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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the first issue of "Worlds of Experience" in 2009 - dedicated to
"Youth and Children's Rights". 2009 marks ICYE's 60th Anniversary -
ICYE is still young and daring, faithful to the vision of John Eberly, ICYE
founder, who said: "Don't ask or explain - just go ahead until you're
stopped!"
The "UN Convention of the Rights of the Child" is an integral part of the
human rights framework - rights which are essential to live as human
beings, basic standards without which people cannot survive and develop
in dignity. They are inherent to the human person, inalienable and
universal. Children are particularly vulnerable and have particular rights
that recognize their special need for protection, and which must be realized
for children to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want,
neglect and abuse. They are human beings and are the subject of their
own rights.
Volunteer's Voices feature the views of ICYE/EVS volunteers, the vast
majority of whom work with and for children in community projects aiming
at promoting, protecting and realizing youth and children's rights. The
analysis of a Polish exchangee on the legal national and international
frameworks of rights of people with disabilities against the day to day life of
disabled in Ghana, is followed by the views of a South African volunteer on
the relevance of human rights in fighting poverty in affluent Germany. The
importance of research, advocacy, and awareness-raising to fight child
abuse in South Africa, highlighted by a British volunteer in South Africa, is
complemented by the positive assessment of a US volunteer of the Finnish
rehabilitation and care system for children and families. The contrast of
how children's rights are promoted in Switzerland and Uganda, as
experienced by an Ugandan ICYE exchangee, precedes the account by a
Finnish volunteer on how a Kenyan NGO defends Child Rights. The
recognition of children's need for love and care as a universal need is the
closing, candid testimony of a young German in Mexico.
News from Int'l Organisations feature, among others, the UNEP survey on
sustainable lifestyles among youth; the new UN Resolution on
Volunteerism; and European Year 2009- Creativity and Innovation. News
from NGOs reports on the "Ubuntu" ("Humanness" in Bantu languages)
Voluntary Service Award and tools to enhance accountability and
transparency of international volunteering programmes.
ICYE Programme News opens with the celebrations of ICYE 60th
Anniversary during 2009, the latest ICYE publications to foster training of
long-term volunteer exchanges, and is followed by Youth Peace
Conference of ICYE Sweden, as well as forthcoming events of the
international ICYE project to promote youth action for civil society.
We hope you'll enjoy the reading! We would like to encourage readers to
send us their articles and pictures for the next issue of "Worlds of
Experience", which will be dedicated too "Youth volunteering in Arts &
Culture" and will be published at the end of June 2009. Please send your
contributions to icye@icye.org , before 31 May 2009.
Warmest Wishes!
ICYE International Office
This and previous issues of "Worlds of Experience" can be viewed and downloaded as a
PDF
file.
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