freeDimensional Youth Engagement

NYC: Paid Organizing Internship for Teen Girls

2008-02-26T04:15:00.000-08:00

Girls for Gender Equity is seeking young women, ages 16-19 years old,
to
apply for a part-time, paid Community Organizing Internship (August
2008-June 2009) with our Sisters in Strength program. The internship
will
focus on Youth Leadership, Consciousness Raising, Social Growth and
Identity, Education and Career, and Community Service. Interns receive
a
stipend of $8/hour to work up to 10 hours/week throughout the duration
of
the internship. Applications (attached to this email) are due in
GGE’s
office by 5pm on May 30, 2008. Late applications will not be accepted.
Please email Mandy at mandy@ggenyc.org with questions or to request the
internship application.

See www.ggenyc.org for application. Please forward this announcement widely!

A Human Rights-Based Approach to Education for All

2008-01-26T23:01:00.001-08:00

10-12-2007 - This publication is a joint UNESCO and UNICEF framework for the realization of children’s right to education and rights within education.

The result of intensive collaboration between UNESCO and UNICEF, the publication brings together the current thinking and practice on human rights-based approach in the education sector.

It presents key issues and challenges in rights-based approaches and provides a framework for policy and programme development from the level of the school up to the national and international levels.

Download: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001548/154861E.pdf (PDF file)

Linda King
Contact: l.king@unesco.org

SEEKING QUEER YOUTH DIGITAL VIDEO PROJECT STAFF - December 3, 2007

2007-12-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

Facilitator and Assistant Facilitator, Queer Youth Digital Video Project - Inside Out is
seeking two experienced individuals to oversee the annual Queer Youth Digital Video
Project. Canadian feature-length entries are eligible for the $2000 Entertainment Partners
Canada Award.

Contact:

Winnie Luk

Inside Out

Toronto Lesbian & Gay Film and Video Festival

219 - 401 Richmond St West

Toronto ON M5V 3A8

Canada

416-977-6847

416-977-8025( FAX)

http://www.insideou t.ca

winnie@insideout. ca

ZER01 Youth International: A Micro Grant Program for Youth (ages 11-21) to Produce and Exhibit Digital Art

2007-11-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

[p.1]

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
ZER01 Youth International: A Micro Grant Program for Youth (ages 11-21)
to Produce and Exhibit Digital Art

Requesting Organization
ZER01: The Art and Technology Network
In August 2006, ZER01 with a consortium of seven Silicon Valley-based
organizations that includes the City of San Jose, San Jose State University
CADRE Laboratory for New Media, the San Jose Convention and Visitor’s
Bureau, the San Jose Museum of Art, The Tech Museum of Innovation, and
Montalvo Center for the Arts, produced the inaugural biennial 01SJ Global
Festival of Art on the Edge. This event – the most ambitious digital arts festival
ever held in North America – showcased the potential for
the transformative effect that art, creativity, and technology can have on a city, a
region, and beyond. ZER01 and its partners plan to present 01SJ biennially and
sustain ongoing, year-round programming that will contribute to the event. The
2nd Biennial 01SJ Festival will be held June 4-8, 2008.

Seeking Participants for an International Youth Digital Art Production and
Exhibition Program
ZER01, seeks a dynamic group of artists, organizers, collectives, organizations
and institutions with the means and desire to support youth (ages: 11-21 years)
in the creation of digital art (including but not limited to digital video, 2D or 3D
animation, game development, sound or electronic music projects, software or
hardware projects, robotics, multi-media performance or installation, public
actions driven by new or digital tools or distribution methods, etc.).

ZER01 is excited to announce a new international micro-grant program to
support the production of digital art by youth facilitated by the aforementioned
target groups via $500 grants—for exhibition at the upcoming ZER01 festival.

The micro grant program and exhibition will be coordinated by Liz Slagus,
Director of Education and Public Programs at Eyebeam, an art and
technology center in New York City.

This program is made possible by the generous support of Adobe Systems, Inc.

