[Gender] The Drum Beat - 359 - Youth & Sustainable Development

[Paula Zuñiga]

The Drum Beat - Issue 359 - Youth & Sustainable Development
August 7 2006


from The Communication Initiative...global forces...local choices...critical
voices...telling stories...


Subscribe to The Drum Beat: http://www.comminit.com/subscribe_drumbeat.html
Access this issue online at http://www.comminit.com/drum_beat_359.html


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This issue of The Drum Beat focuses on young people and their role in the
sustainable future of organisations, communities, countries, regions, and
the world. It includes some examples that demonstrate how youth can be
integrally involved in development; some examples of ways that organisations
and communities can support youth leadership in development; and some
research that examines the impact of youth participation in development.  

This is just a sample of the information on The Communication Initiative
related to youth and sustainable development. For further information on
this topic, please search the website with these phrases: youth and
participation, youth and sustainability, or youth and sustainable.


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INVOLVING YOUTH IN DEVELOPMENT


1.	Agenda for Community Development (AFCODE) - Nigeria
This community-based organisation was established to advance the
understanding and resolution of conflict among Nigerian youth and
adolescents through research, teaching, practice, and outreach. AFCODE
provides skilled training for youth who are at risk of exclusion from
mainstream education as a result of interpersonal conflicts. Activities
include involving youth in community peace-building processes as well as
building youth capacity for dialogues, problem solving, and improving
existing mechanisms for effective participation in conflict resolution
practice. Specific communication programmes include: the AFCODE Theatre
Factory, the Painting for Development Project, and the ICT Skills
Development Programme.
http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds112004/experiences-2774.html
Contact Olaitan Ibiyemi afcode at yahoo.com


2.	Educate Every Child - Global
Created by the non-profit organisation Shirley Ann Sullivan Educational
Foundation (SASEF), this project provides development education to
relatively privileged children who are attending private schools in an
effort to connect these students with peers in economically poor schools
through "hands-on" community service projects that they create and carry out
themselves. The aim of this project is to teach and motivate these students
to understand what people living in poverty face and how they can actively
participate and make a difference. Educate Every Child has 2 central
components: 1) a series of classroom activities that teach developmental
education to children through information-sharing; and 2) a process of
teaching the students how to create, administer and evaluate a project in
their respective communities. Participation and collaboration are key
elements of these "twinning" projects; though supported by the SASEF
framework and strategy as well as teachers and administrators in the
respective schools, all projects are student-driven.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2006/experiences-3661.html
Contact Rhonda Staudt rstaudt at sasef.org


3.	School Mayors of Iran: Learning Social Participation in an
Unfavorable Environment
by Parviz Piran
This paper discusses a project in Iran which aims to provide a formal
context within which young people can learn to participate in collective
undertakings with a view to encouraging civic responsibility and a greater
understanding of democratic processes. According to the article, the School
Mayors of Iran project, which covers over 1,000 schools, takes place in a
social context where participation, even for adults, faces many obstacles.
Surveys of parents of students in schools where the project was implemented
indicated that participating children had changed considerably through their
involvement in the project. These children were seen as more disciplined and
more focused; their concern for environment and their communities was
considered to have increased; and they were noted to care more about family
affairs and get along better with their sisters and brothers. Parents also
stated that as a result of the project, they themselves visited schools more
often than before and have been more available for group undertakings
focused on their communities.
http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1538.html


4.	This is our Time - Global
This is a global multilingual, multiracial telecommunications project for
elementary and secondary schools. The project is an effort to develop ways
to enable young people ages 7-19 from many different cultures and countries
to communicate and co-operate with each other on current world issues. The
programme is carried out through a wide range of educational activities, and
fostered through a variety of face-to-face as well as technology-based
opportunities for participation. All activities are related to the notion of
time, and culminate each year in a 24-hour online school-based lesson
marathon. The project strives to: strengthen participants' knowledge and
understanding of global issues such as sustainable development, child
rights, peace, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue and solidarity; build
participants' skills in communication, critical thinking and problem
solving, collaboration and technology skills; and shape participants'
attitudes so that they might: be aware of other cultures and existing
stereotypes; respect the diversity of people, cultures, lifestyles; take
responsibility for the world (now and in the future); and think globally and
act locally.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2005/experiences-3407.html
Contact Alexandra Smeets asmeets at e-linq.nl


5.	Star Trekk Club - Nigeria
This youth non-governmental organisation (NGO) aims to stimulate support for
and awareness about education in Nigeria and to capitalise on young people's
potential in the areas of good governance, literacy, poverty eradication,
and sustainable development. Its aim is to mobilise and advocate for
information delivery in Nigeria, as well as to promote and facilitate wealth
creation among Nigerian youth. The Star Trekk Club draws on community
involvement - largely stimulated and sustained through interpersonal
interactions such as training situations and face-to-face peer groups. Among
other objectives, the Star Trekk Club focuses on creating both a youth
platform through which youth voices will be heard and listened to by the
government and the general public and an environment for youth exchange and
volunteerism.
http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds52005/experiences-3153.html
Contact startrekkclub2001 at yahoo.com


