I think I’ve figured it out. There’s something in public health called the “prevention paradox”: measures of disease prevention that offer great benefits to populations at large (such as fluoridation of water sources, wearing seatbelts, lifestyle changes, smallpox vaccinations, etc) offer little benefit or personal incentive to individuals.

But research shows that health education geared toward individuals (counseling on reducing salt intake for hypertension, exercise for diabetes, etc) are less effective when geared only toward individuals and/or used in a short-term approach. People are motivated to act for immediate gain and substantial personal benefits, but “the medical motivation for health education is inherently weak. Their health next year is not likely to be much better if they accept our advice or if they reject it. Much more powerful as motivators for health education are the social rewards of enhanced self-esteem and social approval.” (Geoffrey Rose, Sick Individuals and Sick Populations.)

Physicians also prefer individualized health education because with population interventions (such as anti-smoking campaigns), their success rates are low and results take a long time to achieve.

The US is such an individual-centric society that people have no cultural reason to care about population health as a whole. Most Americans do not see that universal access to healthcare means that problems are detected and treated early (which is less costly), and that sometimes preventive medicine can encourage life-saving behavior change. That the person going into the ER for stomach pain because s/he does not have health insurance is costing the taxpayer literally thousands more dollars than s/he would if s/he’d gone to a primary care physician.

Nor do they understand the concept of herd immunity- if a large proportion of a population is immune to or vaccinated against a particular disease, the likelihood that one individual will get that disease is far less.

The focus on the individual and the apathy toward the well-being of communities and populations is by no means restricted to health alone. The same can be said about the current financial crisis. Individuals who borrowed more than they could pay back, and their unscrupulous lenders have created a global downward spiral of hundreds of economies, with the bottom billion hit the hardest.

I find it ironic and deeply saddening that 30 million more people have been pushed into starvation thus far due to the financial crisis while bankers are taking hefty bonuses and governments are bailing out businesses that were failing even before the crash (GM, Chrysler, etc…)

JOIN NOW..! - Mano River Union Youth Community
.........................................................................

Dear Colleaques, Youths and Members of
the MRU Basin,

Please..., I am glad to welcome you to The MRUYouthplatform online community; a private networking and content sharing site powered by (but not only) young people, around the theme of youth-led development in the Mano River Union Countries .

The site will allow you to participate actively in enhancing the development of the sub-region; you will exchange and present your visions, recommendations and point of views to other youth in your country, and countries of the Mano River Union, as well as hold discussions with your peers and governments officials on pressing issues affecting youth in the sub-region. Finally, you can provide and receive peer-to-peer support in your area of expertise.

All of these above, some great preparations already underway by the host organization for Liberia, the Youth Crime Watch of Liberia.

This is your chance to Particip@te, Xchange, Support! Join us NOW!!

JOIN HERE: http://mruyouthplatform.org/participate-xchange-support/sign-up/

Welcome always,


Thomas J. Barlue
Programs Director
African Child Peace Initiative-Liberia
National Coordinator - YoungPeopleWeCare Inc

Cell: +231-6605658 / 77969319
http://profiles.takingitglobal.org/Teeman
http://teeman.tigblog.org/
WWW.ypwc.org

Dear Colleaques, Youths and Members of the MRU Basin,

Please..., I am glad to welcome you to The MRUYouthplatform online community; a private networking and content sharing site powered by (but not only) young people, around the theme of youth-led development in the Mano River Union Countries .

The site will allow you to participate actively in enhancing the development of the sub-region; you will exchange and present your visions, recommendations and point of views to other youth in your country, and countries of the Mano River Union, as well as hold discussions with your peers and governments officials on pressing issues affecting youth in the sub-region. Finally, you can provide and receive peer-to-peer support in your area of expertise.

All of these above, some great preparations already underway by the host organization for Liberia, the Youth Crime Watch of Liberia.

This is your chance to Particip@te, Xchange, Support! Join us NOW!!