Youth Digital Art Micro-grant Production Program Overview
Program Philosophy
Based on the theories of Muhammad Yunus (Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending

[p.2]
and the Battle Against World Poverty, 1999) and with the generous support of
Adobe Systems, Inc., ZER01 is using the opportunity of the international 01SJ
Festival to catalyze and facilitate a world-wide youth digital arts production
initiative; culminating in an exhibition of new work by young digital artists (ages
11- 21 years) at the 01SJ Festival in June 2008.

The act of supporting youth production at an international level, in addition to the
conversations about how to best facilitate youth digital arts programming is an
incredibly timely and important service for the international youth community and
the digital arts entities supporting this work. With this micro-grant program,
ZER01 will support a variety of art practices and production, an international
exhibition of youth digital art projects, but also a basis for understanding how
such work is made and how organizations at all levels (grassroots to fully realized
centers) go about developing and implementing support for youth digital arts
projects.

Program Values
Given ZER01’s mission, this grant program allows the perfect opportunity for the
Festival to showcase how youth (ages 11-21years) around the world are
accessing and utilizing digital art tools and practices to find and share their
voices, opinions and ideas. With micro grant program, ZER01 is able to
recognize, highlight, and support the work being developed around the world by
youth, while taking a critical look at how this work is produced by the support of
artists, collectives, organizations, and institutions. ZER01 is excited to enable
youth to explore and comment on their world via this micro-grant program.

Program Goals and Expectations
Selected participants or micro-grant recipients will agree to use the $500 micro-
grant to do one of the following:

• Support/sponsor an individual art project by youth (defined as ages: 11-21
years) via an open call for participation in their city/community.
• Support several youth engaged in one collective art project (divide the
money between several young individuals in their city/community).
• Support a local arts education program that would use the money to work
with many youth in their city/community.
• Use the micro-grant to run process-based workshops, which would lead to
the development of one digital artwork for the exhibition.

Each micro grant recipient will be responsible for supporting the production of the
youth-generated work in some way, including but not limited to:

• Mentoring the recipient of the funds; folding them into the digital art
community in their city. For example: making introductions to people to

[p.3]
help the youth develop/make their work
• Co-developing or guiding the production of a youth-driven participatory
digital arts project.
• Being a resource (with equipment, knowledge, critical feedback, and/or
skills sharing/demonstrations/workshops) to the youth or organizations
selected to receive the funds by the nodes.
• Providing the youth they are sponsoring public presentation and/or
distribution opportunities for their work, in an effort to promote the
appreciation of youth generated work at the local level.

The work from each micro grant recipient will be included in a juried exhibition at
the ZER01 festival to bring a wider perspective to the work. The art included in
the exhibition will be divided into two different age categories: 11-16 years and
17-21 years, in recognition of the different capabilities of the participating youth.

In recognition of the relevance of the decision-making process and
methodologies behind each of the participating entities for the expenditures of the
ZER01 youth digital art production micro-grants, the participants will be asked to
document the very community-specific methods for supporting youth digital art
that made them a viable candidate for the micro-grant. A blog site and/or other
public online forum will be developed for periodic uploading of documentation of
the participants’ process and progress with the youth digital art projects
supported by the micro-grants. This information and documentation will serve as
the context for the exhibition; shedding light on the state of youth media arts, how
to judge such work, and the language used to describe and disseminate the work
of youth. Additional funds will be provided to the micro-grant program participants
for proper documentation (photo, video, written entries, etc.) of their work and
progress with the youth of their communities.

Target Audience
ZER01 is looking to work with a wide range of artists, collectives, organizations
and institutions working with youth (ages: 11-21 years) to develop digital art. This
includes, but is not limited to:

• existing youth programs (middle school and high school) at established
arts organizations with a digital arts focus or interest in developing such a
program,
• university-level programs with students at or below the age of 21,
• individual artists or collectives developing projects with youth within the
age range of the grant,
• grassroots organizations looking to initiate programs to engage youth with
digital arts tools and practice, etc.

