Youth Activities
Young people are an integral part of this Conference and their activities held before, during and after the Conference will be reflected here. The DPI/NGO Intergenerational and Youth Subcommittees in New York and Mexico City are pleased to present a host of events for youth and young adults. These events have been tailor-made with youth in mind and offers the opportunity for them to reach out to their peers and learn about interesting and contemporary issues in the interrelated fields of disarmament, development and peace. It is hoped that these encounters will inspire the participants to create actionable projects once they return to their hometowns and universities. The following is the initial schedule of Youth Activities, which will be regularly updated as programs and venues are finalized.
ACTIVITY: Youth Career Fair and Networking Luncheon
Youth Career Fair and Networking Luncheon will take place on 10 Sept, 2009. An opportunity for young people attending the conference to meet NGO representatives from all over the world, learn more about careers, explore ways to get involved with meaningful work and gather information concerning internships.
ACTIVITY: Toy Disarmament Project: “El Desarme Empieza en Casa” Campaign
The Toy Disarmament Project will function in collaboration with the Security Mexican Ministry, the Government of Mexico City, and The United Nations Information Centre [UNIC] The “Disarmament Starts at Home” Campaign will take place from 9-21 September and will focus on the exchange of toy arms for educational and sport games. A contest related to this campaign will be prepared for elementary and middle schools.
ACTIVITY: Student Journalism Project
The Student Journalism Project will invite students from different university newspapers to cover the event. The students will receive a press pass and gain full access to the Conference. In addition, the Student Journalism Project will coordinate a press conference to enable the student journalists to host a special briefing for students only with Conference speakers.
ACTIVITY: NGO Youth Networking, Youth Lunch, Mexico
The NGO Youth Network will invite about 300 youth Conference members and Mexican students to have lunch and attend an NGO fair. The lunch will serve as a networking platform to foster youth socialization, and will provide an opportunity for the NGOS to talk about their projects and invite students to collaborate with them.
ACTIVITY: Regional Event
The Regional Event will feature speakers from New York, Lima, and the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry and will last three hours. The intended audiences for this event are students and NGO affiliates.
ACTIVITY: University Outreach Project (National and International)
The University Outreach Project will assist ten universities throughout Mexico and five universities in other countries to organize a conference on the topic of Disarmament. A coordinator in each university will work with a group of five to seven students and will report to the Project Manager. These events will take place from 1 July to 4 September.
ACTIVITY: International Photo Contest: “Youth for Disarmament”
An international youth photo contest with the theme of Disarmament will be held. Expert judges will be used to evaluate the competitors and a diploma or special recognition will be given to the winners.
ACTIVITY: Intergenerational Project: “Memories”
The Intergenerational Project will collect written memories and stories from people involved in the process of disarmament.