ignite change now! global youth assembly 2009 report

7/28/2019 Ignite Change Now! Global Youth Assembly 2009 Report

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July 30 August 02, 2009

Edmonton, Alberta

www.youthassembly.cawww.youthassembly.cawww.youthassembly.cawww.youthassembly.ca

John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

09 Global Youth Assembly:

Building Community


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Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3

John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights 5

GYA2009 Event Overview and Highlights

Day One: Our Global Community 6

Day Two: Our Local Communities 8

Day Three: How YOUth can Build Community 11

Other Highlights

Ignite Change Now! Youth Leader Day 16

Day Four Program Highlights 17

Youth Educator Forum 18

More Visuals of the Assembly 19

Delegates 20

Media Coverage 23

Feedback 26

Lessons Learned 27

Outcomes 28

Appendix A: More feedback from GYA delegates and partners 29

Thank you! 33


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Executive Summary

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC), building upon a hugely

successful inaugural youth assembly held in Edmonton in 2007, presented the second

biennial Ignite Change Now! Global Youth Assembly 2009 (GYA 2009) from July 30th to

August 2nd, 2009. The event took place at the Northern Alberta Institute for Technology

(NAIT) in Edmonton, Canada. Around 650 delegates from 23 countries around the world

and from diverse socio-economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds gathered to

explore the theme YOUth building community through art, music, skill development

workshops, inspirational keynote speakers, a Youth Educators Forum, and a host of

evening activities including a Hip Hop Event and Dialogue with Her Excellency the Right

Honorable Michalle Jean, Governor General of Canada.

Delegates came from Edmontons inner city, Rwanda, Ukraine, Bolivia, Nunavut, rural

Alberta, and many other places and walks of life to share in the GYA experience. While

most delegates were from Alberta, there was representation from every province and

territory of Canada. International delegates from every continent; some presentedworkshops on the work that they do in their own countries. The suggested age range for

the GYA was 16-28, but there were participants from every generation present starting

from age 13, which added to the diversity and richness of the event.

The program was divided into four dynamic days and evenings that looked at the global,

local, and individual levels of building community. Keynotes at the GYA 2009 included

Michalle Jean - Governor General of Canada, Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, Craig Kielburger,

Georgina Lightning, Gary Martin, Buddha, Don Iveson, Ilona Dougherty, Nazanin Afshim

Jam, Lewis Cardinal, 4REAL (Josh Thome) and special guests Liz Evans and Alyssa Macy,

Dev Aujla, Ocean Robbins, and Mariatu Kamara. Workshops delved into issues from

youth restorative justice and greening organizations to human trafficking and climate

change. There were 15-20 concurrent workshops per day that had been selected from

over 100 workshop proposals submitted by individuals and organizations from around

the world. Many were interactive and used art and other media to explore these issues.

The GYA core values are DIVERSITY, CREATIVITY, and ACTION. The GYA 2009 gave youth

a safe and fun space to express themselves openly and creatively. There were guiding

questions on the conference theme to help generate

thought and dialogue for each day. Delegates responded to

the guiding questions or expressed whatever they wanted

to express on the Idea Walls located throughout NAIT

hallways; through the Reel Youth Speakers Corner; during

workshops through dance, singing, movie-making, and

other means; during the plenary sessions through

questions; and during the hugely popular open micsessions.

The GYA was a unique and life-changing experience for

many. Rarely do Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth, youth

with and without disabilities,Canadian and Internationalyouth, rural and urban youth, high risk and low risk youth,

and science and arts students have the chance to be in the

same room, let alone unite to explore ways to make positive

change.

Governor General Michalle Jean dances with

Buddha and Frost at GG Hip Hop Dialogue and

Concert on July 31st, 2009. The event was also

open to the public. There were 700 people in

attendance.

At the GYA, youth from

across the world andacross Canada come

together with one goal:

to learn from each

other about ways in

which they can better

change the world and

IGNITE change NOW.

Many times you are

told that you are

leaders of tomorrow

you can be leaders of

today.

Change takes time but

we also have to be

impatient. Its time to

be impatient its time

to be impatient to

bring about the change

that we need today.

Dr. W. Andy Knight

Chair


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The GYA went beyond informative sessions to offer

interactive workshops, skills development sessions, a hip

hop summit, and action planning so that delegates left the

GYA knowing that they possess the power, knowledge,

talent, and skills to make positive change.

Providing long-term support for projects and individual

action plans born from the GYA was built into the program

as an equally important aspect of strengthening youth

capacity following the conference.A conference follow-up site has also been developed to

continue the dialogue and momentum started at the GYA 2009. Visit http://

www.gyaaction.orgto find out what kind of commitments and projects GYA delegates are

taking back to their communities. At the GYA, it was recognized by all participants that the

event is more than a conference; it is a youth movement. The John Humphrey Centre has

created the Ignite Change Now! Program, which has the GYA at its core along with variouspre and post-GYA projects and activities. The larger program allows the Centre to present

the GYA every two years with its partners and ensure that the youth movement started in

2007 thrives.

The GYA 2009 and related Ignite Change Now! Program projects and activities would not

have been possible without the John Humphrey Centres partners. Major Partners in 2009

included the Government of Canada, the City of Edmonton, the Office of the Governor

General, the Canadian Commission to UNESCO, Rights and Democracy, 4REAL, and

Apathy is Boring. The City of Edmonton was the Founding Partner of Day Two (July 31st,

2009) of the GYA 2009. As such, the City branded the entire day and was involved in the

program in many ways. Mayor Mandel kicked off the day with a bang and also warmly

welcomed the Governor General at a VIP reception in the afternoon, the Next Gen Initiative

and Councillor Don Iveson were part of a panel on youth apathy and politics, and the

Governor General gave her speech in front of a podium with City of Edmonton signage. It is

no surprise that the City of Edmonton was cited in our post-event survey as the most

recognizable of the GYA 2009 sponsors.

The idea walls were very successfuland colourful!

MCs of open mic and a delegate.

For my visits to

neighbourhoods like

Vancouvers downtown

east side, Montreals

Little Burgundy, as well

as Winnipeg have

shown me that all across

the country, particularly

in spaces of vulnerability

and marginalization,

Canadian youth are

finding hope in urban

art it is giving them a

new voice.

It is giving them an

instrument to raise

awareness about serious

social ills. It is giving

them an opportunity to re

-imagine and re-invent

their lives, a chance to

reclaim the joys and

passion of learning and

pursuing an education, a

chance to work with

peers for a better world,

a space to redefine and

strengthen our

citizenship.

Governor General

Michalle Jean

Opening Ceremonies kick off big.


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John Humphrey Centre for Peace

and Human Rights

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights was established as a non-profit

organization in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in June 2000, evolving from the Human

Rights Education Foundation, founded in 1998. The Centre was established under the

guidance and inspiration of patrons John Hume, M.P., M.E.P., Nobel Laureate; Dr.

Margaret Kunstler-Humphrey, M.D., F.R.C.P.; The Right Honourable Antonio Lamer, P.C.,

Former Chief Justice of Canada; and the Most Reverend Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop

Emeritus and Nobel Laureate.

