Apply for WSYA!

TAKE A CHANCE, SHOW WHAT YOU HAVE ACHIEVED AND BE HEARD

AND SEEN ON AN INTERNATIONAL STAGE !

To apply for the WSYA 2013 click HERE.

Important Information about WSYA Contest:

• The WSYA Contest is open to young people under 30 (born after January 1, 1983) coming from a UN Member State.
• Applicants must submit their projects within April and July 2013 in one of the following 6 categories:
  
• If you are coming from a EU Member state, your application will automatically be selected for the regional Award European Youth Award (www.eu-youthaward.org). The registration process for the EYA and WSYA is common, you only need to register your project once!
• All winners will be invited to the Winners´ Event . The date and location will be confirmed soon!

If you are are not sure what type of projects are eligible, have a look at the winning projects of the previous years for a better understanding of the outstanding e-content projects which can be submitted!

Don´t forget to click through the subcategories of this page to learn more about the award such as the contest rules, categories, timeline and much more.

Timeline 2013

April 8th > July 1st                   Call for Registration / Online Application

July > August                            Jury

October / November                 Winners´Event (Location TBC)

The Musings of a Young Kenyan Voter.

Thomas Hobbes is considered the father of English political liberalism. I had great difficulty accepting part of his narrative on the ‘natural condition of mankind’ while studying law. He presented the social-contract man’s life as being solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Because of these characteristics and man’s egoistical nature, he was a strong believer that there is a necessity to obey strong governments or else life as we know it would be a war of all on all….

I am a happy young voter who has voted in two general elections and in the referendum that so the promulgation of a new Kenyan Constitution in 2010.I am also a proud female and an even prouder kikuyu for that matter. I acknowledge the fact that prior to the last election, I was very naïve and oblivious to several issues that evidently influence Kenyan Politics as we know it...having been born, raised and educated in Nairobi, I must say that I never looked at my classmates, friends or neighbours and first saw them as a tribe. Actually come to think of it; my friendship with others has never been influenced by ethnicity or what region in Kenya they regard as home. I honestly consider that there is nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage or ethnicity and as Kenyans we must all celebrate our diversity and culture and promote it. It is the negative ethnicity that is especially fueled by politics that we must shun as a people.

I was not particularly impressed by the school of thought that refused to answer what ethnicity they came from during the last conducted censors. I think it is a shame that we have allowed ourselves to be reduced to this and that we are scared or ashamed to be identified with our uniqueness. As the Kenyan electorate, I sometimes marvel at how strangely we act and/or allow ourselves to be dictated yet we are the ones with the power that most of our power hungry political class often greed for.

With our own constitution which we have all taken ownership of, with an independent judiciary which we have faith in, and, with hopefully a more aware electorate who vote based on issues and for progressive realization of vision 2030 goals, the last election conducted on March 4 2013 made me and hopefully millions of other Kenyans rekindled their hope and faith in this great Nation. We must however take ownership of our governance regardless of whether or not our candidates won. We must hold them accountable and ensure they fulfill most, if not all, of the promises they made during the campaign periods and if they do not deliver come 2017 we have other choices to make based on facts, figures and definitely not on tribal lines or strongholds….

Do we face several challenges ahead of us? Definitely and mostly yes; but we did ourselves proud and seemed to have learned a hard and painful lesson from the post-election violence that nearly brought our beautiful nation on its knees. It is my sincere hope that we will constantly keep our leaders on their toes and that we might alter Hobbes theory an interpret it to be true if strong governments translates to an equally strong electorate….

 

 

World Bank competition on Gender-based violence

When women are not safe on the streets or in their homes, their
potential – including their economic potential – is limited. And that
in turn limits the potential of countries to grow and develop. Recent
events, including the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman in New Delhi in December, have ignited public awareness of sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence that affect women and girls in both the public and private spheres.
 
Experts from across South Asia will discuss these issues at a panel at the World Bank’s Spring Meetings in April. To inform these
discussions, the Bank is sponsoring a contest for youth, ages 18-25,
living in South Asia. We want to hear your best ideas in response to
the question "What Will It Take to End Gender-Based Violence in Your Country?"
 
Entries will be in the form of SMS (text messages). These may be up to140 characters long, including spaces. Messages may be in English or a national language of your country. Submit them by SMS to one of the numbers below, by email to nogenderviolence@worldbank.org or by postal mail to one of the addresses below. Please include your full name, age, phone number, and email address, if you have one.