6.	Give Peace a Chance
by Vedabhyas Kundu
In this article, Kundu suggests that youth have a major role in helping
create a culture of peace and non-violence in South Asian countries. Kundu
provides illustrations of several youth-related projects and includes
feedback from leaders involved in peace initiatives. Some key observations
include: the strength of supporting youth as "ambassadors of peace" by
creating youth exchanges in "safe" settings; the usefulness of recognising
different religions as a potential obstacle and thus sharing knowledge and
information about different religions; and the importance of creating
dialogue spaces for youth who are geographically and economically separated.
http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-957.html


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The World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD)

Co-organised by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), The World Bank and The Communication Initiative, the WCCD will take
place in Rome, Italy on October 25-27 2006.

See details at
http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?r=http://www.devcomm.org/worldbank/publ
ic.asp?idmacro=2


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SUPPORTING YOUTH COLLABORATION & LEADERSHIP


7.	Youth as a Catalyst for Peace: Helping Youth Develop the Vision,
Skills, and Behaviors to Promote Peace
This brochure presents experiences and lessons learned from The Academy for
Educational Development (AED) in working towards promoting peacebuilding
through youth development. According to AED, youth are more likely to avoid
violence and engage in peacebuilding behaviour if they have access to
opportunities that enable them to have: a strong sense of self-esteem; solid
connections to their own community; a sense of empowerment to make decisions
affecting their own future; adequate opportunities to get to know youth who
are different than themselves; access to programmes to improve leadership,
communication, and basic conflict resolution skills; and avenues for job
training and/or employment. Case studies presented include: Decisions - an
11-part youth television series on democracy and the free market in Poland;
Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) and Boys Reaching Out (BRO) - youth
leadership development camps in Armenia; Community Action Investment
Programme (CAIP) - a community leadership-building project in Kazakhstan;
Peace Media - a youth peacebuilding project in Sri Lanka; and Programa Para
o Futuro (PPF) - a workforce development programme for at-risk youth in
Brazil.
http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-1484.html


8.	Kellogg Leadership for Community Change (KLCC) - United States
In a collaboration between The Innovation Center, the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation and the Center for Ethical Leadership, this initiative brings
together young people and adults as partners across numerous "divides" to
plan and implement steps to overcome barriers such as persistent economic
poverty, poor education, and isolation. The goal of the programme is to
strengthen communities by helping individuals who are already engaged in
community stewardship recognise themselves and others as leaders, and then
develop the shared leadership expertise needed to work across a range of
backgrounds and perspectives. To ensure a diversity of community
perspectives, KLCC aims to capitalise on a variety of social, economic,
cultural and experiential criteria during the process of defining and
identifying programme participants. KLCC works with the selected fellows to
develop shared leadership skills, and provides opportunities for them to
exchange best practices and resources. KLCC Session II was launched in June
2005 and will conclude in 2007. It has engaged 5 communities around the
theme: Valuing and Building Youth-Adult Partnerships to Advance Just
Communities.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2006/experiences-3768.html
Contact info at klccleadership.org OR Wendy Wheeler
wwheeler at theinnovationcenter.org 


9.	My Community, Our Earth (MyCOE)
This website and project features searchable databases of resources and
mentors for students seeking to conduct their own community projects in
countries worldwide, or to learn more about geographic concepts, geographic
tools, and sustainable development.

http://www.comminit.com/links/linksacademic/links-46.html


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Seeking Avian Influenza Communication Information

The Communication Initiative is seeking information on initiatives using
communication to address Avian Influenza at the global, national, and local
levels. This information will be added to The CI's listing of projects,
strategies, resources and events focused on Avian Influenza communication -
see http://www.comminit.com/avianinfluenza.html for that listing.

Please send any information you may have to Deborah Heimann
dheimann at comminit.com


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MEASURING THE IMPACT OF YOUTH PARTICIPATION


10.	Formative Research on Youth Peer Education Program Productivity and
Sustainability
by Gary Svenson & Holly Burke
Using 4 community-based projects (2 in the Dominican Republic and 2 in
Zambia) as samples, this study examines ways of evaluating the impact and
cost-effectiveness of youth peer education (YPE) programmes. Based on data
from a descriptive, process evaluation carried out over a period of 18
months, evaluators developed frameworks and checklists to use in assessing
YPE effectiveness and sustainability. In general, the study found that the
retention, motivation and productivity of the youth volunteers involved are
all key to the success of the programmes. Supportive elements to keeping
these youth engaged include planned and technical training and supervision,
connection to adult mentors, community participation, and community
development of youth engagement in community policy.
http://www.comminit.com/evaluations/eval2006/evaluations-312.html