[p.4]
Critical Success Factors

• A clearly expressed methodology and plan for supporting and
collaborating with youth (ages: 11-21years) for the development of a
digital arts-based project
• Documentation of the process involved in working with the youth
supported by the micro-grant
• A finished piece or documentation of the work developed with the support
of the micro-grant
• An exhibition (organized by ZER01) demonstrating the variety of digital art
projects being developed by youth at the international level, as well as the
access points for youth to gain access to digital arts tools and practice.

Responding to RFP
Please provide the following:

1. A mission statement for you, your organization, or collective
2. A demonstrated history of working with youth (if possible), proving
examples of past youth or collaborative projects
3. 2-3 Work samples from previous projects—either personal or in
collaboration with youth
4. A statement regarding the relevance of supporting young digital artists to
you and/or your community
5. Specify what age group you will be supporting with the micro-grant: 11-16
years, or 17-21 years
6. A project description regarding the use of the micro-grant. This should
include a plan for selecting and supporting youth in your community to
create a new piece of digtal art, including: a project description and
specific ways by which you will support the production of such work (as
outlined in the “Goals and Expectations” section of this RFP)
7. A plan for documentation of proposed project on the blog site that ZER01
will provide (i.e: digital photos, video, written entries by grant recipients
and/or the youth involved in the project). Separate funds will be allocated
for documentation, according to the needs outlined in this section.

Please note: The micro-grant does not have to be the impetus for or the sole
support for a new project, but can be a supplement to an existing effort or project.

Qualifications as an individual or organization responsible for dispensing
micro-grant (background and competency)
Participants in this program do not have to have been actively working with youth
in their community prior to this grant program, but must demonstrate how they
will facilitate such work with the grant money via past experience and
collaborations (not specifically youth initiatives). ZER01 seeks to work with

[p.5]
dynamic individuals, collectives, and organizations with the ability to identify and
support opportunities for youth in their communities to actively engage with digital
art practices via the production of new artwork. This program is about sharing
resources and knowledge, and the grant recipients must demonstrate an ability to
take this challenge and allow for the progress of youth digital artists.

RFP Deadline and timeline for grant program

• RFP Deadline: 5pm (EST) on Monday, November 12, 2007
• Jury Selection Meeting: The week of Monday, November 26, 2007
• Notification of Acceptance: The week of Monday, December 3, 2007
• If accepted, program will commence in mid-December with program
participants selecting the youth they will support via the micro-grants.
• Work with youth: January-April 2007
• Documentation of progress uploaded to blog site and/or other online
forum: January-April 2007 (exact requirements for frequency of posts
TBA)
• Art and/or documentation of finished art pieces submitted for
exhibition: May 2007
• Exhibition of youth digital art: June 4-8, 2007

RFP responses must be received by 5pm on Friday, November 9, 2007

Send one electronic version of the RFP to Liz Slagus at Liz@eyebeam.org with
“ZER01 Youth Participation RFP” in the subject line. If you have any questions,
use the same contact. Acceptable electronic formats include Word, PDF, HTML
and any other common file formats. Work samples must be provided in electronic
formats (urls or uploaded media). No physical work samples will be accepted.

This program is made possible by the generous support of Adobe Systems, Inc.

Goi Peace News - Winners announced - 2007 International Essay Contest for Young People

2007-11-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2007 International Essay
Contest for Young People, a joint program of UNESCO and the Goi Peace
Foundation.

The theme of this year's contest was "The role of media and information
and communication technologies in building a peaceful world." From
among 4,029 entries from 138 countries, the following wiiners were
selected.

We take this opporutnity to thank all of you who participated in the
contest!