Or, to submit entries via Twitter, use the hashtag #endgbv to
@worldbanksasia. We will message you through Twitter if your entry is selected as a winner.

Entries must be received by 12:00 a.m. GMT on Friday, March 15. They will be judged by a panel of World Bank experts, and winners will be announced before the Spring Meetings in April.

Prizes: Up to 10 winners will receive a compact video camcorder. In addition, the winning messages may be highlighted at the World Bank’s Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., as well as on the Bank’s website and social media channels.

Details: The contest is open to people 18-25 years old as of March 15, 2013, who live in one of the following countries: Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka.Staff and consultants of the World Bank Group and their family members are not eligible. Entries become the property of the World Bank Group and may be reused or published, with or without credit, in any format.
 
The Bank reserves the right to award fewer than 10 prizes, or no
prizes, if in its sole judgment there are not enough qualified
entries.

Phone numbers and addresses for submissions:

Afghanistan: Text to: +93 (0) 796 050 125

Bangladesh: Text to: +88 01823070253

Or mail to: Plot E 32, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargaon, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh

India: Text to: +91 9891699927

Or mail to: World Bank, GBV Contest, 70, Lodi Estate, New Delhi - 110003

Nepal: Text to: 5455

Or mail to: P.O. Box 798, Kathmandu, Nepal

Pakistan: Text to: +92 0345-8568-102

Or mail to: EXT, 20-A Shahrah-e-Jamhuriat, G-5/1, Islamabad, Pakistan

Sri Lanka: Text to: +94 777256076

Or mail to: 73/5, Galle Road, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka

View the call for entries in other languages:

Dari | Hindi | Nepali | Pashto | Sinhala | Tamil | More languages coming
soon!

Media Contacts
In Washington
Joe Qian
tel : (202) 473-5633
jqian@worldbank.org

In New Delhi
Rohit Bhatia
tel : +91-11-4147-9369
rbhatia3@worldbank.org

In Islamabad
Muneeb Ansari
tel : +92-51-9090194
mansari@worldbank.org

RESOURCES
World Bank in South Asia
World Bank South Asia on Facebook
World Bank South Asia on Twitter

BLOG POST
It's Not OK to Be Silent on Gender-Based Violence

Membership on the UNAIDS Youth Advisory Forum

Background

Recognizing the importance of youth leadership and engagement in the HIV response, UNAIDS launched a unique, open and democratic online policy process, CrowdOutAIDS in October 2011. CrowdOutAIDS enabled more than 5000 young people around the world to take part in shaping UNAIDS’ youth agenda. As a result of the robust and informative discussions from CrowdOutAIDS, in April 2012, a set of recommendations for how to increase youth leadership in the AIDS response were presented to UNAIDS’ Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidibé.
The CrowdOutAIDS recommendations consist of six strategic priorities with related key actions. The recommendations aim to contribute to achieving the targets set in the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS by increasing youth leadership, ownership, and mobilization in the AIDS response by 2015, and beyond.
The CrowdOutAIDS recommendations covered a range of issues that young people have identified as priorities. One of the recommendations called for the UNAIDS Secretariat to establish a youth advisory body.[1] In alignment with this recommendation, UNAIDS will establish a Youth Advisory Forum (“Advisory Forum”) and is currently seeking applications of interest for membership on this forum.
Mandate of the UNAIDS Youth Advisory Forum (“Advisory Forum”)
The UNAIDS Youth Advisory Forum is a mechanism for open dialogue and exchange between UNAIDS and the diverse youth constituency with the mandate to:

•  Provide strategic advice to the UNAIDS Secretariat on policies and programmes related to young people and HIV.
• Update the UNAIDS Secretariat on emerging developments within the youth and HIV movements at local, regional and international levels.
• On a yearly basis, provide a short summary analysis including key recommendations and follow up actions to strengthen the UNAIDS Secretariat ability to work with and for young people in reference to advocacy and leadership within the global AIDS response, to be presented to and discussed with senior leadership within the UNAIDS Secretariat.
• Advice the UNAIDS Secretariat on effective strategies and tools to promote meaningful youth participation and leadership in the AIDS response at country, regional and global level for maximum impact.
• Foster partnerships between the UNAIDS Secretariat and key youth constituencies and movements, with an emphasis on connecting HIV to the broader health and development agendas.
• Shape and co-lead advocacy efforts together with the UNAIDS Secretariat to mobilize and inspire youth leadership in the AIDS response at country, regional and global level.

