3. Impact of Globalization and GNH Youth Movement

Rationale

As our world is facing with the Globalization stream that is driving towards Neo-liberalism for the unlimited modernity in development, the influences of consumerism is slowly integrating into our lifestyles in almost every aspect, especially to those young people in Southeast Asia that has been growing up under the challenging changes of two cultures. One is the world of local wisdom and its emphasis on values, spirits and collectivism, and the other world, that emphasize on materialism and individualism. Amidst the transitions of the two contrasting cultures, the social paradigm as well as lifestyles of young people has inevitably shifted and accidentally fallen into being slaves for materialism and consumerism, as they might or might be not fully aware of the issues.
So it is necessary that the youth of today empower themselves and recognize the social problems in local, national and regional level, so that they will together search for the ASEAN identity and issues of the youth of ASEAN, who are facing the challenges that comes with various forms of development. The most important key is that the youth must have roles and participation for crating the fair, just and peaceful society in local, national and regional level.

Objectives
1. To exchange and discuss about the youth movement and experiences among different countries
2. To together analyze the problems, issues, causes and come up with solutions that encourage and strengthen the young people’s participation in every level of social development.
3. To gather the proposals for the just and fair society and the ASEAN’s roles on empowering young people.
4. To promote friendship and cooperation among young people in ASEAN.

Workshop methods

1. Brainstorming among the workshop participants on the impact of globalization and the youth movement/ young people’s current situation in each country.
Method using the flash cards for brainstorming, and grouped according to issues. Open the floor for discussion for on causes and impacts of the issues. (30 minutes)

2. Exchanging experiences in regards to the role of the young people and social changes from 3 perspectives; the student movement, the volunteerism for community and society, the local wisdom for self-immunity and globalization.
Method 3 representatives from the 3 movements presents their experiences, roles, lessons learned and policy suggestions, then open the floor for discussion. (1 hour)

3. Gathering the youth proposals for the ASEAN summit (30 minutes)


Target groups

1. Students 15 participants
2. Youth for Local Wisdom 10 participants
3. Volunteers 15 participants
4. General Public 10 participants

Total number of participants 50 participants

Co-organizing organizations

1. Thai Volunteer Service Foundation (TVS)
2. Youth for Local Wisdom Network (YLWN)
3. Cambodian Volunteer for Society (CVS)
4. Student Federation of Thailand (SFT)

Logistics Arrangement Needed
LCD/Projector

Contact detail
Email to: happyseed.movement@gmail.com
Web blog: www.happyseedmovement

2.Bringing ASEAN Youths Voices to End Food Crisis

RATIONALE

Global food prices have increased by 83 percent in the 36 months leading up to February 2008, while wheat went up by 181 percent.In the last nine months alone, food prices have risen by 40 percent. The real price of rice rose to a 19-year high in March, an increase of 50 percent in two weeks alone. Observers predict the current highs could last into 2009, and prices are likely to remain substantially above 2004 levels until at least 2015.

In many developing countries, local food production has been drastically undermined by one-sided trade liberalisation and structural adjustment programmes, leaving them heavily import dependent and nearly defenceless in the face of price shocks on world markets.

ASEAN as a role of Regional institutions as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations –have facing this problem in their region and have tried to mitigate the situation through regional efforts.

Thus, Youth will be participated and involved in responsible, challenging action that meets the effective suggestion, with opportunities for sharing and raise their voices to be heard for policies and decision-maker. On the participatory activity and the opportunity for Youths’s effort toward “End Food Crisis” goal.

OBJECTIVES

1. To recognize youth as equal partners and provide youth a space to discuss Food Crisis concerns from youths’ perspective.

2. To understand the main causes, impacts and current responses to the food crisis at the country/regional level;

3. To identify the sustainable agriculture needed at the country and regional level as an alternative solutions for food security and food sovereignty;

4. To suggest complementary policies that might be necessary to end the Food Crisis.

5. To come up with common strategies for raising the ASEAN Youths’ advocacy for food sovereignty in response to the crisis;

WORKSHOP DESIGN:

The workshop will be co-anchored by ActionAid (Thailand ) , RRAFA (Rural Reconstruction Alumni and Friends Association), and Working group from ASEAN Youths’ People forum as and advocacy network. The workshop is expect to present innovative ideas for alternative solution on food crisis from youths’ perspective thought activities such as exhibition,demonstration and perfomance .The workshop also empower youths to distribute a declaration and recommendations toward the food crisis at the country and regional level.

