Introduction:
In reality the first step is always the hardest to take. Often people do not know what their first step is how to take the first step and they are not aware that such a step is necessary. People have great power and unlimited energy. People have the pulse and the impulse of change/freedom. Let us embrace and celebrate the stories of this energy, the narratives of change.
We all dream of a world that is just and fair. We wish to create a word that does not marginalize people based on their age, color, language, skills, culture and location – a world that celebrates and respect differences.
When making a dream into reality, we must take the first step for change, be it local, national or international.
Having these in mind, First Step idea was initiated by a group of young activists who took part in the CIVICUS Youth Assembly 2008 in Glasgow, Scotland, and developed the idea through their discussions during the assembly.
First Step Campaign has been initiated by a group of youth worldwide in order to:
• Inspire and activate those who have not participated yet in community affairs;
• Share the story of how youth take their first steps to make the world a better to live for all;
• Sustain those who are already involved in their community;
• Link communities, organizations and groups working on - specific issues and specific areas;
• Motivate youth to take part in Youth-Led development projects;
• Provide useful resources for youth to take actions;
CIVICUS Youth Assembly (part two) - Posted By: Chiara C.
The CIVICUS Youth Assembly took place in Glasgow, Scotland from June 16-18th, 2008. Hundreds of young people were there to learn more about "People, Power and Participation" and these are some of their thoughts on the experience.
Lukyana, Russia
- What did you learn from CIVICUS?
I learned that issues like poverty, health and equality are bigger than I thought: they have very serious consequences that affect a lot of other areas of our lives. I realized that when it comes to these issues, we are all involved- everyone is responsible and should take action, not just the single countries that are affected.
-Do you think this experience will be useful for your work in Russia?
I can’t wait to share what I have learned here at CIVICUS with my organization, the Russian Federation of Youth. I also learned that networking is a very powerful tool for youth and youth organizations- this is how resources are shared and partnerships created!
-What are some of the needs of the young people living in your country?
We are in a strange situation- we are both in Europe and in Asia. This is why I think youth should have a stronger presence at the UN, and in other types of political institutions.
Nargis, Afghanistan
-What did you learn from this experience?
I enjoyed the role-playing and improvisation tools, they made me realize that it is important to step outside of one’s reality and try to empathize with what other people are feeling.
-What will you take home from this experience?
The message that peace and social justice are possible to achieve.
-What are some of the needs of the young people living in your country?
Peace would be high on the list, but also access to education. But for that you need peace first.
Lemon, Thailand
-What did you learn from this event?
That networks are needed to strengthen the action of youth worldwide, they are very important in creating links between youth and make our voice heard. CIVICUS
-Did it inspire you to take action?
Absolutely! This event has inspired me to go home and begin a new project to promote the respect of Human Rights in my country. In particular, I will start a project to help the indigenous populations in South East Asia.
- What are some of the needs of the young people living in your country? Thailand has a lot of tourists that come to our beaches every year. Often, though, they leave without learning about our culture, our environment, and our problems. I think there is a need to give more visibility to both our culture and our youth globally. We have a lot to offer!
To read our previous post on the CIVICUS Youth Assembly, click here. If you want to become a youth delegate or find out more about similar events, check out TakingITGlobal's Browse Resource section to find out about opportunities near you!
CIVICUS Youth Assembly in Glasgow, Scotland - Posted By: Chiara C.
The CIVICUS Youth Assembly took place in Glasgow, Scotland from June 16-18th, 2008. TakingITGlobal's Multilingual Programs Manager Chiara was there to take part in the three-day event on People, Power and Participation. Here are her thoughts on the experience:
The value of civil society in the quest for social justice cannot be overestimated. CIVICUS is an international alliance established in 1993 in order to nurture the growth and protection of global citizen action, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened. Every year, the Youth Assembly brings together hundreds of delegates from around the world to examine the many issues that affect the role and participation of young people in decision-making processes.
Civicus 1
This year there was a strong (Eastern) European, Latin American and African presence. The delegates met in Glasgow to explore the theme of “People, Participation and Power” in a space where they could develop and commit to action internationally. During the course of the event, the delegates and I had a chance to learn about some of the most pressing social justice issues around the world . We then focused on skill-building activities to turn our visions for positive change into action.
The Youth Assembly started with an introduction to the program as well as a speech by the former First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, who talked about why it is important to play a role in making change for the better. He was also joined by Kumi Naidoo and Ingrid Srinath, who are the outgoing and incoming Secretaries General of CIVICUS, respectively. After their introduction, we were divided into groups and we moved to the various participation sessions scheduled for us.
There were a total of 4 participation sessions, and we each got a chance to experience various “tools” to explore the four main themes of the conference: health, equalities, climate change and poverty. The aim of these sessions was to explore the importance of participation within the themes of the events, but also to get an idea of how power structures can play a role in influencing the outcomes of our involvement.