Named after the late John Peters Humphrey, the principal drafter of the United Nations

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Centres mission is to advance the universal

implementation of human rights. We believe that a strong commitment to human rights

will enable us to address many of the ills in our society.

Vision and MissionVision and MissionVision and MissionVision and Mission

The Centre envisions a world that manifests a culture of peace and human rights in

which the dignity of each person is respected, valued and celebrated. Through

educational programs and activities, community collaboration and relationship building

guided by the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we aim

to advance a culture of peace and human rights.

Board of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of Directors

Gerald L. Gall, O.C., President

Gurcharan Singh Bhatia, C.M., Past President

Joan Cowling, Vice President

Christine G. Rapp., TreasurerLewis Cardinal

Jennifer Fisk

David King

Dr. W. Andy Knight, Chair Global Youth Assembly

Randy Palivoda

Dr. Raffath Sayeed

Francis Trehearne

Organization StaffOrganization StaffOrganization StaffOrganization Staff

Renee Vaugeois, Executive Director

Lisa Baroldi, Ignite Change Now Project Coordinator

Mandy Siu, Marketing and Communications CoordinatorCarrie Malloy, Educational Programs Coordinator

Chelsea Rutkowski, Intercultural Programs Coordinator

Summer Project Staff: Savanna Regnier, Maigan van der Giessen, Rabia Sheikh, Ashton

Jorden Frayn

Also thanks to the support of OOMPH Events in making the event a success!

Human Rights is all

about humanrelationships. The

capacity of each one of

us to have the inner

wisdom and strength to

look at one another in

non-judgment and

learn from each other;

to see ourselves in one

another and at the very

core, this is what the

GYA inspires.

Renee Vaugeois

Executive Director

Andy Knight welcomes youth delegates


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GYA 2009 Event Overview and

Highlights

ProgramProgramProgramProgram

The GYA 2009 program was divided into four dynamic days and evenings. The day before

the GYA, on July 29th, 100 youth from across Canada gathered for a day of intensive

training on how to develop and their own projects and be GYA ambassadors. Day One of

the GYA, Building a Better World One Brick at a Time, looked at the global level of

building community. Day Two, which was the day sponsored by the City of Edmonton,

emphasized 100-mile Action: Making Change at the local level. Day Three, How can

YOUth Can Build Community, brought the discussion down to the individual level and

personal responsibility to transform ones passions into action. The message was that

youth can build community in their own way, and that every action, big or small, matters.

On Day Four, youth educators gathered at Grant MacEwan to talk about how to take what

they learned at the GYA and put it into practice in the classroom or another educational

setting, while youth had a free day to go to Heritage Days and participate in an optionalInterfaith Tour of Edmonton. Focus during the entire event was on exploring these levels

through the GYA core values Diversity, Creativity, and Action.

Day One: Our Global CommunityDay One: Our Global CommunityDay One: Our Global CommunityDay One: Our Global Community

The Opening Ceremonies for the GYA 2009

was an inspiring display of diversity. The room

went dark at 9am sharp and a powerful 15-

minute film made especially for the GYA with

powerful music that featured youth from

Lethbridge telling a story about the journey

from apathy to action. Modern dancersemerged from the crowd and made their way

to the stage to the surprise and delight of the

audience. Following this celebratory display, a

Chinese Canadian youth played the bagpipes,

a young Dene man sang OCanada, Cree Elders gave the First Nations Welcome flanked by

two RCMP, and an Inuit youth delegate did a traditional loon dance.

Dr. Lloyd Axworthy kicked off the GYA by sharing his experience on the world stage as

Canadas Foreign Minister. He touched on important themes such as global governance,

the United Nations, and our responsibility to

protect one another. Dr. Axworthy discussed

how he is taking the lessons he learned at the

global level and is applying them to his work

at the local level to make the University of

Winnipeg, as well as the broader City, more

accessible to the inner city, Aboriginals, and

New Canadians. He emphasized how youth

have various media and technology that they

can utilize to create change and voice their

opinions about issues.

Elders Jerry and Gisele Wood.

Dr. Aworthy answering questions.

There is going to be a

story written about you

and that story will be

that you are young.

What you really have

to do is not fight that,

just accept it and move

on. Work really hard

to establish what that

second adjective is.

Don Iveson


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Page 7

The workshops on Day One were focused on global

issues and approaches. Many were interactive,

others were informative. Sample workshops

included Engineers Without Borders Root Causes

of Poverty, Human Trafficking Awareness and

Action, Reel Youths Stop Motion Animation: What

do you want to see changed in the world?. View

the claymation videos that youth did at http://

reelyouth.ca/gya.html/. A group of Bolivian youth

presented Age is Just a Number: The Connection

between Youth and Seniors around the World.

Excerpts from Lloyd AxworthyExcerpts from Lloyd AxworthyExcerpts from Lloyd AxworthyExcerpts from Lloyd Axworthy

We are dealing with a time when problems transcend borders. The

world is now shifting into a much broader shared sense of responsibility and that is going to be, I think, for you the

toughest issue that you are going to dig deep into your consciousness about is, how far do you care? Its easy to

say I care about my family, friends, peers, school maybe, maybe municipality, province, Canada how much do

you care about those young people on the streets of Tehran that were being murdered by death squads?

How many of you can honestly say that two months ago that you were so terribly moved and cared so deeply

about the pain of a small increasingly shrinking group of civilians in Sri Lanka as they were being murdered by

their governments day after day that you wanted to do something about it? Or is it just that Hey, thats the world

or Whats going on there in Asia? Can we just get back to American Idol or something? Can you honestly say this

is something you would have cared about the same way as if you would have seen your neighbors small girl dropinto a pond and you would have immediately, through your consciousness, jumped in to try and rescue her?

Part of the issue is that if we dont have that sense of regarding the pain of others, we cant make the world work.

That is the dilemma. We have a responsibility to respond. Its your decision.

There are 300,000 child soldiers fighting today; drugged, used, abused and while it may seem distant and unreal

and irrelevant, its about you. You could equally be in their place.

Government doesnt have sovereignty by entitlement. It has to earn it by protecting its people. If it doesnt protect

its people, its not a sovereign state.

Workshop using art and group work.

Be shamelessly

idealistic.

It is time to think

differently about how

we save the worldthe

daily choices we make,

how to break the

traditional mold.

Craig Kielburger


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Craig Kielburger, founder of

Free the Children and Me to

We, packed the gym at the end

of the day and really blew

delegates away. Craig

energetically talked about how

youth can be leaders of today,

not just tomorrow. He shared

practical strategies for

successful social involvement,

including his famous Seven

Steps to Social Involvement.

He stayed on for a book signing

and received Hollywood-star

treatment from everyone in the

crowd. Delegates returned to

NAIT in the evening to view and discuss one of two films Darfur Nowor Older than

America. Georgina Lightning, the Director of Older than America, was on hand to discuss the

film while Mading Ngor, a young refugee from Sudan, facilitated dialogue on genocide in

Darfur as a young journalist in Canada.

Day One featured the Canadian Commission for UNESCO as one of our key partners in

making the day a success.

