When 1600 Changemakers Meet in Istanbul ...
By Yassir EL Ouarzadi
Action, passion and dedication: three words that describe best what the 1600 World Youth Delegates irradiated during this unique global gathering. Hundreds of young activists, artists, journalists, entrepreneurs and educators met in the 2010 European Capital of Culture, Istanbul, from July 31st until August 13th, 2010 ready to live a very unique international experience. Such global events and meetings help us work together towards common purposes and find solutions to the challenges we, as youth, face everyday. "Imece" was the main theme of the 5th World Youth Congress. As Faruk Nafiz Özak, Minister of State of the Repulic of Turkey, said, "Imece" has existed in the Turkish culture for many centuries and its key qualities such as solidarity, togetherness, and volunteerism are just as relevant in today's world.
Nowadays, we live in a period of fast moving global change. In a world where the population is growing so fast, the challenges and problems that we face have gone from being local to universal. We have just to think to such issues as climate change, security, education, health, poverty... Globalization has removed the borders between continents and countries, thus creating the necessity for us to think, plan and act under the same roof. In these special circumstances, youth population becomes more important than ever before. 12 August 2010 - 12 August 2011 has been annouced as the Year of Youth by the United Nations. I hope that, throughout this designated year of youth, young people, all over the globe, will prove that they are not only changemakers of tomorrow, but leaders of today. Law Students can certainly play a major rule in transforming this dream into reality. As future lawyers, professors, journalists and politicians, we " must be the change we want to see in the world " (Gandhi).
My experience as a Young Activist was truly amazing and unforgettable! During the 5th World Youth Congress (WYC), I had the chance to meet with talented young people from all corners of the world. With my fellow WYC delegates, I attended different workshops, regional meetings and open forums during my stay in Istanbul. Some of the workshops focused on Youth Participation and Citizenship, others taught us how to get a job at the UN or how to develop effective entrepreneurship. It was really wonderful to witness the burning desire of the WYC delegates to work in the spirit of "Imece" for youth-led development. I was glad to meet with like-minded people who started community projects or are volunteering in their neighbourhoods, cities and countries. We shared many goals such as to make poverty history in our lifetimes and to create a prosperous green economy that will bring sustainable happiness to every member of the human family. During the Exhibition, I presented my project MOMENTUM: Mission, Passion, Expression to my fellow WYC delegates. It was a great opportunity to showcase my community initiative and interact with many dynamic youth willing to participate in our next editions of the MOMENTUM Magazine (http://momentumweb.ning.com/)
Istanbul, the city where East and West meet, was a great place to organize the 5th WYC. Since Istanbul, previously known as "Constantinople", is a melting pot of different cultures, it was a perfect place for delegates to share their knowledge, experiences and cultures with each other and to build strong bridges between countries. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural, economic, and financial centre of Turkey. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which is situated on two continents. Here are some places you should not miss if you travel to Istanbul: Dolmabahçe Palace, where famous leader Ataturk had his last breath, the Grand Bazaar, a historic shopping center, the Blue Mosque (or Sultan Ahmed Mosque) and the Princes' Islands.
The 5th World Youth Congress in Turkey was not just an ordinary conferance, it was a festival, a training, a development programme, and an intercultural & interreligious dialogue at the same time. The 6th World Youth Congress, designed to promote and celebrate youth-led development, will bring together 1000 of the world's most dynamic young people from over 140 countries to Brazil in 2012. Let us all meet there!
Source:
http://pigeondissident.com/publication/liste (please download the October 2010 Edition of the Montreal Univ. Law Journal. In French: "Dernier numéro du Pigeon: Octobre 2010")