JOIN HERE: http://mruyouthplatform.org/participate-xchange-support/sign-up/

Welcome always,


Thomas J. Barlue
Programs Director
African Child Peace Initiative-Liberia
National Coordinator - YoungPeopleWeCare Inc

Cell: +231-6605658 / 77969319
http://profiles.takingitglobal.org/Teeman
http://teeman.tigblog.org/
WWW.ypwc.org

Program Overview

The Mano River Union (MRU) countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire) present the greatest challenge in terms of the necessity for creating jobs for youth. Nearly three in four people living there, or 71.3 per cent, are under the age of 30 and youth unemployment rates run high around 70 per cent in the subregion, and as high as 88% in Liberia. Female youth require particular attention as they account for half of all youth but are regularly overlooked. When young people do find a job, it is often in the informal economy, in low-paid, low-skilled and unprotected jobs.

Without access to employment and income opportunities and without means to fulfill their aspi¬rations, youth in the sub-region can represent a potential threat to regional stability. That is why ILO, UNDP and UNIDO have made a pledge to “deliver as one” on the issue of youth employ¬ment in the Mano River Union countries . The “Multi-stakeholder Programme for Productive and Decent Work for Youth in MRU countries” comes as a response to increas¬ing calls for harnessing the capacities of youth as a potential social and economic resource for peace building and stability.

This programme aims to facilitate the creation of employment opportunities for youth in the MRU countries and contribute to social and political stability, and economic growth in the region.

Beneficiaries of the Programme

The choice of the target beneficiaries is based on the following core assumptions: a) disad¬vantaged poor youth are the largest population group in the region; b) there are different youth groups with different economic and social roles; c) the majority of poor youth are self-employed in the informal sector; d) establishing trust with youth is critical to the success of an outreach de¬velopment programme. Youth should be active, participatory partners in youth employment pro¬grammes, rather than being treated as passive beneficiaries. Even if economic growth reaches a reasonable rate, the rate of job creation will not be commensurate with the need to create opportunity for large populations of unemployed youth.

The programme will thus benefit different target groups;

Marginalized, disadvantage urban and rural youth;

Youth who wish to start up a business or to become employed or improve community productivity;

Youth who already own a business and wish to expand;

Development Objective

Creating opportunities for decent and productive work for under- and unemployed youth in the MRU countries, thereby contributing to social, political and economic stability in the sub-region. Provide communication means to promote dialogue, knowledge and information sharing, peer-to-peer support, and youth direct participation to development.

More details and JOIN Here:
http://mruyouthplatform.org/about/

Dear colleagues,

As a community coordinator for the International Candle Light Event, I’d like to give you an update on ongoing activities owards the International Candle Light Memorial in Liberia and to invite you and your organization to take action as well.

Today marks 2 weeks towards the International Candle Light Memorial date which my organization, ACPI Inc, the stop Aids Liberia, LIWEN, Lutheran, SOS, LIGHT Ass. And other prominent organizations concerned about the HIV pandemic have been working tirelessly to organize a national activity towards the celebration of the Global AIDS Week of Action and the Candle Light Day 2009 Event in Liberia.

I encourage those of you who’s organizations are aware of this day and have activities planned, to please sign up to the Candle Light website and be registered with the National Campaign: internationalaidscandlelight.org.

In 2008, according to the national figures, about 2,000-35, 000 is estimated number of AIDS cases while 53,000-140,000 estimated case of HIV cases, of which approximately 20% do have access to ARVs. Recently, with scale-up of VTC to most part of the country, the situation is significantly better but the number of people living with HIV and AIDS on treatment is very low.

For the people living with HIV/AIDS, access to treatment is definitely a major point, but it is not sufficient help to them in their daily life when paying for opportunistic infections treatment remains a challenge. Indeed, social and psychological issues are also significant: social problem such as food insecurity, stigmatization/discrimination, violation of rights and self exclusion from social network, etc., could come from lack of commitment from decision-makers to analyze the gains, fulfill policies, programs and implementation mechanisms, and the big loses and new promises to contain the epidemic.

The aim of the National Global AIDS Week of Action is to campaign with focus on the right to ARVs and opportunistic treatment, especially women and children during the Global AIDS Week of Action and the Candle Light Day 2009 through (state activities), which advocate within local, national and international levels to provide policy recommendations to government, non-government actor, donor agencies and civil society groups for greater accountability and more effective approaches to adopt policies, program, implementation and accountability mechanisms of Universal Access 2010.