Day Two: Our Local CommunitiesDay Two: Our Local CommunitiesDay Two: Our Local CommunitiesDay Two: Our Local Communities

Mayor Stephen Mandels grand entrance in the morning of Day Two was fun. He swungaround one of the City of Edmonton stress balls, which had been placed on every chair prior

to the plenary session. Mayor Mandel welcomed delegates to Edmonton, spoke about the

importance of youth, and introduced the first keynote speaker of the day Gary Martin.

Mandel hit it home by stressing that municipalities are the place where change begins.

Gary Martins talk called Take it Back, revealed how communities and youth can take their

neighborhoods and lives back from gangs. Martins experiences of growing up in Chicago

surrounded with gangs and experiencing

violence framed his efforts to, instead of

seeking revenge, aim at neighbourhood

change through the use of karate.

Martins talk flowed nicely into Buddhas

presentation about how he uses his social

work background to use hip hop and

breakdancing in Canadas Arctic to help

kids express themselves in a non-violent

manner as well as to try to break through

the void that exists between elders and

youth in the communities. Both speakers

emphasized the need to engage all

Craig answers a question from a young African woman.

Mayor Mandel swings a stress ball.

There is truth to the

statement that a

handful of people can

sound like an army.

Lewis Cardinal

Harmony is what we

create with actions

that benefit others as

much as ourselves.

Dont forget that

silence is consent and

suffering is optional.

Gary Martin


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ages, races, and disciplines to truly build community. Both were quite entertaining and

used their musical backgrounds in their presentations.

The afternoon was filled with workshops; a lively open mic that had everyone dancing and

singing together; and an Action is Hot, Apathy is Not Panel introduced by Edmontons Next

Gen Initiative. This panel discussion included Don Iveson, Edmontons youngest Councillor;

Lewis Cardinal a local Aboriginal leader; and, Nazanin Afshim-Jam, former Miss Canada

and current human rights activist and artist. Discussions centred on the value of engaging

in democracy and political processes and what youth need to consider in engagement as

well as what the implications are for unengaged populations. Hosted by Ilona Dougherty of

Apathy is Boring, the panel was a great addition that sparked a lot of youth dialogue and

discussion.

Gary Martin and Buddha, the vet

presenters, use music and humour

to engage youth in all the work that

they do.

Apathy is not only boring; its potentially quite

expensive for you and potentially deadly. If not

for you, then for people that dont have the re-

sources to look out for themselves in a changing

world or aspects of the biodiversity of our planet

that are in peril right now. Don IvesonDon IvesonDon IvesonDon Iveson

It is a fool who seeks to be a

leader, but it is a wise person

who seeks to make change

coming from a good place.

Lewis CardinalLewis CardinalLewis CardinalLewis Cardinal

Democracy is an idea

where everyone canexpress themselves but

yet at the same time

they can not go further

than the borders and

limits of freedom

which can impose on

someone else. I hate

when under the mask

of democracy, people

come and kill

innocents and come

and take whatever they

want when they

promote this idea but

do not follow the ideas

of democracy

Youth Delegate

If you work with any people of

any culture, if your starting point

is humbling your butt, like humble

yourself, truly humble yourself

before anothers culture and you

will be welcomed in and thats the

starting point we can all start to

work together.

Stephen Leafloor (Buddha)


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The Open Mic was a huge success at the Assembly. The gym was packed and over 25

youth signed up with performances ranging from singing, dancing, spoken word, guitar andflute playing, bangra/bollywood dance, short presentations on youth led initiatives and

projects, and videos. The number of participants demanded that the session be extended

and another one held on Day Three over the lunch hour. We had another 10 youth on this

day showcase their talents, ranging from a traditional Inuit loon dance, a healing song for

those who went through the residential schools, more hip hop and spoken word, and

testimonies about the amazing impact of the Global

Youth Assembly.

The day closed off with the Hip Hop Dialogue and

Concert featuring the Governor General of Canada, local

bands, and Nomadic Massive (a group of nine from

Montreal who performed socially conscious multilingualhip hop music). The evening was open to the public and

attracted around 800 people. The event followed a VIP

reception at which Mayor Mandel warmly addressed the

Governor General.

The Youth Dialogue with the Governor General was an

opportunity for youth to hear from the Governor General

herself about the positive impact of hip hop and other

forms of artistic expression on young people and

communities. She spoke of many of her own

experiences hearing from youth who felt that having this type of outlet had saved their

lives. The Youth Dialogue included many youth workers from around the country whoempower young people through different forms of expression, such as break dancing,

spoken word and rapping. They shared stories about how they are making a difference in

the lives of young people and offered a message of hope for the youth in the audience who

are struggling.

The Office of the Governor General organized a group picture with

the Governor General at the dialogue.

Every time you tell

your story of pain, you

take back the control

from those who

created the pain for

you.

Stephen Leafloor

(Buddha)


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Day Three: How YOUth Build CommunityDay Three: How YOUth Build CommunityDay Three: How YOUth Build CommunityDay Three: How YOUth Build Community

Day Three had everyone asking How can YOUth build community?. Beatboards Mike

Sheehan kicked off the day by giving youth an opportunity to freestyle with each other;

sharing ideas and lending support through

spoken word and free flow rhymes. The

atmosphere was electric and the youth drew

others in from the down the hall with the

music and their fantastic lyrics. Mike

encouraged youth to get outside of their

normal paradigm, or way of thinking, to

explore new ways of approaching issues and

people.

Following the kick off, Josh Thome of 4REAL,

a hit TV series, explained how the show

brings big name celebrities such as KNAAN,

MIA, Cameron Diaz, Casey Affleck and others

and together with young leaders who are

affecting change in their communities, presented to the audience. He emphasized that the

show is really about the youth, not the celebrities, saying how important it is to go into

these communities with humility and respect. Josh featured two powerful women at the

Global Youth Assembly on stage with him: Liz Evans of Vancouvers Portland Hotel

Society, and Alyssa Macy of Oklahomas NVision. These two women brought a unique

perspective and tangible approaches and experiences of working in marginalized

communities.

Mike Sheehan pushing delegates out of

their box.

This is 4REAL:

Real People, Real

Places, Real

Change:

Josh Thome,

Alyssa Macy and

Liz Evans

Excerpts from Josh ThomeExcerpts from Josh ThomeExcerpts from Josh ThomeExcerpts from Josh Thome

The world is too crowded, too dangerous and too connected

the change that needs to happen in our lifetime is massive.

The change we will see in our l ifetime will be exponential. We

need to be a creative force in guiding that change otherwise it

will barrel roll us. We have one opportunity, this generation

has one shot to make that work because the environmental

limits to what we are doing, the strains we have put on the

planet, the momentum of our history right now has to funda-

mentally and radically shift if we are going to have a bright

future. Its an exciting time and a scary time in some ways, but

its OUR TIME.

We think of the biosphere in terms of interconnection and

diversity of all the biology of the world. We understand how

that system works and that diversity is the strength of the

biosphere; its its resilience. The exact same is true of the

ethnosphere; its the collective human experience. Its our

understanding, our perspective and our scope about how to

live on this planet. Different environments create different

perspectives and understandings. That diversity is crucial to

our survival and our resiliency as a species.

Native youth are faced

with a whole number ofobstacles against us its

like swimming up river.

