Health; and Environment. Following the summit the elaborated Program 2007 - 2011 will be presented to the European Commission and Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to submit it for consideration and possible financing during the next EU-Russia Summit. The Program will then be implemented in 5-year period, from 2007 to 2011. The Summit will bring together heads or deputy - heads of the NGOs of the EU member-states, Russia and, as observers, of the NIS and European states, non-EU members. During the Summit all the participants of each working group will discuss the proposed proposals and draw up the final versions of approved projects that constitute the Program 2007 - 2011 for their common implementation.
Opportunities for Grants, Funding and Participation
1) J8 Contest for Youth (International/Germany) June, 2007 Could you come up with a new way of approaching the most important global issues of our time? Do you think your ideas could help to fight climate change, poverty and diseases? Enter the Junior 8 Competition now! By entering the J8 Competition, you could win the chance to represent your country at the J8 Summit to present your ideas to eight of the most powerful leaders in the world. To enter the competition, teams work together to come up with their own ideas on how to tackle the key issues being discussed by the G8. They submit these ideas in an online communiqué. The entries are then judged by a specially selected panel in each country. The team with the best communiqué from each country is chosen to take part in the J8 Summit. Deadline for applications: 30 March, 2007 2) UNICEF Call for Videos (International) Looking for a way to make a difference? Create a one-minute video telling the world what young people think about the world they live in and how they're making a difference. In honor of the 5th Anniversary of the Special Session for Children, UNICEF asks youth to look at the four priorities of the session's adopted agenda: Building a World Fit for Children: Promoting healthy lives; Providing quality education; Protecting children against abuse, exploitation and violence; Combating HIV/AIDS. How have these goals been achieved in your community? What problems still exist in your communities? What suggestions do you have to fix these issues? What can be done to make the world better for children? Videos will be reviewed by a global panel of media professionals and displayed on the main UNICEF website. The winning video will be made available for broadcast around the world on The International Children's Day of Broadcasting, vodcast by UNICEF, featured on the UNICEF and Voices of Youth websites and honored at the PROMAX/BDA Conference in New York. Deadline: March 30, 2007 3) IIE Scholar Rescue Fund Fellowships (International) The Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund provides fellowships for scholars whose lives and work are threatened in their home countries. These fellowships permit scholars to find temporary refuge at universities and colleges anywhere in the world, enabling them to pursue their academic work and to continue to share their knowledge with students, colleagues, and the community at large. When conditions improve, these scholars will return home to help rebuild universities and societies ravaged by fear, conflict and repression. Deadline: April 1, 2007 4) Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) Summer 2007 Internships (United States) AID is calling for applications from globally conscious college students who are interested in a dynamic and fast-paced summer internship that will give them a hands-on introduction to the fields of global education, non-profit management and youth organizing. This internship program offers students an unparalleled introduction to the diverse professional opportunities within international NGOs. Interns help lead media outreach, grant-writing, partnership development, fundraising, civic education, and long-term strategy development. The internship is unique in involving college students directly in the highest levels of the organization's management, allowing them to play influential roles in shaping the group's agenda. AID provides housing in New Haven to all interns for the duration of the internship program from June 9th through August 10th. Deadline: April 15, 2007 5) Fourth Young Leaders in Rural Canada Awards (Canada) The Young Leaders in Rural Canada Secretariat is seeking nominations of young rural Canadians (18 to 29 years old) who have demonstrated in 2005 and/or 2006 outstanding achievements and made contributions to rural, remote and/or northern Canada, for the fourth Young Leaders in Rural Canada Awards (YLRCA). A commemorative Award will be presented in each of the following categories: INNOVATION, LEADERSHIP and PARTNERSHIP. Deadline: April 16, 2007 6) Ashoka Spring/Summer Internship Opportunities (United States) Interns at Ashoka work in a dynamic, innovative environment of international professionals and cutting-edge social entrepreneurs committed to supporting an influential civil society worldwide. We look for highly collegial, ethical people who have a track record of entrepreneurship and innovation for social change. Internship candidates are evaluated regarding the criteria that represent Ashoka's culture as well as the specific qualifications for each internship. Ashoka tries to match intern interests with program needs to find a good fit, and interns may be asked to contribute to more than one program. Ashoka is currently looking for Spring Associates to work in our office in Arlington, Virginia (outside Washington, D.C.). Most spring Associates will receive a stipend, commensurate with academic experience; some positions are unpaid. Ashoka is an officially recognized work-study site for eligible students from Georgetown University and George Washington University. Deadline: Various - see website
Your voice
Contribute to WYMD's Newsletter! We would love to hear more from WYMD members, and develop this newsletter as a forum for you to share stories, experiences, news of events etc. So please, if you have any stories to share, know of any events that might be of interest (international or national), or just want to share an experience of activism or participation, please send us an update so we can share this information with the other members! Please send any news, articles etc to wymd[at]youthlink.org or using our online feedback form