[WSIS CS-Plenary]Press Release: Youth to power-up major UN Summit on "Information Society"

[Nick Moraitis]

PRESS RELEASE

Youth to power-up major UN Summit on "Information Society"

Executive summary
.	Major global event - World Summit on the Information Society is
flagship UN event for 2003, to be held December 10-12 in Geneva.
.	Policy shift  - World Leaders expected to recognize youth as
"developers, contributors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers"- by far
the strongest ever language on youth in UN Declaration.
.	Real results - Major Coalition to be launched called "Youth
Creating Digital Opportunities".
.	Led by youth - All youth activities and lobbying has been
spearheaded by young people themselves from around the world.
.	Culmination of 18-month process - including national-level
activities, forums, media, and school-outreach by youth in 20+ countries
and all regions.

Geneva, 4 December 2003 -  In recent years, its been more common to
think about young people at international conferences as protestors
behind wire barricades. Yet, when it comes to organizing the UN's World
Summit on the Information Society (December 10-12), the global
institution's big-ticket event for 2003, the concerns and participation
of young people are towards the top of the agenda.

Of course, there is simply no credible alternative. Whether its youthful
leadership in new economy companies, students at the cutting edge of
research, teenagers powering Telecom profits through popular adaptation
and uptake of SMS messaging, or a youth in India establishing a
franchised telecenter model to bridge the rural digital divide, young
people are where IT is at.  And that line of argument is quite apart
from the simple fact that youth constitute the vast majority of the
population in most developing countries - there is simply no one else to
do all the work.  

- A shift in the international approach to youth -

The leadership of youth in IT has translated into enthusiastic and
effective involvement at WSIS; they have completely self-organized their
involvement with a significant slate of activities from early 2002
through to the Summit.  Youth from as many as fifty countries and
representing diverse perspectives have participated in force at the
major meetings of the WSIS process, including all the global preparatory
meetings. Through a "caucus", they have successfully lobbied governments
for a reference in the Summit's declaration that goes beyond the usual
token comment about "helping youth", to a strong paragraph that
acknowledges the centrality and possibility inherent in young people's
contribution to the development of the "Information Society". (See
actual draft text below).


- Building on grassroots activities at the national level -

Much of the Youth Caucus program is happening at a national level,
through "National Information Society Youth Campaigns" where youth
engage their peers. From Nigeria to Brazil, India to Romania, young
people have coordinated a vibrant series of workshops, prime-time
interactive radio programs, media outreach, video conferences, websites,
surveys and more. They've been meeting in community halls, going into
schools, sending out local email newsletters, training others at
internet cafes, drafting national WSIS youth declarations, talking with
decision-makers, and implementing concrete local projects. In the
Philippines, 100 youth from across the country met at the Asian
Development Bank to come up with a National Declaration. In Ghana, they
took over primetime TV for an hour. In Sierra Leone, a phone-in
radio-program focused on the role of youth using ICTs to build peace in
the post-conflict country. It all adds up to some powerful, grassroots
input and outreach.

- Major events at the Summit -

Now, with political negotiations mostly complete, the 3-day Summit is
largely an opportunity to showcase the power of new technologies for
social and sustainable development and launch new initiatives that will
realize this potential. A Youth Hub space in the ICT4D Platform will
anchor youth activities through an exhibition of projects and national
activities, meeting space, a photo gallery, and a collaborative mural
painting highlighting the involvement of young women in technology.
December 10th, the first day of the Summit, shall be Youth Day,
incorporating a package of workshops, media activities, panel
discussions, and other events - including a session with young people
using ICTs to promote peace in post-conflict areas, and a forum on
e-learning.

- Recognizing young leaders in ICTs for Development  -

It is the stories of young people who are leading initiatives in their
communities that demonstrate the real potential of the Information
Society. Over 2003, nearly one hundred stories have been collated by the
Global Knowledge Partnership. On Youth Day, we shall hear from eight of
these young people in a two-hour panel presentation, while a $10,000US
prize shall be presented on the evening of the 11th as part of a Gala
Awards Dinner.

To complement and facilitate media coverage of youth - and broader
issues and concerns at the Summit, a number of projects will see more
than 30  young people as media-makers, creating video stories, keeping
"Web Blogs", producing a daily newsletter, and running a community radio
station. 

- Real commitments and tangible results  -

UN Summits have been seen as "all talk and no action". For youth, at
least, the World Summit promises to be very different. Even before the
Summit process officially began, efforts were underway to form a major
new partnership initiative called "Youth Creating Digital Opportunities"
that would foster collaboration, close gaps and provide a framework to
realize the potential of youth action around ICTs for Development. Now
including 20 leading organizations, the YCDO Coalition is committed to
sustaining a community of youth ICT leaders, facilitating their
involvement in policy, and most importantly, supporting their projects.

- Quotes  -

Youth participation in WSIS has been facilitated by Nick Moraitis, a
21-year-old Australian, working for an international youth organization
called TakingITGlobal.  "Governments have been really receptive to
incorporating young people's input, which is critical considering our
fundamental role. In many parts of the world, young people are the early
adopters - growing up with new technologies, developing new ones, and
experiencing first hand the shifting paradigms in education, work, and
community in the Information Society", said Nick.

"Too often young people are left out of global forums. WSIS is different
- here we've carved out our own space and used it to build a global
movement of youth providing policy input, developing concrete local
projects, and supporting each other", Nick added.

The Youth Caucus has worked closely with Summit organizers.  Pierre
Gagne, Executive Director of the WSIS Executive Secretariat said, "Young
people have been behind much of the innovation in the ICT industry, and
are now acting as catalysts for the development of a truly inclusive and
empowering information society. It's great to see their active
leadership in the WSIS process. Their participation brings real
excitement and relevance to our work". 

Titilayo Akinsanmi, a 23 year old from Nigeria coordinates a youth ICT
program called 'Paradigm Intiative'. "Preparing for the Summit has been
an intense effort - but ultimately the results are beyond our wildest
hopes", said Titilayo.

- 30 -

The Youth Caucus particularly thanks the Governments of Canada and
Switzerland for their financial commitment to youth involvement in WSIS
and beyond.

For more information:

Youth Caucus Media Team
Swiss mobile: +41 (0) 79 695 2649

Full resources for the press are available at:
http://www.ycdo.net/wsis/media/ 
Including photos, press releases, FAQ, and more.

Youth paragraph in the Draft Declaration of Principles, December 1st
version:
We are committed to realising our common vision of the Information
Society for ourselves and for future generations. We recognize that
young people are the future workforce and leading creators and earliest
adopters of ICTs. They must therefore be empowered as learners,
developers, contributors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers. We must
focus especially on young people who have not yet been able to benefit
fully from the opportunities provided by ICTs. We are also committed to
ensuring that the development of ICT applications and operation of
services respects the rights of children as well as their protection and
well-being.