1ST PRIZE
---------
- Children's category
Sneh Shah (Age 8, USA)

- Youth category
Anna Rosario A. Elicano (Age 24, The Philippines)

2ND PRIZE
----------
- Children's category
Alexandra Girel (Age 10, Belarus)
Yunitha Ratnadilla T. A. K. (Age 14, Indonesia)

- Youth category
Yukari Nemoto (Age 16, Japan )
Sara J Wolcott (Age 25, USA)

3RD PRIZE
----------
- Children's category
Momone Ozawa (Age 9, Japan )
Wendyll Ermac Mejia (Age 12, The Philippines)
Yurika Sakamoto (Age 13, Japan)
Kazuki Soejima (Age 13, Japan )
Elmad Ochieng (Age 14, Kenya)

- Youth category
Margarita Mischinova (Age 17, Bulgaria)
Joanna Pietrzak (Age 17, Poland)
Takuto Sato (Age 18, Japan )
Veerle Vrindts (Age 20, Belgium)
Tara Yvonne Finglas (Age 23, Ireland)

* For full list of winners and their winning essays, go to:
http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0702.htm

** The award ceremony for the 1st Prize Winners will take place during
the Goi Peace Foundation Forum 2007 on Novmeber 18, 2007:
http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/lectures/lectures18.html

2007-09-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Arts Engine Announces LaunchPad

2007-09-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Adobe Youth Voices and Arts Engine partner for a second year to provide tools that enable youth to comment on their world. LaunchPad, a new section on MediaRights.org, highlights stories by and for young people from New York to Bangalore. Explore the free tools, resources and media, and become part of the growing community!

http://www.mediarights.org/launchpad/

Youth Peacebuilders Network training in Vancouver (Nov 14-17)

2007-09-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

The Youth Peacebuilders Network (YPN) will be conducting a training as part of the larger International Educators for Peace (EFP) conference titled, "Strategies for Building Civilizations of Peace" in Vancouver, Canada Nov. 14-17th. It promises to be an engaging and meaningful event.

For more information see www.efpinternational.org and
http://www.efpinternational.org/conference2007/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=46

Interplay - Development of Young Playwrights

2007-09-09T19:30:00.001-07:00

Interplay is a not-for-profit arts organisation committed to the development of young playwrights through process-driven initiatives that connect, nurture and inspire the global playwrights’ community.

For More Info: www.worldinterplay.org

Human Rights Delegations for Young Leaders -- Winter 2007-2008

2007-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Human Rights Delegations for Young Leaders -- Winter 2007-2008

Global Youth Connect is pleased to announce that we are accepting
applications from young leaders (ages 18-25) for our Winter 2007-2008
International Human Rights Delegations. Program locations include: El
Salvador and Rwanda.

About Global Youth Connect: Our mission is to build and support a
community of youth who are actively promoting and protecting human
rights, and educating and inspiring the next generation to work for
peaceful change. We have been organizing international human rights
delegations since 2001 to Bosnia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Nepal, Rwanda and Venezuela. Human rights delegations are a unique,
first-hand opportunity to cross cultural boundaries and learn about the
daily reality of human rights as experienced in a complex and
increasingly globalized world. Each delegation weaves together three
core sets of activities: site visits to local organizations, hands-on
fieldwork projects, and a human rights training workshop with local
youth activists. Please visit our website to learn more about our work:
www.globalyouthconnect.org.

Program Locations: El Salvador & Rwanda

Application Deadline: September 21, 2007

El Salvador (January 1 -- January 13, 2008)
Program Tuition: $1,635

This delegation will explore the roots of El Salvador 's 12-year civil
war, the long-term impact of the war on Salvadoran society, and the
continued persistence of long-standing economic and social inequities
that have fueled conflict throughout this tiny nation's history.
Delegation participants will come to understand current social,
political, and economic problems faced by Salvadoran society within a
broader historical context-including the impact of past and present U.S
foreign policies on the lives of Salvadorans. Delegation activities
will focus in particular on the efforts of human rights activists and
youth to recover from a tumultuous and devastating period of violence
and repression, and build a more just, equitable, and peaceful society.
Spanish proficiency is required.