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The workshop will fall under the category, Social and Cultural Dimensions of Regionalization and Regionalism, as it provides a forum for youths to participate on policies making . The workshop title is “ Bringing ASEAN Youths’ Voices to End the Food Crisis.”

Topics for Panelists:

1. Topic 1 – Causes and Impacts of the Food Crisis in the Region.
2. Topic 2 – Sustainable Agriculture for alternative solution.
3. Topic 3 – Proposed Policy Solutions to Address the Food Crisis from the view of young generation ( 3 speakers)
4. Panel 3 – Youth Action plan to end Food Crisis.

The workshop will be divided into the following:

Part I – Opening session: (10 min)

Welcome Remarks and Introduction of the Workshop (10 min)

Part II – Panel Presentations (1 hr and 15 minutes)

The panel presentations are basically divided into three parts, 1) understanding the food crisis problem and; 2) looking at solutions to the food crisis; and 3) Action Plan: Strategies for Advocacy with ASEAN.

Panelists will be given 10 minutes each.

Part III – Question and Answer/Discussion (30 min)

Part VI – Closing session and synthesis (5 mins.)

1.Youth Empowerment and Peace Building

"Youth are agents of peaceful social change"

1-Background Information:

Organized by: Youth For Peace (YFP)"
Tel: (855-23) 881 346, (855-11) 913 058
Website: www.yfpcambodia.org
Email:ean_socheth2006@yahoo.com

2-Rational:
Youth are agents of peaceful social change. However, youth still need as necessary of supporting for
3-Objective:
By the four following main objective of the workshop, it will help to find more on how to empower youth in peace building and also contribute with the them of the ASEAN Peoples' Forum is "Advancing People's Charter for ASEAN"

1- To bring ASEAN people, especially ASEAN youth use their opportunity to share and learned each other about peace building in their countries
2- To identify the main causes and impacts of not empowering youth in society
3- To define the alternative solution at country level and regional level for empowering youth involvement in peace building
4- To come up the common suggestion for raising ASEAN youth empowerment for peace building

4-Workshop Design:
Through 2 hours of the workshop will be organized and lead by Youth For Peace staffs is expected to encourage participants, especially to empower youth group to contribute their idea, experience and intention for alternative solution on empowering youth in peace building at the country level and regional level. This workshop is also designed with participatory approach such as presentation, group dynamic, and performance.

Step I- Opening Session: 10 minutes
Welcome Remarks and Introduction of the workshop
Step II-
1-Cause and Impact of not empowering youth in society (Group Dynamic)
2-To find the alternative ways of empowering youth (Group Dynamic)
3-Set up and Agreement on Youth Empowering Action Plan for Peace Building
Step III-Question and Answers/Discussion (30 min)
Step IV-Closing session and synthesis (5 min)

APF Youth Workshop

There will be 4 workshops in the APF on 21 Feb 2009, organized at Chulalongkorn University.

1. Youth Empowerment and peace Building

2. Bringing ASEAN Youths Voices to End Food Crisis

3. Impact of Globalization and GNH Youth movement

4. Diversity of Communities and Natural Resource Management (Land, Forest, Water) : Alternatives to Mega-Development Projects in Mekong Region from Youth Perspective

Each workshop proposal wil be posted by followings.

ASEAN Youths’ Preparatory Meeting for the ASEAN People Forum

Where: Garden of Fruition (Suan Nguen Mee Ma), Bangkok
When: 16-19 February, 2009

The three-day preparatory youths’ forum will be held from 16-19-11 February 2009 at Garden of Fruition, Bangkok to prepare young people from ASEAN countries for their participation at the ASEAN People Forum, to be held at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok from 20-22 February 2009.

