Voice Newsletter
July 2006 Edition
To read past editions please visit the archive - click here.
Oxfam's International Youth Parliament (OIYP) Voice Newsletter showcases the positive social change accomplished by Action Partners worldwide. Distributed to over 4500 OIYP Network members in 150 countries, Voice also features relevant news from external partners and organizations for the benefit of our readership. Also Published at www.iyp.oxfam.org/news/
Email us at: iypvoice@oxfam.org.au
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Focus
Dear friends,
This edition follows on from June’s edition where we shared action partner stories from OIYP’s Global Review. The Global Review aimed to involve action partners in reflecting upon their experiences and contributing to the design and development of the next cycle of action for OIYP. In our story of the month, action partners who were part of the recent Global Review Meeting in India share their thoughts from the end of that process. Also this month, read an update from Kennedy Folasi’s dreamcast project in Solomon Islands and hear from Imane Khachani’s work advocating around HIV/AIDS.
August 2006 Voice – contribute your stories!
Education is not something which the teacher does ... it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. - Maria Montessori
The next issue of the OIYP Voice is on education. IYP Action Partners Karsten and O'Neill would like to receive your contributions on this broad topic.
If you want to share stories how education has shaped your world, would like to present interesting ideas how education can be organized in an alternative way or how education can solve conflicts, please contact us at iypvoiceAToxfam.org.au.
Action Partner News
A story from Kennedy Folasi, OIYP2004 Action Partner, on his project, Dreamcast in the Solomon Islands
Kennedy Folasi, 2004 Action partner, Solomon Islands
The project was targeting unemployed and out of school Youths in the multi-ethnic community that I live in (Tuvaruhu multi-ethnic Community). Nine female and eleven male unemployed and out of school youths from different ethnic back ground and religion in the community registered their names to join in for the training.
One of the main issues we are targeting was unemployment and education by seeking opportunities for the young people in the group. The program was facilitated by Save the Children Australia peer educator, Family support centre Drama team leader, and Solomon Island National Broadcasting corporation (SIBC) Radio drama specialist.
The National radio station has offered a free recording day for the drama group to experience studio recording. from the management of the Solomon Island Broadcasting Corporation The community youths were aware of the program because it was announced in the church and through posters stating the target group of the project and who to participate in the training. Getting youths to participate is no problem, few of the left outs are eager to join the drama group by approaching the drama committee for permission so now the number is increased to 23 participants. So we split the group into two groups of eleven youths in each group.
The Drama group has been mobilized by Save the Children Australia youth outreach program to dramatize issues affecting young people in the communities around Honiara. We dramatized a lack of information around teenage pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, unprotected sex, self esteem and substance abuse. We also shared the story of Banny and Sophie around child abuse, child rights and domestic violence. We have been dramatizing these issues in communities that save the children has network with.
Impact.
Young people involved in the Dream Cast drama group have shown a lot of progress with their behavior attitude and are now able to make right decisions when it come self reliance.
- The participant’s parents were impressed with their children’s slight change of attitude.
- Participants are now skilled in script writing and public performance.
- Five (2 female and 3 male) are now employed at the Honiara Beautification; they involved in beautifying the Honiara town by doing planning of trees, flowers along the town surroundings.
- Two male from the group have decided to go back to school this year.
- One female has trained with Save the Children Australia as a Volunteer peer educator for the community and has been involved with the drama group as a peer educator in the community.
- The drama group worn first prize at the Worlds Aids day on 1st of December 2005 dramatizing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
- Solomon Island Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) has an interview with each of the drama participants and recorded two radio drama wrote by the participants them selves and was played on air.
- Young people are now confident to do drama in public setting.
Next Mission.
Dream cast drama group next mission is to do more advocacies through drama performance in the community around Honiara and publish radio drama in the media. Dream cast has established a strong link with Save the Children Australia (SCA) here in the Solomon’s and The National Radio station (SIBC), dream cast will be using the SCA net work in the communities and schools in Honiara and will be publishing radio drama on air, 21 young men and women unemployed and out of school will be participating in the program as well as our own community programs.
STORy OF THE MONTH
OIYP Global Review Meeting - June 2006
Over six or three years ago, you were all selected as action partners because of your work in your communities and your commitment to positive, sustainable and equitable change. Since then, action partners have continued to work for change in their own communities in many different ways. Over the years, action partners have shared their stories, knowledge, skills and visions with each other. They have also faced challenges with each other, with their communities and in challenging structures of power that create inequality.
Oxfam recently coordinated the OIYP Global Review process. This aimed to involve action partners in reflecting upon their experiences and contributing to the design and development of the next cycle of action for OIYP. This process has taken us beyond the next cycle of action of OIYP – towards a bolder, longer term vision for change in the world! And that vision means change in our own network.
One step in the OIYP Global Review was a meeting of 24 action partners from all regions of the network in India in June. In August you will receive a booklet to share some of the visions for the future and to ask for your visions and input on the future – of your visions for change in your community, and about your future relationships with action partners from 2000, 2004 and 2007!
