From now on stay tune with MediArt blog

Dear friends and colleagues!

We thank you for being with us all this International Youth Year. As August 2011 is the last month of this period deducated to youngsters, we finish with this peculiar blog and go on with our Serres volunteer blog.
With our posts in our Praxis International Youth Year blog we have spread many activities and offered you useful information which could help to build an awareness of the global situation of young people and make you to believe that possible is EVERYTHING.

Let our blog Volunteering in Serres MEDI- ART as well as our live broadcasts at RODON FM every day from 15.00-16.00 serve as a report of what we have done or what we would like to do in future. Hope our experiance and contribution will find fertile territory!

Stay young despite your age. As Mark Twain said: "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter".

Letter-writing competition: London 2012 Olympics

The Olympic Movement seeks to create a better world through sports, by promoting the universal values of excellence, friendship and respect. With these values in mind, young letter-writers are invited to express their thoughts on what the Olympic Games, which are being organized in 2012, mean to them.

Write on theme: "Write a letter to an athlete or sports figure you admire to explain what the Olympic Games mean to you".

The best letter from each country must be submitted no later than 30 April 2012, and all member countries are urged to respect this deadline. Only one entry per member country can be accepted. All submissions become the property of the UPU.

Good luck and - break a leg!

Don't forget to check Universal Postal Union

Youth in Action: A Snapshot of Democracy

World Youth Movement for Democracy announces its first Annual Photography Contest

Submit your photo capturing democracy, and win an opportunity to attend one of the largest global gatherings of democracy activists, scholars, policy makers, and donors. The World Youth Movement for Democracy is pleased to announce the launch of its Global Photo Contest. Fifteen semi-finalists (Five in each category: Building a Movement, Democracy in Action, and Youth Igniting Change) will be announced on 1 December 2011, and will have their winning photo published on the WYMD Web site. One finalist will be selected from each category through online open voting for a total of three finalists. The final results of the contest will be announced on 15 December 2011.

Timeline:

August 2011 – Launch of the Essay Contest
November 1, 2011 – DEADLINE!
December 1, 2011 – Announcement of 15 semi-finalists (five from each of three categories), and open online voting to select three finalists (one from each category).
December 15, 2011 – Three finalists announced

The purpose of this contest is to demonstrate understanding of the workings of democracy in your daily life by capturing images of democracy in action, youth igniting change, or the building of movements to create change for your community.

Visit World Youth Movement for Democracy

Good luck and brake your leg :)

1.4 billion reasons. Stop poverty.

1.4 billion people on our planet live in extreme poverty. The Global Poverty Project's mission is to increase the number and effectiveness of people taking action to see an end to extreme poverty.

About the project.

The Global Poverty Project's vision is a world without extreme poverty within a generation. Within the project there have been developed 1.4 Billion Reasons - a simple yet ground-breaking presentation, that is travelling the world, inspiring and empowering audiences in its path.

... so? ...and?

It is recognised that development is a complex field. The focus is on communicating issues and enabling action in the general public. To that end, the policy change objectives are:

• Aid Quantity;
  
• Aid Quality;
  
• Global Trade;
  
• Equitable Trade;
  
• Millennium Development Goals.

How can I be involved?

The Global Poverty Project is not after your money. Instead, it uses the presentation to explain how your everyday actions - in what you learn, say, buy, give and do - can be connected to the ending of extreme poverty. 1.4 Billion Reasons links audience members with leading aid and development organisations, so that each and every one of us can take action to end extreme poverty.

For more info check The Global Poverty Project

This is that case when PROACTIVITY is highly appriciated

What:

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group are launching the BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation in support of the Alliance of Civilizations, under the auspices of the United Nations (UNAOC-BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation). The UNAOC and the BMW Group will select the most innovative projects that promote intercultural dialogue and cooperation around the world.

Why:
The partnership between the UNAOC and the BMW Group exemplifies public-private sector cooperation in building pluralistic and integrated societies as a key factor in preventing conflicts and contributing to prosperity, security and peace.

How:
Winners of the selection process will be announced at the Award Ceremony in Doha, December 2011, following which the UNAOC and the BMW Group will contribute resources to support development of the projects. Total amount of price pool will be USD 50,000. In addition, selected projects will become members of the World Intercultural Facility for Innovation (WIFI), a program of the UNAOC in collaboration with the BMW Group.

Who:

Preference will be given to small-scale projects with the potential to create a broader impact (implemented by organizations with 20 or less employees). Organizations must have been operational for a minimum of 2 years. Projects submitted within this call should have been launched already for 12 months minimum.

How:

Projects implemented by Civil Society Organizations (CSO). Projects must have an intercultural approach to diversity. Field of action must fall within one of the following thematic clusters:

- migration and integration;

- intercultural awareness;

- education for intercultural citizenship;

- the role of specific groups (faith-based; women; youth; media) in promoting intercultural understanding.

Projects must implement new approaches and methods to intercultural understanding.

When:

Hurry up, because time is running out! For more information check UNAOC-BMW Group Award for intercultural Innovation Application guidelines 2011.

It is YOU for Sustainable Development

Make your voice heard at the upcoming historical UN summit on sustainable development (also known as 'Rio+20')

World leaders on Sustainable Development:

On June 4-6, 2012, world leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking Earth Summit of 1992. We hope they will agree on radical plans to move the world from the unsustainable production and consumption patterns that are killing our planet and the people living in it to a new, clean green economy – essential for any of our generation who are planning to live beyond 2050.

Your contribution VS all-expenses-paid trip:

In order to make difference, youth of the world are welcome to contribute new ideas for the youth submission into the Rio+20 process and comment/vote on existing ones. The author of the idea with the most votes will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Rio De Janeiro or New York to present the youth statement to the leaders of the Rio+20 process.

Join thousands of youth around the world on the Road to Rio+20, the global youth mobilization towards the UN summit: http://roadtorioplus20.org/

Be envolved in European Youth Congress 2011 in Slovenia

Let's build the renewable fuelled Green Economy now!

What?

The Heads of State Summit at Rio de Janeiro next year is possibly the most significant summit so far this century.
For in the midst of massive financial meltdown, rocketing youth unemployment (can you believe? - at 45% in Spain!) - and the ongoing threat of catastrophic climate change, Rio+20 offers governments a one-time opportunity to do the one thing that we, the younger generation, are going to be forced to do if this generation of leaders will not: namely - call time on the old, polluting, fossil fuel driven Brown Economy and legislate to create the clean, renewable-fuelled Green Economy.

Why?

Because fossil fuels are running out - fast! Peak Oil was passed in 2006 - Peak Coal, Peak Gas - pretty much Peak Everything will happen by 2050: we cannot going on using capital resources as though they are infinite! Will governments do anything about it? Probably not! At the UN in New York - talks broke down with no agreement and governments miles apart. The point is: it's not those old leaders who are going to suffer. It's us! - the youth of today.

Where?

All you have to do is to pay your trip to Izola, Slovenia (nearest airports, Trieste, Italy and Ljubljana; Railway station, Koper) - and your return trip from Izola, or London. All other costs for food and accommodation are covered by the EU sponsor. You can apply for both the Izola and Advocacy Trainings, or just Izola. Both will be amazing.

Check out www.roadtorioplus20.org for more information.