Youth Visioning for Island Youth Visioning for Island LivingLiving

What is Youth Visioning?What is Youth Visioning?

A process whereby young people articulate how they want their islands to develop in the future and then take action to make their vision become reality.

Background: Involve youth in preparation for the review of SIDS Programme of Action in the run up to MIM, January 2005.

Proposed by Ministry of Education & Scientific Research in Mauritius; facilitated and supported by UNESCO through SIV, Bureau of Strategic Planning Youth Section and other partners.

Key PartnersKey Partners• Pacific Regional Office – UNESCO Apia

• Caribbean Regional Office – UNESCO Kingston

• Indian Ocean Regional Office – UNESCO Dar es Salaam

• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Pacific Office, Fiji

• United Nations Development Programme, Mauritius

• UN Headquarters Department of Public Relations

• Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States – Environment and Sustainable Development Unit

• Indian Ocean Commission

• Secretariat for the Pacific Community

• Pacific Concerns Resource Centre

• Lighthouse Foundation

• Taking IT Global

• Mauritius Government

• National Commissions and government ministries in a number of the SIDS

Overview of activities before and during Overview of activities before and during the Mauritius meetingthe Mauritius meeting

Testing the Youth Visioning Concept: Bahamian Ministry of Education and UNESCO co-sponsored a side event to the interregional preparatory meeting, Youth Focus Bahamas, a theme 'Youth Vision for Island Living’ (January 28 - 29, 2004).

Other preparatory activities in SIDS around the world, including:

• National consultations, Regional meetings, poetry and essay contests

• Art contest, organised with UN Cyber School Bus

Phase I: Preparation

Phase II: In Mauritius

Discussions focusing on sharing ideas and experiences between youth from the 3 regions and developing concrete, youth-led project proposals for implementation in their home islands

Youth commitments for follow-up workYouth commitments for follow-up work Life and Love in Islands – island lifestyles and cultures (17 projects)

Culture – 7 islandsHIV/AIDS – 4 islandsSubstance abuse – 3 islandsYouth and governance – 2 islandsTeenage pregnancy – 1 island

My Island Home – safeguarding island environments (15 projects)

Environmental education - 6 islandsWaste management – 4 islandsBeach protection – 4 islandsReforestation – 1 island

Money in my pocket – economic and employment opportunities (11 projects)

Youth employment – 5 islands

Education – 4 projects

Career guidance – 2 islands

Koïchiro Matsuura and Kofi Annan, Youth Visioning closing ceremony

Phase III:Principal action plan elements for Phase III:Principal action plan elements for project implementation 2005-2006project implementation 2005-2006

Project implementation• Youth prepare & submit project outlines• Together with National Commissions and regional and inter-regional partners

support youth initiatives• Establish an Island Youth Fund with partners to provide seed funding for

youth projects• Monitor project implementation together with partners• Hold regional follow-up meetings with partners

Networking and awareness• Establish an email discussion group for youth networking• Prepare a publication and DVD featuring the Youth Visioning event in

Mauritius• Regularly update the Island Youth website• DVD on project implementation

Follow-upFollow-up Projects HighlightsProjects Highlights

Completed

Singapore: Joy 2005!

Objective: To promote inter-generational exchange between the youth and the elderly, by celebrating Chinese New Year (7 Feb 2005) with a steamboat feast for 105 elderly inhabitants.

  

   

Implementation in Progress (1)Implementation in Progress (1)

Mauritius: Empowering disabled youth Objective: To promote and preserve the skills of disabled youth; to raise awareness in the society and to help them become self-reliant and independent.  

Fiji: Young Leaders for a sustainable FijiObjective: To raise awareness on environmental issues amongst the young leaders at local, regional and global levels including instruments on the environment (National Environment Act of Fiji, Rio Declaration and Agenda 21, Barbados Programme of Action for SIDS and Mauritius Strategy)

Implementation in progress (2)Implementation in progress (2)

Dominica: Sensitisation and clean-up campaign in Gutter villageDominica: Sensitisation and clean-up campaign in Gutter villageObjectives: To educate residents on the impact of improper waste Objectives: To educate residents on the impact of improper waste management, to get them involved in cleaning up their neighbourhood and management, to get them involved in cleaning up their neighbourhood and keeping it clean and to uplift the image of the communitykeeping it clean and to uplift the image of the community

Cape Verde: Youth and children against HIV/AIDSCape Verde: Youth and children against HIV/AIDSObjective: Objective: Raise awareness on HIV/AIDS issues and prevention through Raise awareness on HIV/AIDS issues and prevention through sports.sports.  Dominica: Parle CreoleDominica: Parle CreoleObjective:Objective: To promote Dominican heritage through the teaching and use of To promote Dominican heritage through the teaching and use of CreoleCreole  St. Vincent& the Grenadines: Regional Sandwatch FairSt. Vincent& the Grenadines: Regional Sandwatch FairObjectives:Objectives: To raise awareness about destruction of the beaches and To raise awareness about destruction of the beaches and involve members of the community, particularly the youth, in cleaning and involve members of the community, particularly the youth, in cleaning and maintaining the beaches.maintaining the beaches.

 

Proposals under evaluationProposals under evaluationAntigua & Barbuda: Youth employment & small business development

 Bahamas: Refreshing da Well (clean up an unused well, turn into a fountain)

Cuba: Creating a bulletin on environmental education activities

Madagascar: Environmental education for all

Maldives: Sanitation and safe drinking water (awareness raising for schools)

Jamaica: Training youth to teach children about eco-tourism and environmental awareness

Kiribati: The beauty of S.Tarawa (waste management)

Palau: Recycling for a better Palau 

Seychelles : Helping create more youth employment through local investment

Trinidad & Tobago: Eye on Sandwatch

Turks & Caicos: Beautiful by nature (create a club environmental awareness for school children)

Youth Visioning and the Mauritius Youth Visioning and the Mauritius Declaration and StrategyDeclaration and Strategy

The need to involve youth in working for the sustainable development of SIDS is repeatedly emphasized

Recognize that women and youth as well as the civil society are playing a key role in promoting sustainable development activities in small island developing States and encourage them in their efforts -----Mauritius Declaration, paragraph 15

Small island developing states recognize the integral role of youth in sustainable development and express the need to further ensure their participation….-----Mauritius Strategy, paragraph 14

Further action is required by small island developing States, with the necessary support of the international community to: (h) Involve youth in visioning sustainable island living -----Mauritius Strategy, paragraph 72

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger2. Achieve universal primary education3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability8. Develop a global partnership for development

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The 8 goals are connected and have a bearing on the youth, which makes 1/5th of the world population

Investing in youth will provide the longest and most effective dividend towards meeting the MDGs by building the social capital needed to foster pragmatic development. (Youth & the MDGs: Challenges & Opportunities for implementation, April 2005)

Thank you for your attention!