A series of three virtual consultations hosted by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
- Changing nations through citizens, Monday 20 August at 11am UTC/GMT
- Building partnerships for social innovation, Wednesday 22 August at 2pm UTC/GMT
- Redefining global governance, Friday 24 August at 2pm UTC/GMT
The three webinars aim to strengthen the role of young people in the development of cooperative, inclusive societies, by looking at how the good governance of cultural and religious diversity can be enhanced through: active young citizens’ participation; the development of innovative and alternative models of social partnership; and the reform of institutions of global governance.
The webinars bring together key CIVICUS Youth Assembly delegates in an intercultural dialogue with UN Alliance of Civilisations Summer School participants, relating to the three thematic tracks of the CIVICUS Youth Assembly and World Assembly, which will be held in Montreal, Canada from 3 to 7 September.
Each session is expected to last for 60 minutes, 25 minutes of which will be dedicated to an open discussion during which participants are invited to share their experiences and perspectives.1. Changing nations through citizens
The 2012 CIVICUS Youth Assembly thematic track on changing nations through citizens examines the developing legitimacy crisis for national governments in the wake of the demands for more democratic governance made by citizens’ movements as diverse as those of the Arab Spring and the Occupy movement. Amongst the defining characteristics of these movements is their heavy involvement of young people and their ability to bring together people of different identities, highlighting the pressing need to involve young people and different groups in processes to define a new social contract, and the potential in turn of such processes to build more tolerant and inclusive social settlements.
This webinar will feature presentations by:
- Andrew Firmin, Convening and Communications Manager, CIVICUS – on ‘the activism renaissance: findings from the CIVICUS 2011 State of Civil Society Report’
- Aya Chebbi, African Youth Coordinator at World Peace Initiative, and CIVICUS Youth Assembly panellist – on ‘youth are the changemakers and peacebuilders’
- Ammara J Shah, District Focal Person at Chanan Development Association and UN Alliance of Civilisations 2012 Summer School participant – on ‘youth: a strong brand’
Moderator: Ciana-Marie Pegus, Research Officer, CIVICUS
Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/258382792
2. Building partnerships for social innovation
The 2012 CIVICUS Youth Assembly thematic track on building partnerships for social innovation examines the need for new relationships and new ways of managing interactions and decision-making processes that increasingly make space for multi-stakeholder engagement. As part of this, there is a need to support and strengthen partnerships with involve young people and which bridge across divides, to identify good practice, and ascertain what new partnerships are needed to explore currently lacking needs.
This webinar will feature presentations by:
- Liam O’Doherty, Community Partnerships Coordinator of Taking IT Global and CIVICUS Youth Assembly panelist
- Gaston Wright, Co-Director of Ashoka Changemakers Argentina and CIVICUS World Assembly panelist
- Ali Haddad, Manager at Jordan Youth Innovation Forum and UN Alliance of Civilisations 2012 Summer School participant
Moderator: Natalie Akstein, Convening Officer, CIVICUS
Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/453385657
3. Redefining global governance
The 2012 CIVICUS Youth Assembly thematic track on redefining global governance examines the current shape of global governance, and aims to define what global institutions are now required and what role citizens can play in building them. As part of this, it is important to ask how young people and minority groups can be assured a voice in shaping institutional reforms, and how reformed institutions can contribute to the shaping of a more just and inclusive world.
This webinar will feature presentations by:
- Jeffery Huffines, CIVICUS UN New York Representative and NGO Major Group Organising Partner for Rio+20
- Aleksandra Nasteska, Co-Founder of WeCanada and CIVICUS Youth Assembly panelist
- Adrian Contursi-Reynoso, President of Impacto NGO and UN Alliance of Civilisations 2012 Summer School participant
Moderator: Mark Nowottny, Coordination and Planning Manager, CIVICUS
Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/691322096
About the webinars
These three webinars are being carried out as part of CIVICUS’ engagement in this year’s UN Alliance of Civilisations Summer School. The Alliance of Civilisations (www.unaoc.org) is a United Nations initiative that aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions and, in the process, to help counter the forces that fuel polarisation and extremism.
The CIVICUS Youth Assembly is a forum leading up to the CIVICUS World Assembly aimed at fostering enhanced youth participation within the World Assembly. For more information on the CIVICUS 2012 Youth Assembly programme and thematic tracks see http://www.civicusassembly.org/Youth.php.