As a student in high

school, one of the things

that I was always

disturbed by was Id look

in history books and they

would talk about us as

Indians and as something

of the past. As somethingfrozen in time. As peoples

that didnt exist anymore.

Were not a picture in a

book, were not history,

were not something of the

past. We are very much

alive.

Alyssa Dawamana Macy


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The presentation of the camera to the

girls was an incredible example of youth

action.

Excerpts from Liz EvansExcerpts from Liz EvansExcerpts from Liz EvansExcerpts from Liz Evans

What I began to see [working in emergency in Vancouver] was a strong pattern. People coming into the emergency

with infections, hearing voices, having pneumonia, cuts, broken bones, loneliness, depression. Then going back to

the street; then back to emergency; then back to the street; then emergency. Then going to a crummy 100 squarefoot hotel room with maybe a shower and a shared toilet by 12, sometimes 20 people. And occasionally, going to a

shelter in between and oftentimes going to jail for a stolen toothbrush, a fight or drugs. As a nurse this cycle seemed

recognizable and predictable. In the hospital all I could ever do was focus on treating a disease but it was a disease

of the mind or of the body; it was never the social circumstances in which the diseases were taking place.

One of the first people I met was a woman named Tilly. Tilly was Aboriginal, in her 30s. She was an alcoholic and

primarily addicted to heroine. She worked in the sex trade. She was raised in foster care. When she was just little

she had been locked in her room by her foster family. Shed been force fed. She tried to kill herself when she was

just 15 by slitting her own throat with a kitchen knife. When I met her she was addicted to heroine, pills, alcohol

everything, but what I saw was a gentle and beautiful woman. She was very kind. She would equally fly into rages

when she was drunk usually through tears of self hate. One night, when she was out on a date, she was raped bru-

tally. When she came home, she crawled into my lap where I held her like a little child. She was sobbing intensely.

What she kept saying to me over and over was it was my fault I was raped. Im a bad person. I deserved it. I lookedat the pills, the heroine and alcohol that was on the table beside her and I longed to give her something that would

take away the intense pain she was experiencing. I felt completely powerless. There was nothing I could do to tell

Tilly because she would never believe she was worth being in a relationship free from abuse.

We live on a tiny planet where for generations people have been hurting each other and themselves. This legacy of

hurt is kind of an inheritance I think its our collective responsibility to shed light on the fact that it is in fact all of

our story. Likewise, when we see the Tillys of the world, I think we need to know that in fact they are no different

than us. If we just take off our glasses, well see ourselves.

I found East Vancouver to be full of passion and full of life but also 16000 people with a disproportionate degree of

challenges. Having no access to things like basic nursing care, no medical care, no psychiatric care, primarily be-

cause people were viewed as undeserving or junkies. They were the wolves, not the lambs. We as a society only

know how to blame for our inability to see them as people who deserve our love and care.

All my grandiose plans of coming into a community and doing things for people were completely crap, faulty and

instead I had to realize that all I could do was walk beside people.

The organization I work for (Portland Hotel Society), I would argue doesnt change anything. We fight to open space,

physical space and emotional space. Space in which people can exist with dignity and respect because this is where

healing can begin. I dont believe healing can occur for any of us in a society with an atmosphere of hatred.

The energy in the diverse

workshops on Day 2.


13/34Page 13

Two aspiring

journalists from

Sierra Leone, who

the John

Humphrey Centre

worked very hard

to bring to the GYA,

then gave a

surprise address to

the roars of the crowd. The two young girls write for a national youth newspaper called

Pikin News that gives children in Sierra Leone a voice on human rights issues. A group of

delegates, inspired by the Pikin girls story, raised enough money to buy the newspaper a

camera.

The afternoon workshops were focused on skill development. From Marketing for Good,Not Evil to Beatboards DJ and Rap Workshop, delegates were walking away with tips

and new tools and skills. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwri7q69XrU for the

GYA Rap that a very diverse group of young people created at the GYA.

Dev Aujla from DreamNow gave an action planning session that ensured delegates left

with clear plan of what they want to do following the GYA to make a difference. He had a

how-to approach on asking questions and connecting with people to develop ideas and

projects. He provided tools and resources for the audience to draw upon in creating

change. Commitments made by the youth to affect change can be seen on the GYA Action

website at www.gyaaction.org.

Dev stressed the importance of questioning the world, writing these questions down and

using them as a basis for action. You dont have to even go to conferences to start askingquestions or go around to inspiring speakers. You can just look at the street. He stressed

that questioning should become a habit and something that is a continual evolutionary

process which takes you on a diverse range of life paths and lessons.

One of the more powerful

moments of Day Three was

when Dev asked the youth to

do a question exchange.

Delegates were asked to

write one question on a card

and to skip the ephemeral,

skip the surface, jump

straight to the heart. Ask the

question that goes beyond

the what have you been up

to?. These cards were

exchanged after his session

and some amazing

inspirational relationships

cropped out of this small

gesture.

When we hear stories

like that (of Iran andviolence) and the term

Islamist, it doesnt help

Islamic people like me

and I believe in peace.

It doesnt help me to

be able to wear my

hijab or to walk

around with my

religious clothing

when all over the

world, people see me

as a terrorist. There

are people in every

religion that are prone

to doing wrong.

Im a teenager and go

to high school and Im

the only one there who

wears this and

everyone looks at me

in the hallways andeven though they try

not to give me dirty

looks, at the same time,

I see the hate in their

eyes when they look at

me.

Youth Delegate


14/34Page 14

Ocean Robbins closed the day with a powerful invitation to take a stand with our lives as

young leaders. His philosophical, yet practical approached, called on youth to consider

how their lives represent the values they each individually hold. He also challenged those

youth in a privileged position to choose to see the racist barriers that impact our society

and to stand up for change.

The evening event on Day Three was a Shop4Change Ethical Fashion Show featuring

Edmontons Keshotu youth leaders as models and performers, Rights and Democracys

Panties for Peace Campaign, and Mariatu Kamara, who spoke about her experience as a

child affected by war fuelled by conflict diamonds.

Shop4Change profiled different organizations around the province such as Keep

Edmonton Original, Eat Local First, Earth Water International, Bullfrog Power, Planet

Organic and Lucid Lifestyles. The intention was to give guests an idea of what kind of

companies there are for shopping more responsibly. Their products were featured in the

fashion show as well as on the projection screens. For example, Kerstins Chocolates, an

Edmonton-based store that produces ethical gourmet chocolate provided mini versions of

their Chocophilia line to throw into the crowd as well as being responsible for all of our

thank you gifts to speakers.

Excerpts from Ocean RobbinsExcerpts from Ocean RobbinsExcerpts from Ocean RobbinsExcerpts from Ocean Robbins

One of the diseases of our time is this belief that we are all

separate.

I believe we all have a dream of how the world could be a bet-

ter place. We can choose to live in such a way that we are in

alignment with our dreams, with our values, with our commit-ments.

White skin gave me a choice whether or not to see racism. I

have privilege that comes with my skin colour and I want to

use it.

Your liberation is bound up with mind we are interwoven

with each other.

The more we talk about what really matters to us, the more

alive our collective conversation will be. Because I think we

talk too little about the things that really matter and too much

about things that are kind of safe and maybe superficial andjust kind of out there. I think its the conversations about things that

really matter are what helps to bring us to life.