This is why it is important for you to joined GAWA- Liberia now, to engaged in this collaborative process with different kinds of initiatives and promote a space that amplifies people’s voices, to address the weaknesses observed both at local and national levels.

About the CANDLE LIGHT MEMORIAL

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, a program of the Global Health Council, is one of the oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world. Started in 1983, the Candlelight Memorial takes place every third Sunday in May and is led by a coalition of some 1,200 community organizations in 115 countries hosting local memorials that honor the lost and raise social consciousness about the disease. The Candlelight is also much more than just a memorial. It provides opportunities for leadership development, policy advocacy, partnerships, and improvement of community mobilization skills. With 33 million people living with HIV today, the Candlelight continues to serve as an important intervention for global solidarity, breaking down barriers, and giving hope to new generations.
More here: internationalaidscandlelight.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND HOW THE GET YOUR ORGANIZATION INVOLVE IN THE NATIONAL GLOBAL WEEK OF ACTION AND ACTIVITY…..YOU MAY KINDLY CONTACT ME WITH CONTACT DETAILS BELOW:

Welcome always,

Thomas J. Barlue
Programs Director
African Child Peace Initiative-Liberia
National Coordinator – YoungPeopleWeCare Inc

Cell: +231-6605658 / 77969319
profiles.takingitglobal.org/Teeman
teeman.tigblog.org
WWW.ypwc.org

Declaration of Solidarity
26th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial
Sunday, May 17th, 2009

The following statement is the official declaration of solidarity for communities participating in the 26th
International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, the world’s oldest community movement against HIV and
AIDS. The Declaration was created by the International Advisory Board of the Candlelight Memorial
program, which represents every world region, in collaboration with the Global Health Council.

AIDS is one of the world’s greatest challenges. Over the last quarter century, the disease has
impacted our communities, families, economies, and millions of lives. And yet, communities
worldwide are hopeful that a solution can be found. The theme for the 26th International AIDS
Candlelight Memorial is “Together, We Are the Solution.” The theme represents the challenges
that remain and our unwavering belief that a solution is possible. The role of civil society is
critical to ending HIV and AIDS, but we cannot work alone and hope is not enough. We need
action, and communities and governments must work together.

On behalf of the over one thousand communities in over a hundred countries participating
today in the Candlelight Memorial, we declare our solidarity in the response to AIDS and
recommit ourselves to the cause. We call on global leaders to hear our voices, honor pledges to
give resources for HIV and AIDS, and increase access to prevention, treatment, and care. We
call on national and community leaders to serve as examples and include people living with
HIV and AIDS in the process of forming national programs. We call on businesses to invest in
their communities and we ask institutions of faith to be more inclusive. And we call on the
media to report the truth about HIV and AIDS, and help us share stories about what works.
Policy must be equitable and based on evidence. Treatment must be balanced with prevention.
Human rights, particularly of children, must be upheld and education must be a priority. The
link between AIDS and TB, malaria, and other conditions should be promptly addressed with
appropriate actions and resources, and the issue of AIDS must be addressed as part of a broader
problem of poverty and development, gender inequity and sexuality, and health system reform.
We must move beyond fear and ignorance, and embrace people living with HIV and AIDS by
replacing stigma and discrimination with understanding and support. All of us can be a part of
the solution. Learn about AIDS. Get tested. Become an advocate. Join a club or volunteer.
As we gather around the world today to remember those we have lost, we stand committed to
finding a solution by working together to end HIV and AIDS.

Signed by the International Advisory Board of the

Candlelight Memorial program & the Global Health Council

Dear Colleaques

I am pleased to present to you the declaration of the just ended International Youth Forum on “The Role of Youth on Poverty and Migration Eradication” held from 13-15 April 2009 in Tripoli, Libya.

I hope these important recommendations that can assist national youth councils, governments and the global communities at large to enable youth effectively to participate and reduce the devastating consequences of poverty and migration.

Please Read Below…!
…………………………………………………………….