For now, here are some action partner voices on the OIYP Global Review Meeting.
The Global review was really very effective. At first I thought I would go home with no concrete idea what I can contribute for the development of OIYP. During my journey back home, I realized the Global Review was a venue for young people with diverse experience to create new opportunities and conquer new challenges. The realization that we still have to do a lot of hardwork and we need to start it now. We have to take all our first step. I thought the Global Review was evaluating OIYP and Planning for 2007 it was actually an opportunity to evaluate ourselves as young leaders and plan for our new journey to take. The stories and the experiences really inspired at the Global Review.undefined
Patrick Joseph Ty, The Philippines
The meeting was very useful in clearing the cobwebs around the future, our roles and expectations.
I look forward to the review ahead and practical implementation of these next steps.
Adaeze Nnanta, Nigeria
I think the Global Review ended with a good note and left commitments that will further muscle the work doing by Action Partners and fulfilling OIYP’s global agenda for positive change. I foresee a very bright future for the OIYP for having young stalwarts who provides local solutions in their respective communities leading towards global impact. In addition, I think political agendas will be the challenge for many of us now and in future OIYP generation, as we also observed in the Global Review, as we should be focusing on changing the political economy of thinking towards youth in development processes. In the opportunities, engaging the platform of Oxfam International and decentralization of Oxfam is vital breakthrough in terms of challenges, which can help Action Partner in their professional and non-professional life settings. I urge OIYP generation now and ahead that let us change the world, as to break the cycle of injustices, violence and poverty, both the generations have to dare and live change together, if one does not dare or can not change, the other generations need the more power and courage to take them along – but not to let them aside
Shafiq Mian, Pakistan
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much all for everything we shared together in beautiful India. Most importanly, I would like to thank OIYP for the opportunity to be part of the India meeting which has again contributed so much towards my learning about Reviews at the Global perspective. I really appreciate each one's contributions in support towards this. As this is not the end, we hope for a continues and a more fundamental communication be build while we join heads together to be part in OIYP's future directions.
All the best again in all you do.......
Sharon Diave, Papua New Guinea
JULY FEATURE
Imane Khachani from Morocco shares her experience of taking her message on HIV/AIDS in Morocco to lobby at the UN General Assembly.
More than 30 million people have died of AIDS since the discovery of the virus in the early 1980s and today, 40 million people are living with the virus. Young people are the most hardly hit by the pandemic and more than 50% of the new infections worldwide occur among them.
Alarmed by the emergency of the epidemic’s situation and its global impact worldwide, the United Nations General Assembly decided to hold a special session on HIV/AIDS at the highest political level on June 2001 in New York in order to discuss international actions to fight the epidemic and to mobilize the resources needed.
Governments’ delegates agreed upon a Declaration of Commitment, which highlighted priority areas where stronger action must be taken. They committed to a set of concrete time bound goals and targets aiming at stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS, covering broad areas such as leadership, prevention, care, support and treatment.
5 years later, a follow up meeting on the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV-AIDS took place from May 31st to June 2nd at the United Nations and aimed at reviewing and recommitting to implementing the Declaration’s targets, evaluating countries’ progress, identifying challenges and reassessing the needs to effectively combat the pandemic.
The UNGASS+5 Review meeting counted with an unprecedent participation of members from the Civil Society and with various side events organized by youth groups.
THe Youth Coalition, an international collective of young people (aged 15-29 years) who actively promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and youth worldwide organized a progressive youth caucus to work on the language of key statements of the Declaration, emphasizing the need to invest in youth and promoting the rights’ based approach while addressing their sexual and reproductive health. They developed a “Progressive Youth Caucus Proposed Language for UNGASS Political Declaration” which provides suggestions on how the language in the declaration could better address youth’s reproductive and sexual rights. It was presented to country delegations and shared with other civil society groupsand some recommendations made were successfully incorporated into the final declaration.
The Global Youth Coalition on HIV AIDS (GYCA) and Advocates for Youth organized a youth summit with the support of UNFPA. They came up with a Statement highlighting the need to invest in young people while designing HIV policies and to strengthen youth’s active participation at all levels of programming and policy making.
The final Declaration of commitment had some positive and progressive language. It recognizes young people’s vulnerability and affirms some of the key elements to fight the epidemic such as the adoption of evidence-based strategies, the promotion of condom use and the need to expand and scale up youth friendly services. But the failure to include the rights’ based approach while addressing young people’s reproductive health needs, including the need to HIV information, care and support, and the absence of specific language on sexuality education - one of the key component of the fight against HIV epidemic! -and on marginalized/discriminated groups weakens the Declaration and makes it fail to effectively address some needs in terms of HIV policies and actions.
The fight continues!
Imane Khachani, Morocco
Youth Coalition
OIYP Action Partner 2004
Endnote
A closing thought to inspire you this month.
Youth and Leadership have more in common than is habitually though of: both stand for motivation, evolution, change and vision and both are our inexorable windows into the future.
Shafiq Mian, Pakistan
The contents of this newsletter do not reflect the views of its subscribers or Oxfam Australia. 
