UNAOC Youth Programming

The long-term vision of the UNAOC Youth Programming is that at all levels of action and decision-making, youth are seen as key actors and stakeholders in efforts to foster cross-cultural understanding. We aim to achieve this vision by:

• Raising Awareness: Raise the decision-makers’ awareness regarding the importance of young people’s contribution to fostering understanding between people of various cultural and religious backgrounds.
• Strengthening Capacity: Contribute to further enhance the capacity of youth to effectively implement initiatives advancing cross-cultural understanding.
• Sharing Information: Develop mechanisms and networks to facilitate partnership building and the exchange of information regarding the impact and challenges of youth’s work and contribution to cross-cultural understanding.

 To support this vision, we implement the following initiatives:

• Youth Solidarity Fund 
• International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding
• Global Youth Movement for the Alliance of Civilizations
• On-line discussion forum
• Plural+ , a youth-produced video contest and festival about migration
• Youth Events as part of the Alliance of Civilizations Forum (more information to come)
  • During the First Alliance of Civilizations Forum held in Madrid in January 2008
  • During the Second Alliance of Civilizations Forum held in Istanbul in April 2009
  • During the Third Alliance of Civilizations Forum to be held in Rio in late May 2010
• Guidebook on innovative practices for decision-makers regarding youth participation in intercultural initiatives or policies  (more information to come)
• Guidebook on advocacy and media relations for youth organizations working on cross-cultural understanding (more information to come)
• Collaboration with UNICRI on a project in the Mediterranean aiming to establish or reinforce national youth consultative committees to foster dialogue with governments regarding cross-cultural understanding and the prevention of radicalization (more information to come)

And in doing this, we are supported by the UNAOC Youth Advisory Committee