Membership of the Advisory Forum
 The Membership of the Youth Advisory Forum includes 16 young people aged 15-29. Members will represent their respective organizations in the Forum. The membership of the Forum will be gender balanced, and members will be selected from the following regions:

• Asia Pacific
• Caribbean
• East and Southern Africa
• Eastern Europe and Central Asia
• Latin America
• Middle East and North Africa
• North America and Western Europe
• West and Central Africa

At least two seats will be reserved for young people living with HIV and two seats will be reserved for young people among key populations at higher risk. On seat will be reserved for a member of the UNAIDS women living with HIV platform to ensure linkages. Up to five UNAIDS secretariat staff will be appointed as observers to ensure capacity building, mentorship and knowledge transfer.
Requirements and Responsibilities for Membership
Members should be actively involved in youth-led or youth-serving organizations and have access to youth networks within their regions. This includes young people from networks of people living with HIV, key populations and student/youth organizations focusing on health, human rights and social justice-related issues among others. In addition to advanced knowledge of one of the primary languages of the region represented, advanced knowledge of English is essential for membership on the Advisory Forum. Members must also have consistent access to the internet in order to participate in the Advisory Forum meetings (see “Responsibilities of Members” below for more information).
Members, in their roles both as Advisory Forum participants, are expected to uphold and promote a just, rights-based and evidence-informed HIV response.
Responsibilities of Members

• Meet online at least 4 times a year via an online platform specifically designed for the Advisory Forum.
• Contribute the experience and strategic thinking and diverse perspectives from the broader youth community working on AIDS.
• Contribute to the drafting and compilation of the annual summary analysis on UNAIDS’ engagement with young people.
• Be available for email discussion from UNAIDS Secretariat staff seeking advice from a youth-focused lens.
• Participate in an in-person meeting once a year, pending funding.
• Ensure ongoing communication and consultation with the youth constituency in their region, to inform the positions brought to the youth advisory forum
• Act with discretion on issues discussed within the Advisory Forum meetings, as sensitive, internal and sometimes confidential issues may be brought to the group for discussion.

Membership on the Advisory Forum is not remunerated. However, UNAIDS will cover expenses related to in-person meetings, contingent upon available funding.
Minimum Participation Requirements for Members
Although members serve on a voluntary basis and are not remunerated, they are expected to actively participate in Advisory Forum activities. Minimum participation requirements per year are:

• Response to at least 80% of requests for written feedback
• Attendance of at least 75% of online meetings or teleconferences.

Members who do not meet minimum requirements will be contacted to try to resolve any technical issues that may impede their participation, if possible. If UNAIDS does not receive a response from the member and/or if the member fails to improve participation, then the member will be removed from the Advisory Forum.
Term of Service
Membership to the Advisory Forum will be for a two (2) year term per member.
Instructions for Application
To express your interest to become a member of this forum, please submit an application including:
a) Your CV
b) A document of no more than 1000 words including a motivational statement and answers to the following questions:

• Outline up to five bullets with key advice you would give to UNAIDS on how we can work more effectively to remove social or legal barriers young people face in the AIDS response
• What are some of the strategies that you would use to share ideas and information with youth networks in your region?
• What are some of the strategies you would use to generate input and ideas from the youth networks in your region to contribute to the work of the forum?

(c) Contact information for three references for work relevant to youth leadership, participation and/or HIV/Health/Development.
Please send your complete application to Mikaela Hildebrand (hildebrandm [at] unaids [dot] org), with a copy to Nina Sun (sunn [at] unaids [dot] org) by 15 March 2013.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Young people living with HIV and young people among key populations at higher risk of HIV infection are particularly encouraged to apply.
Selection Process
Once applications have been received, UNAIDS will run a selection process together with an ad-hoc working group of representatives of global youth networks, to choose the most suitable candidates based on the above-mentioned membership criteria.