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FORUM

“The Role of Youth on Poverty and Migration Eradication” 13-15 April 2009

Tourism Village Janzoor, Tripoli, Libya

DECLARATION

1 PREAMBLE

1.1 We, the participants of the International Youth Forum (IYF) convened in Tripoli from 13-15 April 2009 for its first program organized by the World Assembly of Youth and National Ogranisation of Libyan Youth which bring together the young people and youth leaders from around the world to discuss pertinent and topical youth issues.

1.2 The theme selected for IYF 2009 is “The Role of Youth on Poverty and Migration Eradication”. This theme was selected in the realization of the need to educate, increase awareness, to prevent or reduce the rates of poverty and migration amongst youth. All countries and all sectors of the society are affected by the devastating dilemma of poverty and migration.

1.3 However, with this selected theme the young people, youth leaders, government and organization officers gathered here to call for action in areas such as: Reduction of youth poverty and migration; Assessing the problems; Tackling the problems; Forging partnerships; Focusing on special needs; Sending the right messages; and Building experiences.

1.4 After thorough deliberations
through plenary sessions, workshops and other events, we the participants have put together this document with the following recommendations that we strongly feel ought to be implemented to empower youth effectively to participate and reduce the rates of poverty and migration amongst the youth.

The guiding principles for this declaration were based on the following objectives:
• To achieve a behavior modification among youth;
• To bring awareness about how poverty and migration affects youth and the extent to which youth are affected;
• To increase youth awareness to their responsibilities regarding poverty and migration reduction;
• To improve the national and international policies that deal with poverty and migration and its effects on the society;
• To recommend improvements to the current systems of education for youth worldwide on poverty and migration;
• To heighten international awareness in order to resolve and tackle the poverty and migration challenges;
• To improve cooperation between governments, civil societies and private sectors to address the issue of poverty and migration;
• To have a stronger, more effective national youth councils with leading roles in the fight against poverty and migration.

2 RECOMMENDATIONS

2.1 Government

2.1.1 Develop action plans that help in the reduction, prevention and monitoring of poverty and migration.

2.1.2 Develop and implement government legislation to deal and work for the reduction of poverty and migration within the country.

2.1.3 Provide financial support to NGOs and bodies that deal and work with youth on issues of poverty and migration.

2.1.4 Establish Training Centers, Mentoring Programmes and Mediation for individuals affected by poverty and migration.

2.1.5 Create agreements among neighbouring nations in order to establish a better understanding in areas of poverty and migration.

2.1.6 Strengthen government mechanisms that ensure good governance leading to the reduction of poverty and migration.

2.1.7 Facilitate the basic essential rights of individuals within the country in order to reduce poverty and decrease illegal migration.

2.1.8 Educate and provide opportunities for young people to establish themselves in order to contribute in the development of their country.

2.1.9 Each government needs a youth council for economic crimes, in order to minimize mismanagement of finances and therefore ensure the implementation of projects geared towards the fight against poverty and migration.

2.2 International, Regional and National NGOs

2.2.1 Organize events and programmes to empower young people.

2.2.2 Equip young people with the ability and skills that is required for them to help reduce the poverty and migration.

2.2.3 Establish local, regional and international exchange of resource centers to build a strong foundation within the country: in areas such as logistics, institutions and personnel.

2.2.4 Reinforce the exchange of information on poverty and migration.

2.2.5 Encourage young people to become ambassadors and proactive in order to spread awareness towards the reduction of poverty and migration.

2.2.6 Create policies to promote the eradication of youth issues: such as poverty and migration.

2.2.7 The youth and NGOs should work together and actively participate in peace process as the outbreak of conflicts as the cause of poverty in most countries especially in Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine…etc

2.3 Education

2.3.1 Incorporate poverty and migration issues in existing curriculum for primary, secondary and higher education.

2.3.2 Design civic education to empower the populace on the consequences of poverty and migration.

2.3.3 Capacitate parents on how to identify the trends, threats, signs and symptoms of poverty and migration among the youth.

2.3.4 Encourage development and implementation of peer education programs i.e. survival and life skills.

2.4 Media

2.4.1 Maximizing usage of technology to inform and educate communities on the consequences of poverty and migration.

2.4.2 Intensify greater social responsibility towards the young people in areas of poverty and migration.

2.4.3 Utilise all forms of media to impart positive thoughts, ideas, awareness, opportunities, messages and attitudes to the young people.