11.	Children and Young People Build Participatory Democracy in Latin
American Cities
by Yves Cabannes
This paper presents case studies from 4 cities in Latin America which
launched initiatives to foster the active participation of children and
young people in the governance of their cities. It describes the larger
context in each of the 4 cases, the methods used to involve young people,
the process, the challenges, and the impact. Some conclusions include: "The
strategy of active consultation has been confirmed in these four
municipalities as a valid approach to improving the situation of children,
especially with regard to their own participation in the discussion,
prioritization and formulation of solutions that concern them....In
returning to visit some of the young councilors in Barra Mansa after five or
six years, it is striking to see these outspoken, thoughtful, socially
active young people who continue to carry their experience into their adult
lives....These new adults are the real sustainability factor in building
citizenship and participatory democracy."
http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/eval2006/evaluations-310.html


12.	Integrating Children's Rights into Municipal Action: A Review of
Progress and Lessons Learned
by Sheridan Bartlett
This paper explores a range of case studies and examples of activities
undertaken by local municipalities and their partners worldwide to attend to
the issue of children's rights by making the concerns of children and youth
an integral part of routine local government procedures designed to improve
their quality of life in various ways. Illustrations of specific
practices/projects being implemented in each area are presented, as are a
number of lessons learned. Of particular note are some "keys to success for
deeper change:
* Specific projects and programs are not necessarily the most effective way
to achieve results for children. Often they reach only a small proportion of
the needy, or their impact is only short-term. 
* Even the best ideas are seldom magic bullets. They require persistence,
commitment, and the willingness to learn from experience - from mistakes as
well as successes. 
* Changing the mindset of everyone is what underlies sustainable change for
children, and this depends on continuous sustained efforts. 
* This different mindset is heavily dependent on efforts to raise social
awareness, both of the issues confronting children, and of successes
achieved in addressing problems. Publicity, documentation and communication
may appear to be 'extras,' but in fact are fundamental in achieving real
social change."
http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/eval2006/evaluations-306.html


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Does the world communicate better now than it did 20 years ago?
VOTE at http://www.comminit.com/pulse.html

Here is what The CI network is saying...

YES - "I believe the world communicates better now in terms of all the
electronic channels. We have the Internet, e-mails, mobiles, videos, DVD, TV
and other traditional channels of communications such as radio and drama.
All these have been loaded with various messages e.g. HIV/AIDS as a key
example. However, I am not too certain whether in the face of this
electronic revolution we have not lost face-to-face verbal communications."
[Zimbabwe]

NO - "Although the Gross Domestic Productions have gone up, the Gross
domestic, Gross national and Gross International Happiness has fallen
severely and majority of people live in poverty, fear, uncertainty." [Sri
Lanka]

YES - "As i write, i just finished discussing with a friend in
Middlesborough, London, while am in Nigeria. 20yrs ago there was no common
means of communication like the GSM. Now almost everybody can call anybody
at any time. Another important one to note is the internet, where one can
communicate to as much as everybody you may one to give an information in
less than 10minutes. You see, there is a great difference btween today and
20yrs ago." [Nigeria]

NO - "Communication is such a basic, yet complex, phenomenon. There is the
assumption that the world population should or is communicating better
because we have the technological tools to enable and sociological and
psychological theories to explain how and why we communicate. The world
citizens do not yet communicate well with each other because public
discourse i.e. mass media, multilateral discussions, etc. still seeks to
find commonalities, if not similarities, when we are communicating verbally.
For example, a convention at the U.N. is simultaneously translated in
various languages, which purportedly should enhance understanding between
and among the member nations. Yet, we see many fundamental human problems
i.e. poverty, inequity, etc. pervail because communication is so much more
than making sounds. It is the willingness and the capacity to understand, to
empathize, to subordinate personal/national objectives to the notion of
"common good for all mankind." If a picture is worth a thousand words, than
a kind deed is worth a million syllables." [United States]

YES - "I am able to reach out to the wide world community provided by the
Communication Initiative just sitting here on my desk. With the click of a
button, I can log on to any site and leave my opinion on most of them.
Communication is not only wider, it is faster. The TV, the radio, the
telephone and the mobile handset are all great communication tools that are
making the world communicate better. But understanding is another thing. And
that comes with knowledge. Does the world understand better? I am not sure."
[India]

NO - "Because if we communicated better we would not have so much chaos in
the world, lack of solidarity. I am talking at local level. Of course
technologically for a small minority who can have access to internet, it
communicates better." [Brazil]

YES - "It is very clear that the world communicates better than it did 20
yrs ago, this can be largely attributed to technology i.e internet, phones
and so on. But what is the quality of communication? I believe
commnunication of now is more negative than positive. If we have more
negative than positive then what have we really achieved?" [Nigeria]

NO - "Communication is at least 50% listening. We listen to each other a lot
less than we used to." [None]


What do you think?  VOTE and COMMENT at http://www.comminit.com/pulse.html


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The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative
Partnership - ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation,
Calandria, CFSC Consortium, The Change Project, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación
Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide,
Inter-American Development Bank, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, OneWorld, PAHO, The Panos
Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City,
UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Soul City garthj at soulcity.org.za
Executive Director: Warren Feek wfeek at comminit.com


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The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development
activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by
The Partners.


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dheimann at comminit.com


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