The tools we used were: Open Space Technology, Power Analysis, Role Playing/ Improvisation and the Margolis Wheel (also known as “speed dating”.) The next day, we focused on how to best respond to the issues being explored during the Assembly in our respective commissions. In particular, we explored avenues where young people can take action, keeping in mind the points raised during the previous day. There were also invited guests who presented on the topic at hand, so after a Q&A period with them, we were encouraged to come up with a series of commitments to present at the CIVICUS World Assembly.
The BBC was there to run a live radio session of its World Have Your Say program. The delegates got a chance to decide the topic for the debate- there was a lot of choice, and we ultimately decided to go with the “are we over-educated?” topic. Others responded immediately by making an incredibly inspiring video on the First Steps that lead us into action (you can check it out here.) Throughout the event there was an incredible energy and being there was very inspiring and motivating. The delegates were a determined and optimistic group, and went home with an even stronger motivation to bring positive change in their community. Learning and communicating with these inspiring youth was a unique opportunity for me, and one that will stay with me for a long time.
During the next couple of days, we will be posting a series of short interviews with some of the delegates, so stay tuned for more updates!
World Have Your Say Program From CIVICUS Youth Assembly - Posted By: Adam MacIsaac
World Have Your Say: 18 June 08 Are we over-educated?
Today's agenda was set by youngsters from all over the world attending the Youth Assembly in Glasgow, Scotland. They wanted to ask the question: Are we over educated? Won by a good margin. One comment we heard was: "The more educated we are the more happy you are". Is there really a connection between literacy and happiness?
Giornata intensa, piena di stimoli e sicuramente arrichente quella di oggi. E’ in iniziata con una sveglia decisamente troppo sul presto (da brava europea continentale mi ero totalmente dimenticata dell’ora di “fuso orario” dell’Inghilterra, e quindi mi sono allegramente lasciata svegliare alle 5.30 del mattino.) E’ proseguita a pieno ritmo con il tragitto verso lo Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), dove Janet Jobson ci ha dato il benvenuto durante la prima sessione plenaria della giornata. Un armata di ragazzi determinati ed entusiasti si sono riuniti nella sala del SECC, cuscino firmato CIVICUS in mano, seduti per terra pronti a divorare ogni stimolo e andettoto che gli veniva presentato. Tra questi ragazzi c’ero anche io, che ho passato il resto della giornata a confrontarmi con sessioni di scambio di prospettive, opinioni ed escercizi di comunicazione incentrati su quattro temi: la poverta’, la salute, il cambiamento climatico e le disuquaglianze.
Durante il corso della prima seduti i ragazzi del mio gruppo, il gruppo verde, hanno parlato di poverta’ usando il metodo “Margolis Wheel”, noto anche come “speed dating.” In pratica, quattro sedie sono disposte in un cerchio, con altre quattro sedie che vanno tutte intorno al primo cerchio. Gruppi di due ragazzi si ritrovano quindi faccia a faccia, la persona seduta nel primo cerchio risponde alle domande della persona seduta nel cerchio esteriore. Ogni quattro minuti ci si sposta giu’ di una sedia, cosi da poter parlare con con piu’ persone possibile. Alla fine, quelli all’interno del cerchio cedono il posto a quelli del cerchio esteriore e il giro si ripete, solo che questa volta chi e’ stato all’interno invece di ripsondere alle domande le deve fare... e quindi ascolatre. E cosi’ facendo ho avuto occasione di parlare dei vari tipi di poverta’ che esistono oggi in Italia con 4 ragazzi, mentre un ragazzo argentino mi ha parlato della poverta’ degli agricoltori del suo paese, cittadini che si vedono strappare sempre piu’ terreni coltivabili dalle piantagioni di soia e che sono in preda ad un sistema di tasse che punisce i cittadini locali e fa rallentare l’economia. Ho chiesto a una ragazza indiana quale pensa sia il problema piu’ importante legato alla poverta’ nel suo paese e mi sono sentita rispondere “la sovrapopolazione”, sopratutto per via del fatto che in India avere figlie femmine e’ considerato un handicap e quindi spesso le famiglie continuano a concepire fino a che non hanno un figlio maschio. Con un ragazzo macedone abbiamo parlato della lotta alla corruzione dei pubblici ufficiali, e con una ragazza africana ho parlato di AIDS. E quando ci hanno chiesto di condividere i nostri pensieri sulla prima sessione di scambio, mi sono ritorvata col microfono in mano a palrare del bisogno di ritagliare spazi in societa’ che non ci limitino ad essere solo cittadini-consumatori, al rifiuto che dovrebbe accompagnare ogni cittadino (giovane ed adulto) di lasciare alle grandi lobby la possibilita’ di ridurre il nostro ruolo in societa’ a un passivo acquisto di una t-shirt per mettere fine alla poverta’.