2.4.4 Provide information, resources and services to the youth in order to educate them on the impact of poverty and migration.

2.4.5 Publish materials that will enable youth to participate on the current issues that they are facing in the areas of poverty and migration.

2.4.6 Promote awareness programmes to encourage young people to play their role on society on the matters of poverty and migration.

2.5 Private sector

2.5.1 Establish an annual grant to equip the young people with the skill knowledge and positive reinforcement to resist the consequences of poverty and need for migration.

2.5.2 Intensify corporate and social responsibilities to help ease the stress of poverty among the young people and the necessity to migrate.

2.5.3 Tap on the available resources within the country to eliminate the stress of poverty and illegal migration among the young people.

2.5.4 Lobby and advocate for greater involvement by the private sector, in the fight against poverty and the desire to migrate.

3 GENERAL COMMENTS

3.1 Raise up youth leaders among organizations to help combat the issue of poverty and migration.

3.2 Motivate and encourage youth participation in the decision making process towards the elimination of poverty and illegal migration.

3.3 Provide positive role models to influence behavioral change and alleviate the misperception among youth in reference to poverty and migration.

3.4 Generate opportunities that would allow the youth to participate, create, develop and stand against the pressure of poverty and migration.

3.5 Strengthen partnership between the private sectors, societies, governments and NGOs.

4 CONCLUSION

4.1 We, the participants of IYF do realize and recognize the major impacts of poverty and migration upon the lives of young people, thus the need to create awareness and stand up to relieve the cause and effect among the youth worldwide.

Thanks,

Thomas J. Barlue
Deputy Director
African Child Peace Initiative-Liberia
National Coordinator – YoungPeopleWeCare Inc

Cell: +231-6605658 / 77969319
profiles.takingitglobal.org/Teeman
teeman.tigblog.org
WWW.ypwc.org

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Please see below and don't fail to forward widely to all Africans on your networks.
.........................................................

Individuals from all African countries are invited to apply for admission to study for the Master’s Degree (LLM) in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

The LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa is a regional co-operation initiative presented in partnership by the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, and the faculties of law at:

* Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia)
* American University in Cairo (Egypt)
* Catholic University of Central Africa (Cameroon)
* Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique)
* University of Ghana
* Makerere University (Uganda)
* University of the Western Cape (South Africa)

This premier course, the only one if its kind, focuses specifically on human rights as seen from the African perspective. The course is presented full time over one academic year (two semesters) that runs from the end of January to early December and comprises eight modules. The first semester is spent at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, studying the following modules:

* Module 1: Methodology of human rights research, education and advocacy
* Module 2: Democratisation in Africa
* Module 3: International and comparative human rights
* Module 4: Human rights in Africa
* Module 5: Introduction to the South African legal system and Bill of Rights
* Module 6: Human rights in the field (Field trip)

At the end of the first semester, the class is divided into seven groups, each of which spends the next five months at one of the partner universities where they complete the following two modules and/or internships:

* Module 7: Accredited courses
* Module 8: Dissertation

Instruction is by way of formal lectures and practical exercises. The lecturers are some of the most prominent human rights experts in the world. Emphasis is placed on classroom participation and there is ample opportunity for informal interaction between the students and lecturers. Students can make use of extensive library facilities and have 24-hour access to computers.

A substantial part of the course is dedicated to the use of the Internet in research on human rights law. The medium of instruction is English, of which students must have a good working knowledge in order to follow lectures and participate fully in class discussions and practical exercises. Students who did undertake their studies in Englsih are required to write the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Upon admission to the programme advanced English is provided for students from non-English speaking countries and French is taught to students from English speaking countries. Students who are fluent in both English and French study Portuguese. Admission is on a competitive basis and bursaries are available.