9th Annual International Leadership Training Programme

August 9-18, 2013
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
USA

Forum Overview:

The International Leadership Training Programme, organized as a forum, is premised on a three-fold understanding of the vital role leaders play in society. The first is that every new generation of human rights leaders builds on the work of those who came before it. The second is that in today's increasingly interdependent global world, where actions or events in any part of the global system have impact on people in other regions of the world, there is a need to build a network of solidarity and to nurture a new cadre of human rights leaders who can educate others and provide enlightened leadership to meet the complex and multifaceted challenges of the new millennium. And the third is that young people are a force to be reckoned with and that the future belongs to them. In order, to ensure that they are effective leaders for a better future, today’s leaders have a duty to impart their knowledge to the younger generation of leaders and to alert it of the pitfalls of the past. This is because, although the circumstances under which the new generation of leaders operates/will operate are different, the issues that confront them are not fundamentally new to humanity and the types of strategies that would help them tackle the various issues need not be completely reinvented but innovatively adapted to new circumstances.

A principal reason why the intergenerational forum focuses on young leaders specifically is because, more than any other group in society, their training will most likely have great and ripple impact on society. Accordingly, the Forum will place premium on nurturing and developing young people for local and global leadership and building bridges and a network of solidarity, which promote the sharing of experiences and understanding of, and provide an impetus for, the empowerment of young leaders that will enable them to play a crucial and constructive role in the development of human rights in their communities and the world at large. The conference will provide tools and a platform for open debates about policies, programs, activities and processes necessary for human rights leadership.

In appreciation of the dynamics of an interdependent world, the UNESCO Chair will host an annual intergenerational forum that brings together young leaders from all regions of the world in the field of human rights once annually. The forum will be held in August of each year to coincide with the International Youth Day, taking place on August 12, commemorated at the United Nations Headquarters in the USA. This will provide opportunities for participants to participate in Youth Day activities and meet with UN leaders. To complement the annual forum, regional fora will also be held in various continents.

APPROACH AND OBJECTIVES
The Leadership Training Programme is informed by the principle of reciprocal consultation, learning and empowerment and cross pollination of ideas and ideals.

Participants at the forum will be individuals from all over the world who have been involved in some capacity in human rights work in their communities. Selected young people will engage through dialogue with experienced and older human rights practitioners to gain management skills and techniques and a greater understanding of human rights issues on a global level.

The main objectives of the Forum are to: involve young leaders in finding solutions to emerging human rights problems; nurture individuals to be effective leaders in the field of human rights; promote the sharing of experiences and understanding; provide an impetus for, and the empowerment of, youth leaders that will enable them to play a crucial and constructive role in the development of human rights in their communities; build a network of solidarity among future leaders in the field of human rights; hone the skills and expand the knowledge relevant to human rights practice; and provide tools and a platform for open debates about policies, programmes, activities and processes necessary for human rights leadership.

Participants at the forum will be individuals (minimum age for participation is 18) from all over the world who have been involved in some capacity in human rights work in their communities. Participants will receive training in areas such as grassroots organizing, building coalitions, effective communication, use of media for human rights education, and understanding of the processes and relevance of restorative justice. It is planned that discussions will be conducted under the rubric of four principal areas; namely poverty, education, health, conflict resolution and/or transformation. Specific areas of focus will include issues such as human trafficking, the plight of children, refugees and war, hunger, HIV/AIDS, religious intolerance, gender discrimination, racism and classism, peace education and environmental concerns.

Selected young people will engage through dialogue with experienced and older human rights practitioners to gain management skills and techniques and a greater understanding of human rights issues on a global level. A principal objective is to nurture individuals to be effective leaders in the field of human rights. Forum presenters/speakers/facilitators have been asked to serve in an ongoing capacity as mentors to the young participants upon their return to their home communities and countries.

OUTCOMES
To continue dialogue and exchange of ideas among the participants and to enable mentors to share their insights, a group email distribution list (listserv) and a group page on a social networking site will be established to facilitate on-going communication.

Publication: A summary of the highlights of the forum will be published together with contribution from participants who will be asked to write essays about the practical application of the forum to their areas and communities of engagement. Ten to twenty of the best and representative essays will be selected for publication annually for wider dissemination. The publication will track progress made by participants, as well as serve as a record of activities by participants.

Please note: All forum participants will be provided with resource materials (i.e. website/listserv information), certificate of participation, lodging, meals and ground transportation. As post-conference follow-up, the UNESCO Chair will also establish a website and group e-mail distribution list (listserv) to allow for the support and continuation of the work started at the forum. The website and listserv will also enable participants to remain in contact with their mentors and with one other.

Fluency in English is required. The forum will be held in English only.