For Youth

International Year of Youth Aug 12th 2010-2011

Think about what you can do in your community and how you can effectively spread the message. Make it fun and relatable and use all your channels to spread the message. Think Facebook, Twitter, university newsletters, local newspapers.

• Educational radio show. Contact popular local/national radio stations to request a slot to have a discussion with distinguished individuals and youth.
• Organize a public meeting or debate to discuss young people’s contributions to global issues.
• Initiate round table discussions among adults and young people to promote intergenerational understanding.
• Organize a youth forum to exchange ideas and discuss cultural backgrounds in order to help young people accept others and popularize a culture of non-violence.
• Organize a concert to promote International Youth Day and the launch of the Year. Invite your local musicians and combine it with a panel discussion or invite a politician or policy maker to hold the key note speech.
• Create an “info point” about youth-related issues in the center of town/village, at high schools, or at university centers.
• Organize an exhibition. Get permission to use a public space for an arts exhibit, which showcases the challenges of young people today or how young people are contributing to development. Try to involve young people in the domains of culture, arts and music, to raise awareness on youth-related issues.
• Write to your Minister of Youth to inform him or her about the challenges young people face in their daily lives and to suggest solutions. A list of Ministers of Youth can be found at www.un.org/youth.

Taking It Global

This is an interactive youth website developed in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The site is a tool for Canadians between the ages of 18 – 35 to engage in dialogue about human rights issues affecting Canadians.
It was developed by the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) in collaboration with TakingITGlobal and the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights.
The website includes:

• Tips for youth about how to get involved in promoting and protecting human rights
• Information about human rights issues and legislative frameworks enforcing human rights
• Interactive features like: discussion boards, an online art gallery and calls to action

The story of human rights

The story of human rights is a short video produced by Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) that highlights how human rights began around the world.
Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, an educator born and raised in apartheid South Africa, where she witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of discrimination and the lack of basic human rights.
The purpose of YHRI is to teach youth about human rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and inspire them to become advocates for tolerance and peace. YHRI has now grown into a global movement, including hundreds of groups, clubs and chapters around the world.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank was born in June 1929 in Germany, the second daughter of Otto and Edith Frank. In 1933, Anne, her sister, and her parents moved to Holland in an effort to escape the increasing persecution and expulsion of Jews in Germany.

In July 1942, as Hitler continued his march across Europe, Anne and her family went into hiding in a secret annex above her father's office. For more than two years, the Franks and four others remained hidden, relying on the help of benefactors who kept them out of harm's reach.

In August of 1944, the secret annex was raided by police. Anne and the others—including two of their benefactors—were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Anne died nine months later at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She was 15 years old.

The diary that Anne kept during her years in hiding was discovered by one of her benefactors among a pile of books, newspapers and magazines left on the annex floor after the Gestapo's search. It was returned to Anne's father—the only one of the eight annex residents to survive.

Anne Frank's diary was first published in 1947. It has been translated into dozens of languages and remains a best seller.

Why Anne Frank's story?

Anne's struggle to make sense of what was happening to her and to her family has touched generations of readers. Her inspiring diary speaks to the challenges we still face in a world where prejudice affects people right here in Nova Scotia. As tragic as the story is, her powerful words also celebrate life, the will to survive, the beauty of nature and the unmistakable power of people who unite for the common good.

Anne's simple story challenges each of us to think about our values, our responsibilities and our choices. Would the outcome be different if Anne and her family were our neighbours today?