HOW TO APPLY

Applicants must be in possession of a first degree in Law (LL.B, licence en droit or licenciatura em direito) and should submit the following documentation by post (no electronic applications will be accepted):

* 1. Letter of motivation (a one-page letter stating why you would like to do the course)
* 2. CV (a two-page curriculum vitae (including your full particulars: name, address, telephone, fax and e-mail)
* 3. Transcript (detailed academic record showing subjects taken and marks obtained)
* 4. Degree certificates (certified copies of all degree certificates)
* 5. Letters of recommendation (two academic and/or professional letters of recommendation/support)
* 6. Financial application (a one-page letter detailing your financial position and indicating why you would need assistance)
* 7. English proficiency (if undergraduate studies were not in English proof of your proficiency)
* 8. Photo (a recent colour passport photograph)

ONLY THE INFORMATION REQUESTED ABOVE IS REQUIRED. THERE ARE NO APPLICATION FORMS TO BE COMPLETED

Please note:

* All documents must be typewritten
* Please ensure that all documents are submitted together
* There are no application forms to be completed

Deadline for receipt of applications for the 2010 class is 31 July 2009.

Applications should be directed to:

The Coordinator, LLM (Human Rights & Democratisation)
Centre for Human Rights
Faculty of Law
University of Pretoria
PRETORIA 0002
Republic of South Africa

For further enquiries:

Tel: +27 (12) 420 4754
Fax: +27 (12) 362 5125
Fax: +27 866 887 666
E-mail: martin.nsibirwa(at)up.ac.za

http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/introduction.html

Good Luck..!!


Thomas J. Barlue
Programs Director
African Child Peace Initiative-Liberia
National Coordinator - YoungPeopleWeCare Inc
Cell: +231-6605658 / 77969319
http://profiles.takingitglobal.org/Teeman
http://teeman.tigblog.org/
WWW.ypwc.org

Dear Colleagues,

The World Youth Congress series is a leading international youth gathering championing youth-led development efforts among governments, development agencies and young people. The Congress is a unique space for young activists to meet and engage with their peers, exchange knowledge and experiences and create an opportunity for collaboration and partnerships.

In its current 5th edition, the next World Youth Congress will happen in Istanbul from 31st July to 12th August 2010 and will welcome 1000 young people from around the world. And in the run for its preparation Peace Child International, e-genclik association and the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkiye decided to open a call for young people who would like to join forces with our team in the planning of the event.

For that, a Youth Advisory Board is being established for this edition and will comprise a diverse gender balanced group with of 15 young people from different regions. The group will work from May 2009 until July 2010 together with Peace Child and e-genclik to guide the planning of the 5th World Youth Congress 2010 in Istanbul.

The Youth Advisory Board’s primary responsibilities will include amongst others: the drafting of selection criteria for potential delegates, guiding the structure of the programme for the event, contributing to the development of themes, and identifying potential speakers and facilitators. The Youth Advisory Board will also be invited to recommend nominees for the Champions of Youth awards in the event.

Applications for places on the Advisory Board are welcome from both individuals who have attended previous WYCs, as well as individuals who have had no prior involvement in the series but feel they could add significant value to the event.
The Youth Advisory Board will be managed by Peace Child International and will function primarily through email and online communication, so it is essential that all applicants have easy and reliable access to IT facilities, and a good working knowledge of basic email/internet and word processing. All applicants must be willing to commit roughly 8-10 hours of work and input each month. It’s important to remember that participation in the Youth Advisory Board does not guarantee your participation in the Congress in any case, and you would have to apply for the congress through the normal application process.

To apply: Please submit a short CV (indicating clearly your nationality, age and current contact details) and a onepage letter of motivation detailing your interest in a position on the Youth Advisory Board, prior experiences, skills and suitability for integrating the board. Applications will be accepted in English only, since this is the official working language for the board!

All applications, and requests for further information, should be directed to the Youth Advisory Board faciliator, Joao Scarpelini, at joao@peacechild.org

The deadline for applications is Friday, May 1st 2009.