Rwanda (December 29, 2007 - January 13, 2008)
Program Tuition: $1,795

This delegation will explore the roots of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, how
this legacy of violence has impacted the country and its people,
particularly Rwandan youth, and also how the country is attempting to
rebuild today. We will examine issues of truth, justice and
reconciliation in the context of post-conflict Rwanda and what is needed
to strengthen local institutions and programs dedicated to promoting a
culture of respect for human rights. Participants will connect with
young Rwandans and get involved in a variety of collaborative projects
aimed at promoting human rights as well as meet with leading human
rights defenders, government representatives, international
institutions, youth and others from local communities to learn more
about the political, economic and social challenges faced by Rwandans
today.

Application Deadline: September 21, 2007

How to Apply: We invite interested young leaders to apply. We are
looking for participants who are between the ages of 18-25 and who
possess U.S. citizenship or residency as well as international students
studying full-time at a U.S. college or university. Most importantly,
applicants should wish to expand their knowledge and understanding of
human rights and social justice. Participants will become part of a
growing global movement of youth acting together for compassion, human
rights and responsibility.

For detailed information on program activities, costs,
fundraising/financial aid, and application information, please visit our
website:

< http://www.globalyouthconnect.org/participate>
www.globalyouthconnect.org/participate

Best wishes,

Jennifer Kloes
Executive Director
Global Youth Connect
www.globalyouthconnect.org
Acting together for compassion, human rights and responsibility

Read the Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) 2006 Annual Report

2007-08-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

www.youthlink.org/4gyan/GYAN_AnnualReport2006.pdf

Young People For

2007-07-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Learn more at http://www.youngpeoplefor.org/

ACT NOW! Youth Activism in Australia

2007-07-25T04:57:00.000-07:00

See: http://www.actnow.com.au/

THE GLOCAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT (GYP)

2007-07-15T23:14:00.001-07:00

THE GLOCAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT (GYP)

The GYP is a worldwide network of urban youth partnering with local governments and organizations,
international institutions, private sector and each other to improve the quality of urban life. The
network, which currently spans sixty-five cities and five continents, promotes local action, city-to-city
initiatives and the sharing of ideas, solutions, and experiences. The GYP has a core membership of
two youth representatives from each participating city and their peer networks who work together to
realize their common vision for the year 2020.

The program is implemented in partnership with municipalities that recruit core members from
representative urban youth frameworks, lending to the consolidation of local constituencies that are
linked globally through the network. Members initiate city-to-city peace-building and development
projects and belong to a thematic action groups.

The Glocal Youth Parliament (GYP) acts as the nucleus of a network of local and global public and
private partners united to give youth a stronger voice in the world. After carefully recruiting core
membership from existing local youth structures from cities all over the world, GYP members are
trained by both adult and youth experts in strategic planning, program development and
communication, to ensure that they are adequately prepared to act as youth advocates. In both local
and global spheres, the GYP work to bring the concerns, desires and hopes of youth to the forefront of
municipal policymaking and global programming. The GYP also benefits from the extensive city
partnership network developed by the Glocal Forum, which provides useful city resources to youth
members across the globe. The Glocal Forum also acts as a conduit of information and coordination
for partnerships.

For more information check: http://www.glocalyouth.org/default.php?lng=en

Camp Art Omi in The Fields Sculpture Park at Omi International Arts Center (June - July)

2007-06-15T06:52:00.001-07:00

Camp Art Omi is a three week program that takes place out of doors in a contemporary sculpture park, The Fields Sculpture Park at Omi International Arts Center . This unique art camp will explore contemporary art and ideas through a variety of media and experiences. Given the unprecedented opportunity to inhabit the grounds of Art Omi, young artists will draw inspiration from the people, places and things in this dynamic environment. Children will learn how today's artists interpret their ideas using materials from the natural and fabricated world. Instruction in concept building, technique and criticism happen as guided discovery, which focuses on experiential learning in a child-centered environment.