15/34Page 15

Mariatu Kamara, UNICEF Special Representative for Children and

Armed Conflict, stole the show with her personal experiences of the war

in Sierra Leone fueled by blood diamonds. Her impassioned speech

brought the audience through her progression as an amputee in camps

and on the streets in Sierra Leone to an activist today.

Michelle Levesque from the Rights

and Democracy Network also

spoke about the Panties for Peace

campaign, a movement to support

women in Burma whose rights are

continually violated and ignored.

The Panties for Peace campaign

plays on the regime leaders fear

that contact with a womans

underpants will rob them of their

power. The campaign encourages

all women to send underwear to

authorities in Burma to try to strip

the regime of its power.

Stephani Carter, creator and

owner of Green Alberta andEcoAmmo, closed the

Assembly with the

singing of a poem about

the environment and how

we can make a positive

impact on the

environment if we just

choose to be more

responsible consumers.

Excerpts from Mariatu KamaraExcerpts from Mariatu KamaraExcerpts from Mariatu KamaraExcerpts from Mariatu Kamara

They forced my hands down and made a few attempts. After several at-

tempts finally succeeded in cutting off both my hands. They burned down the entire village and I was

passed out for several seconds. When I regained consciousness I found myself in the middle of dead

bodies. There was no one there to help me.

I was moved to an amputee camp in a suburb of Freetown where I lived for almost three years. Dur-

ing this time life was very tough and as Im talking to you I can still feel that pain right now. There

was no way for us to get support from anyone, no governments nor individuals. So we had to turn to

beggars on the streets of Freetown.

Perhaps God took away my hands so I can speak with my heart and touch the world with my voice.

Edmontons own Keshotu youth kicked off the

Shop4Change with a charged performance and

acted as the fashion models. A guest appear-

ance by Buddha and Frost livened the show!


16/34Page 16

Other Highlights

Ignite Change Now! Youth Leader DayIgnite Change Now! Youth Leader DayIgnite Change Now! Youth Leader DayIgnite Change Now! Youth Leader DayJuly 29, 2009July 29, 2009July 29, 2009July 29, 2009

On this day, 100 youth leaders

came together from across

Canada to work on developing

projects that they would commit

to for the next two years. Dev

Aujla of DreamNow facilitated

the Ignite Change Now (ICN) Day

by leading various activities.

Special presentations were

brought in to facilitate the skills

and confidence of these youth infacilitating their projects. Ilona

Dougherty of Apathy is Boring talked about fundraising techniques and Rikia Saddy gave youth a

new perspective on branding and marketing their projects as a critical piece of success. Kori

Chillibeck, Earthwater Founder and President discussed how he started the organization and the

realities facing the work at a local and international level. Renee Vaugeois, Founder and

President of Ainembabazi Childrens Project, also provided an insight into the development of

projects. She spoke in terms of the motivation, creation and success of an organization and the

need to find out the root causes to issues and exploring the interconnectivity of human rights.

Youth finished up the day by dissecting the steps needed in executing their project ideas, the

importance of networking as well as building relationships of value. Their goal was to move into

the Global Youth Assembly with a clear project idea which they could share with other youth andhopefully find collaborative partners!

Every day at the Assembly, a journaling workshop was hosted by local writer Ted Kerr, for the ICN

Team youth to reflect on the days experiences or wherever their thoughts took them.

I actually had a really

unique experiencegoing to a workshop

based on gender

equality. They were

talking about positive

ways to influence

young sisters out there

to be confident. I was

thinking, what about

all the young brothers

who need to know

about these things as

well?

Thats the interesting

thing about growth

as humanity, as a

human being, we need

to allow ourselves to

evolve emotionally,

spiritually, mentally.

That way not just

young women couldfight for their rights

but man could come

along; stand right next

to their woman. I

became a man today.

ICN Youth Leader at

Global Youth

Assembly

Canadian

31%

First

Generation

Immigrant

33%

Second

Generation

Immigrant

15%

First Nations

9%

Metis

5%

Inuit

2%

Refugee

5%

Demographics of ICN Team

Delegates on the ICN Day listened to

speakers with practical experience

and ideas on making social change

as well as broke off in workshops to

develop their own projects for their

community. One sample project here

is creating a Survival Bible for

young newcomers to Canada.


17/34Page 17

Other Highlights

Day Four Program HighlightsDay Four Program HighlightsDay Four Program HighlightsDay Four Program Highlights

On the final day of the Global Youth Assembly, a program of optional events were offered to

youth delegates as well as space for youth to continuing their networking and project planning.

A sample of programming included:

In partnership with the Interfaith Centre of Edmonton, a tour of different religious churches,

synagogues , mosques and temples allowed youth to explore the diversity of faith in Canada and

to learn hands on more about the different perspectives and practices of each.

Buses shuttled delegates throughout the day to participate in the Edmontons Heritage Festival

at Hawreluk Park. This allowed the youth to experience the diversity of Edmonton and explore

the tastes, sounds, and art of our world in our own small community.

Delegates had time to mingle, enjoy, col-

laborate and network. Social change can

and is FUN! Thanks to Telus for providing

the great bags and lanyards for the event!


18/34Page 18

Youth Educator ForumYouth Educator ForumYouth Educator ForumYouth Educator ForumAugust 2, 2009August 2, 2009August 2, 2009August 2, 2009

On the fourth day of the Global Youth Assembly, approximately 80 teachers and youth

delegates participated in a full day of keynotes and workshops to explore how to promote

effective and active citizenship with youth. Dr. Andy Knight set off the day with a

discussion of the key principles and philosophy behind citizenship in a changing global

world. Eight workshops throughout the day fostered engagement and the sharing of

resources and tools. Some focused on the use of media such as photography to engage

youth in dialogue and change. A panel discussion at noon featured Jacqueline Fayant, a

Metis woman, and Joseph Luri, an immigrant from Sudan, who work with youth in

Edmonton and the unique challenges and needs of Aboriginal and immigrant youth in the

education system.

This day was made possible with the support of the Canadian Multicultural EducationFoundation.


19/34

Page 19

More Visuals of the Assembly

iDance workshop for people with and without dis-

abilities.

Edmonton hip hop artist Mother Peace sits

on the panel at the Governor Generals

Dialogue.

Delegates get real during a workshop.

Impromptu drumming

and dancing at lunch.

Rwandan workshop presenter

talks about the organization

he created after the

Multicultural Bollywood dance at the open mic gets

everyone up dancing.

Aboriginal delegate drums at

the open mic.

Some of the media coverage at the

eventMC Marion Viau.


20/34Page 20

Delegates

Approximately 650 delegates attended the Global Youth Assembly (including speakers and

special guests). While most delegates were from Alberta, every Canadian province and

territory was represented. Receiving last minute funding from Exchanges Canada helped

the John Humphrey Centre to fly in youth from across the country.

There was also a number of participants from other countries around the world. It was

more challenging to bring international delegates to the GYA in 2009 than in 2007

because visas were not being issued. Of over 2000 requests for letters to attend the GYA

for visa applications, less than one percent of those who requested these letters received

their visas to participate. We did not receive funding from CIDA this year for travel for

international delegates. There was quite a mix of countries, however. This reflects the

increased awareness of the GYA around the world.