Good Luck..!,

Thomas J. Barlue Programs Director African Child Peace Initiative-Liberia National Coordinator – YoungPeopleWeCare Inc
Cell: +231-6605658 / 77969319 profiles.takingitglobal.org/Teeman teeman.tigblog.org WWW.ypwc.org

DECLARATION OF THE YOUTH OF THE MANO RIVER UNION

We, the youth of the countries of the Mano River Union,
Gathered today at the Mano River Union Youth, Freetown 2009, 10 and 11 March 2009, at the National Stadium Hostel in Freetown,
- Express our satisfaction and our full adhesion to the Multi-stakeholder Program for Productive and Decent Work for Youth of the Mano river Union Countries, set up by UNIDO, ILO, UNDP, YEN with the support of the Japanese Government and the governments of countries of Mano River Union;
And
– Conscious of the problem of youth employment in these countries of the Mano River Union;
- Recognizing that the youth hold an immense economic and cultural potential and represent the present and the future of the Union.
Are demanding:
- That the States of the Union increase their budget and resources devoted to youth and to their activities;
- That the Ministers of the States of the Union in charge of youth, to henceforth present themselves in person alongside the youth during important meetings discussing problems affecting young people in the Union;
- The reinforcement of the Mano River Union Youth Parliament and its establishment in Côte d’Ivoire;
- The ratification of the African Youth Charter by Member States of the Mano River Union;
- That the summits of the Head of States and the meetings of the Ministers of the member countries always be preceded by meetings from the youth of the Union.
• On the issues of Youth Entrepreneurship
- Increased support to existing research institutes that allocate part of their activities to the issues of youth employment in the region;
- To incorporate entrepreneurship teaching and training in curriculums and school programs of member countries, from secondary schools onwards;
-To grant youth access to training so as to facilitate the start-up of their initiatives;
-That the private sector demonstrates social responsibility through the promotion of youth employment by investing further efforts in the development of economic activities carried out by youth;
-The creation of entrepreneurship training institutes to provide youth with increased skill levels;
-The exoneration of custom taxes on donations made to youth social enterprises by their foreign partners.
On the issues of access to financing for youth projects:
- Increased access to the credit system in the Union for youth with projects;
-The establishment of funds to finance youth projects through taxes on raw materials, luxury goods, and telecommunications within the Union;
-The strengthening and expansion of exiting funds within the Union.
On the issue of networking of youth in the Union:
-To bring into general use and promote widespread access of the internet by setting up WiFi access in urban and rural communities
- Popularize and make durable village connectivity through the implementation of PLC (Power Line Communication) or BPL (Broadband over Power Line), so that youth be able to access the MRU Youth Communication Platform
- To institutionalize commercial exhibitions and other cultural and sport activities based on an annual rotating system;
-The set up of a programme for young volunteers, to encourage mobility and knowledge sharing by youth in the Mano Space;
-The harmonization of youth employment policies in member states of the MRU.

Finally, we participants would like to thank:
-The people and the government of Sierra Leone for the warm and fraternal welcome during the Forum;
- UNIDO, its partners and the Government of Japan for the taking the particular initiative of tackling the issue of unemployment through the establishment of a programme for productive and decent work for youth of the Mano River Union;
-The Secretary-General of the Mano River Union for the interest and support provided to youth initiatives in the Mano River Countries.

In Freetown, on 11 March 2009

Hey Colleaques,

Get Involved and You Might Win a New IPOD!!

This is a Youth Led Survey from UN-Habitat….below

We know that this application is long, but we want to know as much as possible about youth-led organizations so that we can make it easier for them to be successful. So, we are asking you to help us with a research program we are undertaking on youth-led organizations and fill out a survey (click on the link below which will take you to the survey).

If you complete the survey, you will automatically be entered into a draw to WIN A NEW IPOD!

Click on the link below for the survey:

tinyurl.com/youthled

Deadline to complete the survey is June 1st, 2009. Winners will be notified by phone or e-mail.

Thanks

Hi Everyone,

A page is setup on facebook for the Pre-Colloquium, International Youth Forum. You may forward this widely to your friends or networks.

I am also always excited about this project. Thanks to leaders of the International Women's Colloquium that thought prudently about young people.

Please join us at: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=7966&uid=54615261405#/group.php?gid=54615261405

For some who may not have the opportunity to attend, can we use this opportunity to share our views and idealisms about this whole Colloquium and Youth Event......What do you think? what do you feel is the best way to achieving this? how could you have best contributed if you were a Delegate?