The dates are June 25 – 29; July 2 – 6 (excluding July 4): and July 9 – 13. Weekdays 10am – 3pm. Ages 6 - 10 are welcome to learn arts and crafts in an inspiring setting with professional supervision.

To receive registration information please email name, address and phone number to artomiadmin@gmail.com. Limited spaces available. Register early. More info at www.artomi.org

A World Connected ESSAY COMPETITION (Deadline May 11)

2007-04-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Dear aWorldConnected reader,
I just wanted to remind you that the deadline for our $5,000 Spring Essay Contest is May 11. The contest is open to all full time students and anyone 25 years of age or younger.

This contest is a great reason to think critically and extensively about globalization issues. The current topic focuses on why some countries have a lower standard of living than others and what can be done to help them. If you are not eligible or not interested in the current topic, but know someone who is, please forward this to them.

More information is available at www.aWorldConnected.org/essay.

Best Wishes,

Ben Parizek
Editor, aWorldConnected.org

Global Youth Connect and Never Again-Rwanda are looking for 14 Rwandan youth leaders (May 11 deadline)

2007-04-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Global Youth Connect and Never Again-Rwanda are looking for 14 Rwandan youth leaders (ages 18-30) to join a group of 14 young leaders from the US for an interactive and cross-cultural Training Workshop on human rights education, advocacy, and action.

This workshop will provide a space for youth to share ideas across cultures, learn effective strategies for promoting human rights and enhance skills through the collaborative development of new project ideas and strategies.

Workshop Dates: June 21-24, 2007 with mandatory May 26 Orientation/Planning Session

Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Application Deadline: May 11, 2007

English skills are essential. This Human Rights Workshop will be
conducted in English, by both Rwandan and International facilitators,
and formal translation will not be available.

Interested Rwandan participants must complete an application. Please
see the attached document for additional information on the training
workshop as well as an application form.

Applications, CVs, and reference letters must be submitted to Never Again-Rwanda by no later than the 11th of May 2007. Please send questions to info@neveragainrwanda.org, or jesse@globalyouthconnect.org

Never Again will review all applications and select participants based
on a competitive process. Finalists may be asked to participate in a
personal interview, conducted in English, before final selection.

Thank you very much in advance for forwarding this to any Rwandan
youth leaders whom you think may be interested in this opportunity.
Best Wishes,

Jesse Hawkes
Program Director
Global Youth Connect – Rwanda
www.globalyouthconnect.org
Acting together for compassion, human rights, and responsibility

and

Joseph Nkurunziza
Coordinator of Never Again Rwanda
www.neveragainrwanda.org

European Youth For Action 2007 CALL OUT for ECORATES – ANOTHER 'CURRENCY' IS POSSIBLE!

2007-04-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

2007 CALL OUT for ECORATES – ANOTHER 'CURRENCY' IS POSSIBLE!

TAKE PART IN THE ECORATE PROJECT [it takes only 10 minutes]

Dear all,

Most of you have already used, heard or read about the ecorates system.
If not here's a short explanation:

Ecorates is an alternative 'currency' based on the actual cost of living
in each country. The aim of Ecorates System is to enable organizations
which share the concern of economical inequalities between countries to
use a fair exchange rate when they charge people for participation in
gatherings, seminars, magazine subscriptions etc.

It is necessary to create alternative frameworks for our economic
relations that break the profit guided and socially careless dynamics
dictated by institutions. Differences in the price levels, currency
exchange rates, purchasing power might financially discourage or even
stop people from some countries from participating.

The Ecorates system is a grassroots and participatory system. The fact
that we research to have our own rates rather than using official
institutional ones is one of the most important characteristics of the
system. Check out http://www.eyfa.org/ecorates for more info and
examples of projects and gatherings that have used ecorates.