I very grateful for GYA and its organizers. I am proud to say through GYA have known how to

embark fund raising for youth-led project, how to put up attracting proposal and networking,

etc. I believe my experience gain will go a long way to help other back at home, through my

presentation, seminars at a youth activist. It has also build up my self confidence and public

speaking. I must say I am inspired and it much encourages me moving on with this service for

HUMANITY! - Richard Amoah Kyereh. A citizen of Ghana and the Co-founder of Africa Change

International


21/34Page 21

We also got a chance to visit the great West Edmonton Mall. It was the biggest building I have

ever seen in my whole life! Miss Charlene, our chaperone, Lisa from the John Humphrey Centre

and a few of our Canadian friends took us there for a day of adventure. This was my happiest

day in Edmonton. The greatest thing that has ever happened to me was my trip to Edmonton,

Alberta, Canada. Hajaratu Sama , 16-year-old from Sierra Leone

The majority of the delegates who attended the Global Youth Assembly fell into the 15-19

year old category. One woman in her 60s attended and said, I didnt even feel old! You

promised I wouldnt and I didnt. Everyone was very welcoming and open. What a

wonderful conference!.

4 %

33 %

28 %

22 %

13 %

Age Distribution of Delegates

Und er 1 5 1 5-1 9 2 0-2 4 2 5-2 9 o ve r 2 9


22/34Page 22

One of the key priorities of the Global Youth Assembly is to ensure a diverse range of youth

are able to attend and that are representative of the Canadian multicultural mosaic. The

above chart gives an indication of the range of demographics at the Assembly

representing various segments of the Canadian population. Efforts were made with

immigrant, refugee and Aboriginal communities to raise sponsorships to allow their full

attendance without any cost barriers. This chart is based on the delegates reporting their

background. A number of those that put their background as Canadian and Other were

visible minorities, so the diversity of the conference was incredible and we are proud of

that fact. We hope in the future to continue to increase representation from marginalized

groups, particularly from Aboriginal communities.

The Centre also feels that rural representation is a critical piece for the Global Youth

Assembly. Rural youth are

often not as actively

engaged in youth

leadership opportunities

and extra efforts were

made to reach out to this

segment of the

population. The

representation of rural

youth increased from2007 to reach 24 percent

of the total delegate population.

At the Global Youth Assembly, in partnership with the Rural Secretariat and the Canadian

Multiculturalism Program within Citizenship and Immigration, a rural youth roundtable was

held to explore the unique range of issues facing rural youth as well as the potential for

working collaboratively to support rural youth in affecting change in their communities.

This was an extremely successful session with 24 participants. Following this roundtable,

the Centre is working on setting up a rural youth network in Alberta.


23/34Page 23

Media Coverage

PrePrePrePre----Conference Activity (May 1Conference Activity (May 1Conference Activity (May 1Conference Activity (May 1----June 30, 2009)June 30, 2009)June 30, 2009)June 30, 2009)

May 6: media launchMay 6: media launchMay 6: media launchMay 6: media launchRugby for Rights game betweenRugby for Rights game betweenRugby for Rights game betweenRugby for Rights game between Wagner and McNally kicked off theGYA and to help raise awareness about the Pikin girls being invited to attend the Global

Youth Assembly. Article by the Edmonton Journalhttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/News/

Daring+teens+invited+youth+conference/1568246/story.html

May 8:May 8:May 8:May 8: article by Community Living Leaders, an online news service by Community Living

Ontario, about the Global Youth Assembly. http://www.communitylivingontario.ca/page/

community%20living%20leaders/ezlist_item_dc148ec3-d6a2-4900-a893-c05b94e548bf.aspx

May/JuneMay/JuneMay/JuneMay/June: coverage of the Spring Bling Soiree, the formal fundraiser hosted by the John

Humphrey Centre, by Avenue Magazine, both online and print editions. http://

www.avenueedmonton.com/articles/page/item/a-world-of-difference

June:June:June:June: editorial written by Lisa Baroldi for 4H magazine

JuneJuneJuneJune: submission and publishing to Alberta Think Website By Renee Vaugeois

Speak Up! BlogSpeak Up! BlogSpeak Up! BlogSpeak Up! Blog: blog semi-regularly updated by the GYA staff with a steady growth in

readership especially whenever change agents were featured (usually guest posts by

young leaders). http://globalyouthassembly.wordpress.com

July 1July 1July 1July 1----28, 200928, 200928, 200928, 2009

Press releases were drafted and sent out by the John Humphrey Centre and Rideau Hall to

promote the Global Youth Assembly (Craig Kielburger in particular) and the Governor

Generals presence at the Global Youth Assembly.

Radio Interview:Radio Interview:Radio Interview:Radio Interview:

91.7 the Bounce (sponsor) did a short interview on July 7, 2009 with Lisa Baroldi,

Program Coordinator

630Ched did a live interview with Lisa Baroldi on July 13

98.5 CFWE (The Native Perspective) did a live radio interview with Lisa Baroldi on July

24

CBC Weekender conducted a live interview with Renee Vaugeois on July 24

Public Service Announcements:Public Service Announcements:Public Service Announcements:Public Service Announcements:

Public service announcements for the Global Youth Assembly and Evening Events were

distributed to See Magazine, Vue Weekly, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, Edmonton

Examiner.

Radio Play (Public Service Announcements)Radio Play (Public Service Announcements)Radio Play (Public Service Announcements)Radio Play (Public Service Announcements)

91.7 the Bounce played PSA for Global Youth Assembly while running contest for free

registration from June 15-28 and again July 13-30, 2009.

CKUA ran a promo spot (10) for free registration giveaway

Sonic 102.9 ran 15 PSA spots (sponsored) for the Governor Generals Youth Dialogue

and Concert series the week of July 27-31st.


24/34Page 24

TelevisionTelevisionTelevisionTelevision

TelusTV interviewed Lisa at the JHC office

Breakfast TV (CityTV) hosted Lisa Baroldi, Program Coordinator, on morning show on July

27th, 2009.

Social Media (online)Social Media (online)Social Media (online)Social Media (online)

Daily Twitter activity under hashtag #GYA09 with 4-5 RETWEETS of announcements.

MasterMaq (Mack D Male) tweeted about event (prominent Edmonton blogger with large

following)

Guest blog from Dave Cournoyer, local Edmonton blogger, which was Retweeted twice.

http://daveberta.blogspot.com/2009/07/global-youth-assembly-2009-ignites.html

Quick blog post from David Eaves, an expert in negotiations and public policy (see blog

for bio) http://eaves.ca/2009/07/31/if-you-are-under-25-edmonton-is-the-place-to-be-

this-weekend/

Guest post to Speak Up For Change blog. http://

speakupforchange.blogspot.com/2009/07/igniting-change-now.html

NextGen Newsletter promoting GYA and evening events. http://

www.industrymailout.com/Industry/View.aspx?id=144493&p=b639

Conference Media ActivityConference Media ActivityConference Media ActivityConference Media ActivityMedia advisory for the GYA was released on July 28, 2009, promoting the event overall.