Durante la pausa caffe, Jared mi e’ venuto a parlare per dirmi che aveva apprezzato il mio intervento e insieme ci siamo messi a parlare di corporate social responsibility e di cittadinznaza attiva. Il che ci ha portato dritti alla seconda sessione, questa volta incentrata sul tema della salute. Qui, abbiamo usato il metodo Open Space Technology, lo stesso che avevo gia’ sperimentanto ad Urbino per parlare (io, Jared, e Chris) del ruolo delle coprorations nel settore della sanita’ pubblica. In particolare, ci siamo chiesti cosa dovremmo pensare di una societa’ che acconsente alla privatizzazione del settore dell'assistenza sanitaria (in particolare, quali valori promuove una societa' del genere?) E, ancora piu’ importante per me, abbiamo discusso di cosa ci lascia accettare il fatto che le case farmaceutiche, che hanno cosi tanto potere su di noi, siano entita’ cosi poco trasparenti e democratiche. Per esempio, perche’ i soldi per una nuova cura vengono investiti solo se la cura stessa puo’ garantire futuri profitti?
Per la terza sessione, invece, abbiamo usato il metodo “teatrale” di interpretazione e scambio di ruoli. Riuniti in gruppi di quattro, uno ad uno abbiamo giocato tutti a fare: l’attivista, l’ostacolo, l’obiettivo finale e il testimone. Usando questo metodo, io e 3 ragazze abbiamo parlato di eguaglianza. Abbiamo discusso del bisogno di rendere i giovani parte dei sistemi decisonali globali, di capire le tensioni che esistono tra “bianchi” e “neri”, tra uomini e donne, tra ricchi e poveri. Cosi’ facendo, abbiamo riflettuto suglli strumenti che possiamo usare in situazioni di conflitto e abbiamo cercato di concentrarci sugli obiettivi, non sugli ostacoli. Durante il corso di questa sessione i facilitatori ci hanno chiesto di ricordare questa frase del Che Guevara: “Siamo noi i realisti. Noi che sognamo l’impossibile.” E cosi’ e’ stato.
A fine giornata siamo finalmente arrivati alla sessione che io personalmente stavo aspettando dalla mattina: il cambiamento climatico. Il modello che abbiamo usato per questa sessione ci ha spinto a pensare al potere- ai tipi diversi di potere positivo (people power, power within ecc.) e ai vari tipi di potere che entrano in gioco in situazioni legate alla politica ambientale. Io e il mio gruppo abbiamo discusso di rifugiati ambientali, e di come ci sia bisogno che vengano riconosciuti come veri e propri rifugiati dalle istituzioni internazioanli.
La giornata l’abbiamo conclusa durante la seconda sessione plenaria- abbiamo parlato dell’importanza della partecipazione, ma di come sia importante condividere il nostro potere, per non abusare dell’aspetto “trendy” della partecipazione. Abbiamo parlato del bisogno impellente di cambiare in modo radicale le nostre societa’, invece di dipendere da soluzioni troppo tecnocratiche. Abbiamo parlato della geografia come fattore che puo’ decidere i destini di intere popolazioni, ora che affrontiamo tre delle piu’ grandi crisi di tutta l’umanita’: la crisi del cibo, del petrolio e del cambiamento climatico. Sicuramente tutto questo e' stato qualcosa a cui pensare nei prossimi giorni e nel corso del nostro cammino verso un mondo dove ci sara' piu' giustizia sociale per tutti.
CIVICUS Youth Assembly, Day Two - Posted By: Adam MacIsaac
Day two started off strongly with registration and finally delegate name tags, this helps someone like me who always forgets a persons name when meeting so many new people in a large group. The opening plenary was underway by 9am and then we quickly moved into our color coordinated groups for five and a half hours of sessions of topics like Poverty, Health, Equalities and Climate Change. Each issue was presented with a different learning tool. This was an excellent way for delegates to see first hand new methods of education and be trained to take these back home when CIVICUS is over.
The tools were;
Open Spaces
Drama - Role Playing and Improvisation
Power Analysis
Margolis Wheel
I will inquire later for a digital copy to include since there also was a print out to take home at the end of the day.
The closing plenary introduced the following days BBC production and the topics that were being discussed as topics for the broadcast. Tomorrow morning there will be a discussion on what topic will be chosen and the broadcast will begin at 6pm.
After the plenary wrapped up the delegates joined into the commissions which we would like to partake in tomorrow morning.
Being involved in a United Nations Development Programme Youth Climate Change Project and a climate dork I chose the Climate Change Commission but I am sure that the Poverty Commission, Health Commission and Equalities Commission would have also been excellent choices.
Tonight there is a Ceilidh which will be an excellent way to wind up the day and get into some true Scottish culture.
Just Arrived At The CIVICUS Youth Assembly - Posted By: Adam MacIsaac
Just thought I would make a quick post that I have arrived at the World Youth Assembly in Glasgow, Scotland. It has been a long day so far with my 5am wake up to get things packed into the van and then all the Peace Child International inters piled in and we made it to Glasgow at around 2:30ish.
It was a quick registering and check in at the Euro Hostel then a bit of down time before we meet up in our groups which we will be a part of for the assembly.
Dinner was good but the best part was getting to interact and chat with the other youth who are attending. I will be pulling out the video camera tomorrow and hope to get some good footage to put together.
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The CIVICUS Youth Assembly took place in Glasgow, Scotland from June 16-18th, 2008. Hundreds of young people were there to learn more about "People, Power and Participation" and these are some of their thoughts on the experience.