What goal of the colloquium best interest you? and Why?

Please Read here and send your reply: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=7966&uid=54615261405#/topic.php?uid=54615261405&topic=7966

For more on the International Women's Colloquium, please see: www.womenscolloquium.org

You may also write the Youth Steering committee at: iyouthforum@yahoo.com

Welcome,

Thomas J. Barlue
Programs Director
African Child Peace Initiative-Liberia
National Coordinator - YoungPeopleWeCare Inc
Cell: +231-6605658 / 77969319
http://profiles.takingitglobal.org/Teeman
http://teeman.tigblog.org/
WWW.ypwc.org

maybe it will get published... here's hoping! :)


Sir,

I find it inaccurate to call President Obama's decision to end the Global Gag Rule, an "order... ending the prohibition on sending aid to international organisations that provide abortion." (Brief Encounter, January 31st). Obama's decision does not change the fact that US tax-payers' dollars cannot be used to provide abortions overseas. The
legislation, first enacted by Ronald Reagan, rejected by Clinton and reinstated by Bush, prohibited US family planning assistance to organizations that use non-US funds to perform abortions (even in countries where it is legal), provide counseling and referrals for abortion, and lobby to liberalize abortion laws.

None of these restrictions would be permitted within the United States, where abortion is legal. Yet US ideologues had no qualms about denying poor women the right to decide when and if to carry out a pregnancy. Each year there are 19 million unsafe abortions, most of which could be prevented if poor women had access to voluntary family
planning including contraception, sex education, and the ability to prevent unwanted pregnancies. In addition, women with fewer births are able to invest more in their children's nutrition and education-- resulting in healthier, more productive contributors to society.

Many of the organizations that lost their funding were unable to provide other life-saving services such as maternal and infant healthcare, poverty reduction, and HIV prevention. For example, the United Nations Population Fund lost its US contribution of $244 million over seven years, based on a spurious claim of collusion with the Chinese government in coerced sterilizations. This contributed to 74,000 deaths from unsafe abortion globally each year, even though Bush's own hand-picked State Department team visited China and found no evidence that UNFPA participated in such programs; and, indeed, that its programs were "a force for good." Obama's move to restore reproductive freedoms to women will surely reduce global demand for abortion and improve overall population health.



(PS- the picture of all the old white dudes is from bush's second day in office, when he signed the global gag rule back into its miserable existence.)

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow, young people from several Universities and Local Organizations will be joining others from around the world in a dialogue with our president.

You’re kindly encouraged to send your contributions and recommendations for issues that concern young women and youth empowerment in your communities.

The Women's Dialogue is a 3 part series of virtual dialogues which will feature live interviews and participation of current and former female Heads of State including Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and President Tarja Halonen interacting with a global audience of future leaders and will produce recommendations and solutions on how to break down barriers to leadership. They are being organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liberia. Each Dialogue consists of a 2 hour event supported by videoconferencing and live streaming.

The purpose of these Dialogues is to bring together young people and others concerned with issues related to female leadership in an international conversation with women leaders in different regions of the world. The outputs of these videoconferences, including recommendations will be collated and presented to the International Colloquium in March 2009.

This Dialogue # 1, tomorrow 22 January is a two-hour event supported by videoconferencing and streaming linking participating sites in Africa and Asia taking place from 13.00 – 15.00 GMT/Liberian time. At its heart will be an interview with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first female President and it will include local discussions as well as an open moderated discussion with President Johnson-Sirleaf linking participants in all sites.
At the close of the conference, there will be questions and points to be raised with President Johnson-Sirleaf.

Watch Dialogue Live on: http://www.womensdialogue.org/


Thanks

Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, is now accepting project proposals for microgrant funding of up to $5,000 for new media outreach projects. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own. Applications are due no later than Sunday, January 18, 2009. The five selected grantees will be announced in early February.

Grantees are expected to host regular workshops to train participants how to start and maintain a weblog, upload and share digital photographs, and produce basic videos. Grantees are also required to post regular project evaluations and updates to the Rising Voices website.

To Apply, copy and past the Link below in your browser
http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/apply/

Thanks