The advisory was sent to Radio, Newspapers, Television throughout Edmonton/Alberta

region (comprehensive list available; media advisory available)

July 29, 2009July 29, 2009July 29, 2009July 29, 2009

CBC Radio: Larissa Kozun did a radio interview with Renee Vaugeois, Executive Director,

and 4 youth from across Canada (Yukon, Manitoba, PEI and rural Alberta). Aired: July 30,

with segment featured on website throughout July 30/31st

. CBC Radio: did a pre-interview with Ilona Dougherty, actual interviewJuly 30 at 8:15

A.M.

Edmonton Journal: article by Sneh Duggal regardingthe Governor Generals appearance

at the Global Youth Assembly, with mentions of the GYA taking place in Edmonton.

630Ched: live over the phone interview with Lisa Baroldi, Program Coordinator for the

GYA

July 30, 2009 (Conventional Media)July 30, 2009 (Conventional Media)July 30, 2009 (Conventional Media)July 30, 2009 (Conventional Media)

Global (Edmonton): conducted a live interview with Renee Vaugeois and arrival of

delegates, opening keynotes/plenary for morning show and showed the clip again on the

noon show and late-night show

Omni (Diversity Channel): onsite covering events, conducting interviews with South-east

Asian or East Asian youths (throughout the event) CTV: conducted an interview with Lisa Baroldi, Program Coordinator, for the GYA

Breakfast TV (CityTV): interview with Lloyd Axworthy (keynote)

CBC Edmonton: was onsite covering the event, interviewed Renee Vaugeois, Executive

Director of the John Humphrey Centre

CBC Radio-Canada: interviewed Lisa Baroldi and a few French-speaking delegates

CBC National: was onsite, conducting an informal interview with delegates regarding

social entrepreneurship during economic recession.

Canadian Press: was onsite to cover the Governor Generals Dialogue, Mariatu Kamara,

and Alyson Rowe for piece on children in conflict. This was picked up by Yahoo! News


25/34

July 31, 2009 (Conventional Media)July 31, 2009 (Conventional Media)July 31, 2009 (Conventional Media)July 31, 2009 (Conventional Media)

Breakfast TV: hosted the Pikin girls, teenage (16

years old) journalists from Sierra Leone who report on events in their country via text

messaging, covering news that adult reporters sometimes cant get.

iNews880: online news media component of 630CHED, ran two articles on the GYA (one

general; one regarding the Governor Generals Dialogue)

Global Edmonton, CBC Edmonton, Edmonton Journal, Canadian Press, CTV, CityTV, Omni were

just some of the news outlets covering the Governor Generals dialogue on Friday night.

Post Conference ArticlesPost Conference ArticlesPost Conference ArticlesPost Conference Articles

Riverbendonline.ca printed a hard copy news article in September 2009 by Janine Hancock

Gateway News at the University of Alberta printed an article in August

Online MediaOnline MediaOnline MediaOnline Media

Twitter: live twittering by many delegates under the hashtag #GYA09 (alternative: #GYA). Mostly

recaps of keynote events, thoughts about workshop sessions and links to blog posts, etc. Sample

tweets include:

brittanykustra: The two workshops I attended today were the two best of the conference! Now

Ocean Robbins is speaking and he is WONDERFUL. #gya09

doniveson: "Every time we fail a child, society fails." Our Governor General is magnetic andinspiring at #gya09 reaching out to youth in #yegtonight.

doniveson: Young man from Surrey BC at #gya09 said to me that I inspired him to run in the

last election. He got 11,000 votes. Made my day.

GetInvolvedca: The Open Mic has been one of the best parts of#gya09! What a global party!

(via @brittanykustra)

Blogs:Blogs:Blogs:Blogs:

A few delegates also blogged about their GYA experiences (not an exhaustive list as this was

culled from Twitter and/or other sources)

Daveberta: Dave Cournoyer, local Edmonton blogger, wrote briefly about the GYA (reciprocated

guest blog). http://daveberta.blogspot.com/2009/07/global-youth-assembly-2009-

ignites.html#links

Alex on the Web: Alex Abboud, delegate, who posted a series of blog posts regarding histhoughts on the GYA. http://alexabboud.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/craig-kielburger-at-the-

global-youth-assembly/

The Edmontonian: an online news blog covering local headlines. Wrote a highly sardonic post

re: the GYA but invited the GYA team to follow-up with responses, etc. http://

theedmontonian.com/?p=3022

GetInvolved.ca: was covering a lot of the conference with footage to be posted on website;

conducted interviews with speakers including Dev Ajula (DreamNow), Craig Kielburger and

others. http://www.getinvolved.ca/

Speak up for Change: will be posting pictures and blog posts re: the GYA. http://

speakupforchange.blogspot.com/

ReelYouth.ca: was broadcasting and tweeting live from the GYA, conducting interviews with

delegates about taking action. http://speakupforchange.blogspot.com/

OtherOtherOtherOther

Flickr stream: posting of photos courtesy of ReelYouth and GYA photographers of delegates,

keynotes, etc from the event. GYA2009http://www.flickr.com/photos/40744904@N08/

YouTube: the delegates participating in one of the Beatboard workshops produced Its the

GYA rap, posted up on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Hwri7q69XrU&feature=related. There are other clips of the GYA posted by delegates, usually

just snippets of the event or their experiences.

CPAC: the Cable Public Affairs Channel covered the GYA in its entirety, which can be seen: video

on demandGlobal Youth Assembly. http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?

s=global+youth+assembly&dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&lang=e

TelusTV: TelusTV interviewed Lisa Baroldi before the GYA and put together this info/promo

piece GYA on TelusTV. http://www.mztvfiles.com/files/DAVIDPUFFEDITS/july2009/

ignitechange/index.htmlPage 25


26/34Page 26

Feedback

In a post-conference survey, responses on key success indicators included:

When asked to rate the overall quality of the Global Youth Assembly:When asked to rate the overall quality of the Global Youth Assembly:When asked to rate the overall quality of the Global Youth Assembly:When asked to rate the overall quality of the Global Youth Assembly:

77.4 %77.4 %77.4 %77.4 % said that the Global Youth Assembly was Excellent or Very Good (top twoboxes in a five-point scale)

When asked to rate the overall value the Global Youth Assembly provided, relative to theWhen asked to rate the overall value the Global Youth Assembly provided, relative to theWhen asked to rate the overall value the Global Youth Assembly provided, relative to theWhen asked to rate the overall value the Global Youth Assembly provided, relative to theprice paid:price paid:price paid:price paid:

59.2 %59.2 %59.2 %59.2 % said that the value of the Global Youth Assembly was Excellent or VeryGood.

When asked to rate the overall organization of the Global Youth Assembly:When asked to rate the overall organization of the Global Youth Assembly:When asked to rate the overall organization of the Global Youth Assembly:When asked to rate the overall organization of the Global Youth Assembly:

67.6 %67.6 %67.6 %67.6 %said that the overall organization of the Global Youth Assembly wasExcellent or Very Good.

When asked to indicate the likelihood of attending future Global Youth Assembly events:When asked to indicate the likelihood of attending future Global Youth Assembly events:When asked to indicate the likelihood of attending future Global Youth Assembly events:When asked to indicate the likelihood of attending future Global Youth Assembly events:

70.4 %70.4 %70.4 %70.4 %said that they were either Extremely Likely or Very Likely to attend.