The forum will be co-organized by ActionAid Thailand ,Thai Volunteer Service and RRAFA, where approximately 45 youths from ASEAN countries will participate and play an important role in the preparatory regional meeting. During a three day preparatory meeting, participating young people will have an opportunity to build their knowledge and understanding on ASEAN and its mechanisms (ASAEN Charter and three principal (political, economic and social) pillars) as a regional body that plays important role in the region. They will also have an opportunity to prepare for their participation at the ASEAN People Forum.

The objectives of Young People’s Participation at the ASEAN Youths’ Preparatory Regional Meeting are:

• To provide an opportunity for young people to share their experiences, good practices and models of successful youth led interventions in the region specifically related to key challenges faced by ASEAN people such as the food crisis, human rights and peace, energy and environmental crisis (natural resources management) and people participation

• To contribute to the formulation of measurable advocacy targets (specific targets/goals with indicators) for the governments at the regional level and ASEAN and present their recommendations at the ASEAN People Forum

• To establish preparation processes leading up to the ASEAN People Forum and to select youth representatives to meet with ASEAN leaders in a meeting in Chiang Mai

• To ensure follow-up mechanisms (in terms of sharing of outcomes/implementation of the recommendations of the Preparatory Meeting and the ASEAN People Forum) with wider groups of young people in the region, and to see follow up institutionalized in relevant organizations, youth network and projects in the region

• To promote the participation of young people, especially young women, in the governance of ASEAN and strengthen the institutionalization of meaningful participation of young people within civil society

APF Youth Network: Hear the Voices of ASEAN Youth

Supaporn Chonnapataweep
Youth representative

APF/ASEAN Youth Network


APF/ASEAN Youth Network is the network of young people from ASEAN countries, particularly from the Greater Mekong Sub-region which is coordinated by Action Aid Thailand ,Thai Volunteer Service (TVS), RRAFA and Youth for Local Wisdom Network. The involvement is about 50 of young people from local community and urban area. Although we are from different countries and have different background but we do have something in common. We believe in youth power and when we go together is making this world were the better place.

The objective of ASEAN youth network are to provide an opportunity for young people to share their experiences, good practice and model of successful youth led interventions in the region especially related to key challenges faced by ASEAN people such as the food crisis, human right and peace, energy and environmental crisis (natural resources management) and people participation

Secondly is, to contribute to the formulation of measurable advocacy targets for the governments at the regional level and ASEAN and present their recommendation to the ASEAN leaders

Thirdly is, to promote the participation of young people, especially young women , in the governance of ASEAN and strengthen meaningful participation of young people within civil society

Last 2 month, I attended to Mekong Youth Camp for Social Development. This is the activity that held for Network of young people as a platform to share experiences and common concerns particularly on the food and energy crisis including peace, globalization, GNH movement and also discuss about the ASEAN Charter and the three pillars.

During the camp, after we reviewed ASEAN charter was having some concern about the charter as ASEAN is going to promote a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to participate in. The question is ‘how to promote the participation and taken seriously from every sector…what’s about marginalized people, ethnic minority, urban poor or rural community?

ASEAN countries have a lot of diversity so the key that challenge the engagement is how to make the meaningful participation of the people in every sectors especially poor people who really face the problem. How would ASEAN do to get the voice from them?

However, we appreciate the improvement of ASEAN that you have an establishment of Senior Ministerial Meeting on youth, that’s the good initiate, but we still concern that it may not yet reach all the group of youth such as poor youth in rural area who couldn’t easily access to the information or someone who not capable to speak English so this must be very challenging to make the meaningful participation from all of us.

Youth and children are often treating as the second to adult although we are the right holder ourselves. We have been regarded as the next generation, the future but we don’t have to wait that long, we can start now so our recommendation is to create concrete mechanism to ensure the participation of youth especially the poor people and the Implementation of ASEAN which will have effect on people should ask for the agreement of people in every sectors.

Due to the financial crisis, it may causes social issue such as the unemployment crisis which would worsen the food situation in region so it would be very helpful to create concrete measures to cope the crisis and implement the social protection policy to guarantee the employment and recent living wage.

The issue in our community is not one’s responsibility, these happen from all of us and effect to everyone so we should solve the problem together and you should develop youth capability to joint activities among youth in ASEAN country, so we can share our experiences and be the co-worker to develop our region together ‘cause the sustainable growth is from the power of unity.

Mekong Youth Camp for Social Development