By filling out the ecorates questionnaire you can make the ecorate for
your country (thus for yourself) more accurate and fair. Please fill in
the online ecorate form to help us gather fresh data for the project. We
need as many questionnaires filled out as possible to make this years
ecorates completely up to date. Find the online ecorates form at
_http://informal.benn.org/?db=63 < http://informal.benn.org/?db=48>_

And spread this message widely and ask people around you to fill the
form as well. If you think it would be helpful to have this callout or
the questionnaire translated in your own language then please help us
out by doing this (send it back to us) and forward it on.

It is also attached to this e-mail so you can print it and take it with
you when you go to a market, then you can easily fill in the data to the
on-line form when you return home.

Any comments on how to improve the form or ecorates system are always
welcome. Also, we are always looking for Regional Coordinators for the
ecorates project (involving spreading info and getting as many people as
possible to fill out the questionnaire), so if you're interested and
would like to volunteer please contact _ecorates@ eyfa.org
_

Thank you!
EYFA

--
ECORATES QUESTIONNAIRE

Please collect the prices of the following items:

SMALL ITEMS:
A loaf of bread:
250 grams of margarine:
One kg of potatoes:
One kg of apples:
One kg of rice:
500g of coffee:
A bottle of (the most famous local) beer in a shop:
A cup of black tea in a cafe:
Pizza margarita in a restaurant:
A plain chocolate bar (100g):
A piece of hand soap:
A single bus ticket in town:
A stamp for a letter for Europe:
One (black and white) A4 Photocopy:
Cinema ticket:
A daily newspaper:
INCOME:
Legal minimum wage in your country,
per hour:
OR
per month:
MONTHLY ITEMS:
Average monthly rent for a simple room your city/town, including electricity and water costs:
Your average food cost per month:
Your average monthly income:
A train ride of 100 km (66 miles):

(Please write the currency you are filling in the questionnaire with.)
THANKS FOR HELPING ECORATES PROJECT!

Former child soldiers forge a new future in Spain

2007-04-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

By MAR ROMAN
Associated Press

ALMERIA, SPAIN — Edwin Tholley wasn't yet 10 years old — he can't remember exactly — when rebel bosses first injected cocaine into his face, a quick way to get it surging into his brain. They wanted him high — an unthinking, vicious, little warrior for their campaign of terror in Sierra Leone.

Tholley's face still bears scars from the needle-pricks. Now, however, under an innovative rehabilitation program in Spain, Tholley hopes to redeem himself and save lives by studying to be a nurse, and maybe someday a doctor.

"My ambition is to help others," said Tholley, 20, one of four Sierra Leone natives brought here by They Are All Innocent, a Spanish aid agency that works with children in war zones. "All of us are responsible," Tholley said. "We have to make this effort."

The United Nations says at least 250,000 children are used as fighters in about a dozen conflicts in Africa, Asia and South America.

Once their missions are over, they bear scars far deeper than needle marks.

Job training is offered to combatants in Sierra Leone and Liberia, another West African country which also used child soldiers. The problem, experts say, is that jobs are scarce for such rehabilitated men.

The Spanish program is different because the training is in advanced skills — two of Tholley's colleagues will study agronomy — giving the men expertise that fills shortfalls in destitute countries like Sierra Leone.

"It's a big opportunity for me to study agriculture here in Spain. I'm sure after my course I will try the best I can to help the people of my country," said another of the students, Victor Young, 23, who smiles big but then, like the others, avoids talking about his days as a child soldier.

"Let the past be the past," Young said, staring at the ground. "It's a difficult process to regain peace again."

"War is the worst. We've recovered and all we want is to think about the future," added Gabriel Kamara, 20, who also is studying to become a nurse.

Kamara said he got the cocaine injections, too. Rebel commanders would cut a gash into his upper arm and rub it with cocaine to render him high, brutish and fierce.

Before these men set foot in Spain, their only contact with the country came from ammunition and weapons etched with the words "Made in Spain."

The group arrived in early March in Almeria, a southern port city. The rehab program takes four years and is being sponsored jointly by They Are All Innocent, the University of Almeria and the regional government.

In less than a month the men have become celebrities, invited to everything from media interviews on their experiences to concerts and soccer matches. Their home is a youth hostel close to the beach.

"For them, being in Spain is like a fairy tale," said Miguel Serrano, head of the aid agency, who selected them in Sierra Leone and brought them to Spain after overcoming many hurdles with the country's often-corrupt bureaucracy.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4732330.html

sQuareOne - Media & Arts Incubator for Young People in Sydney

2007-04-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

sQuareOne is a media arts and community incubator for young people (up to 30), a space in Sydney dedicated to morphing ideas and making them sustainable reality. It is a hub, an exhibition space, a creative lab. Throughout the year, sQuareOne will manage innovative programs that explore working as a freelance artist in the diverse communities in Sydney, new ways of storytelling using technology, and host a forum to explore ways to work, inspire and create.

It is a place to learn new skills, share existing skills, meet, talk, network, create and inspire. We will provide young artists and producers with affordable facilities that they want, within the community that they need.

See: www.s1.org.au/

World Youth Movement for Democracy Essay Contest

2007-04-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

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 by visiting the WYMD website:
www.ymd.youthlink.org/ymd/contests.html

Collective Youth Action on World Press Freedom Day - 3 May 2007

2007-04-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

One Day Project (www.1-day.org)
In the first week of May 2007 several youth exchanges will take place and many workshops on local level. Every exchange will have concrete results and works with artistic means and this also counts for the local workshops. The final result will be a book with DVD that will be spread around the world/.

The overall topic is: freedom of expression (that includes freedom of speech, press freedom, opinion forming and making) and to work in every country with a main artistic mean such as: music, video, photography, theatre, creative writing, street art and painting, graphical and digital design and dance and movements

Aims of the project
With the project Loesje wants to promote intercultural learning, communication and cooperation by creating a collective book and dvd. Next to that Loesje wants to promote freedom of expression and free speech as essential human rights and to empower people to make use of it, by giving creative writing workshops, writing and publishing on the topic and to promote World Press Freedom Day.

Humanity in Action

2007-04-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

The Humanity In Action Foundation (HIA) sponsors an integrated set of educational programs for university students and post-graduates in America, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, France, and Poland. In 2006, HIA began an American-based core program, located in New York and San Francisco. Through the core education programs and internships, Humanity in Action works to fulfill its mission to engage student leaders in the study and work of human rights by:

Engaging younger generations in histories of resistance and inspire them to fulfill their moral responsibilities to protect those in danger from institutionalized violations of minority rights.
Strengthening the commitment of American and European university students to democratic values and fostering their knowledge of resistance to intolerance—past and present.
During the core programs in Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland and the United States, HIA focuses on three interrelated areas of historic and contemporary importance: 1) examples of resistance to the Holocaust; 2) the development of international human rights institutions and doctrines, through the establishment of new standards, rules and procedures in the aftermath of World War II; 3) current minority issues and their relationship to human rights.

Read more at www.humanityinaction.org

interrupcion* call for creations - Cover Art needed for our 10th magazine

2007-03-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

interrupción* is a global organization, based in Buenos Aires and New York, working to create re-evolution in the 21st century through socially responsible work, consumption, participation, and investment. We are changing the world through Social Responsibility, Fair Trade, Sustainable Agriculture, and Micro-finance community development.

interrupcion* is publishing our 10th magazine and we’re looking for the right cover, one that exemplifies a new world: a citizen movement for a new reality: a vision of something better: a challenge to the status quo. We invite you to present your work and contribute.

If you’re interested in presenting work, please show and tell us.

Learn more at www.interrupcion.net

Please shoot us an email at fairtrade@interrupcion.net

UNESCO Young Digital Creators (YDC) Educator’s Kit

2007-03-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

The YDC Educator’s Kit is designed to help teachers and educators working in schools,
youth clubs, community centres, and training institutes to generate and manage project-based learning activities with young people. Download the full version at http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=31096&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html