When asked to indicate the likelihood of recommending future Global Youth AssemblyWhen asked to indicate the likelihood of recommending future Global Youth AssemblyWhen asked to indicate the likelihood of recommending future Global Youth AssemblyWhen asked to indicate the likelihood of recommending future Global Youth Assemblyevents to friends and colleagues:events to friends and colleagues:events to friends and colleagues:events to friends and colleagues:

82.9 %82.9 %82.9 %82.9 %said that they were either Extremely Likely or Very Likely to do so.

A small sample of the commentary feedback from the survey (see

Appendix 2 for email feedback following the GYA 2009)

I think it was an amazing opportunity for youth from all over the world to ignite changes in

their communities. I also believe that it is time to make African youth aware of their

continent problems, then work together to handle them themselves.

It was truly youth focused and brought together such an amazingly well-rounded group of

speakers and presenters. Where else can you watch Buddha break dance, hear the GG and

Lloyd Axworthy speak and dance to the great beats of Nomadic Massive? Bravo to the

organizers of the GYA 2009!

The assembly helped me not only to have a better understanding of issues communities

are facing around the world but also a variety of methods and actions that youths can take

to address problems in their communities. I feel now that I have a good number of options

to try and that I can be successful.

The GYA was a great event that inspired to make change in my life.

This conference was the highlight of my summer. I truly met so many wonderful people and

I also connected with youth and speakers I have met previously at other conferences. Will

cherish my memories.

GYA was an absolutely amazing experience that I will never forget. I was beyond inspired by

the keynote speakers and the many youth that I have met at the assembly. These memories

will last a lifetime. I will never forget that as youth, the future is in our hands, and we can

really make a difference.


27/34Page 27

Lessons Learned

Recommendations from Surveys for improvement included:Recommendations from Surveys for improvement included:Recommendations from Surveys for improvement included:Recommendations from Surveys for improvement included:

Honestly, accommodations were a little bit expensive for students over 5/6 days.

Inform participants they are responsible for dinner meals in advance. Generally an

excellent conference.

A more large-scaled "fair" upon entrance

More environmentally friendly utensils, plates, cups, etc.

The open mic sessions were really off topic a lot and people were talking for way too

long. Make a strict time limit and adhere to it.

Nothing comes to mind. If I get really picky, I would suggest to indicate clearly to those

wanting to ask questions to speakers to keep their questions short and to the point. i

know this is hard to control, but there were some really long, drawn-out questions that

didn't seem to really get answered probably because they were so long and drawn out.

the speaker probably lost focus. i know i did at times.

I can't think of anything you guys could do better, for next time I would personally like

to come out of my shell a little bit more, to experience EVERYTHING you guys have to

offer.

I would suggest more interactive cultural workshops - like one on how to salsa or into

on how to cook a certain culture's foods.

Create more time for people to have free time.

Other verbal feedback during the Global Youth Assembly included:

More time given to open forums, such as the open mic. Many youth expressed that it

was in the moments between sessions, over lunch etc. that they had their most

valuable interactions.


28/34Page 28

Outcomes

Delegates left the GYA 2009 motivated and with new partnerships and friendships, ideas,

tangible skills, tools and resources, and the confidence to ignite change NOW. The first

step for many towards taking action was making a commitment and setting a deadline for

that commitment. The conference follow-up partner, DreamNow, captured these

commitments in a closing video that was presented to motivated and challenge delegates

on the final day of the GYA. Click here to view the video http://vimeo.com/6086484/.

A conference follow-up site has also been created to continue the dialogue and

momentum started at the GYA 2009. Visit http://www.gyaaction.orgto find out what kind

of commitments and projects GYA delegates are taking back to their communities. At the

GYA, it was recognized by all participants that the event is more than a conference; it is a

youth movement.

The John Humphrey Centre has created the Ignite Change Now! (ICN!) Program, which

consists of pre and post-GYA activities and projects to feed into and out of each GYA, in

order to present the GYA every two years and continue to work with its partners across the

country and around the world. These projects include the Global Youth Assembly (GYA)and three additional components including the Youth Action Project, the Rural Outreach

and Engagement Strategy, and the Ignite Change Now! (ICN!) Team.

The Youth Action Project (YAP)Youth Action Project (YAP)Youth Action Project (YAP)Youth Action Project (YAP) gets youth thinking global and acting local. YAP participants

explore a wide range of local issues (poverty, environment, racism, and more) and

organizations in their community engaged in these issues. They then attend the GYA as an

opportunity to explore the linkages between local and global issues and return to those

organizations to do community service.

The Ignite Change Now! Rural Outreach and Engagement (ROE) StrategyIgnite Change Now! Rural Outreach and Engagement (ROE) StrategyIgnite Change Now! Rural Outreach and Engagement (ROE) StrategyIgnite Change Now! Rural Outreach and Engagement (ROE) Strategy engages rural

youth in dialogues and action within their community. Through the ROE, the John

Humphrey Centre can establish a rural YAP including a mini GYA and other creative

initiatives to support and empower youth to develop their own community projects, bridgethe rural-urban divide, and link the global and local levels of youth action.

Finally, the Ignite Change Now! TeamIgnite Change Now! TeamIgnite Change Now! TeamIgnite Change Now! Team consists of 100 youth, currently from across Canada,

who commit to being GYA ambassadors for two years. After the GYA, ICN!Team members

will keep the momentum going in the two years between each Global Youth Assembly by

working on their projects, participating in follow-up mini-conferences and workshops, and

getting into their communities to talk about the GYA experience. Ignite Change Now!

members, in addition to becoming part of a supportive youth network for change, will

develop important professional and personal skills, and receive a letter of reference and a

certificate for their active participation in the team.

The objectives of the ICN! Program and the GYA are:

PromotePromotePromotePromote diversity and inclusion

EncourageEncourageEncourageEncourage youth expression through various media

EducateEducateEducateEducate youth by building awareness and developing knowledge

EmpowerEmpowerEmpowerEmpower youth through skills training and creative workshops

SupportSupportSupportSupport dialogue and youth action through conference follow-up

CollaborateCollaborateCollaborateCollaborate with other youth groups and movements to promote and support

their work


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Appendix A: More Feedback from

GYA Delegates and Partners

Sample Email #1Sample Email #1Sample Email #1Sample Email #1

KUDOS AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE JHC STAFF!!!!

I just wanted to let you all know what amazingamazingamazingamazing events the GYA and YEF were. I feel so

fortunate to have been able to participate in such an inspirationalinspirationalinspirationalinspirational and informativeinformativeinformativeinformative

conference. It was a pleasure to share information about my peace project at my

presentation as well as at our travelling booth. But most of all, it was fantastic to be

able to attend so many sessions as a delegate, teacher and life long learner.

I am still processing all the incredible inspiration, wisdom, peacemaking tools and

strategies that were shared over the 4 days. My family members and I all made

connections with people and organizations that will now become a part of the peace paths

that we are on.

Some of my personal highlights looking back:

- the kindnesskindnesskindnesskindness of all of the JHC staff in accommodating us and our booth despite the

misunderstandings on my part.

- the absolutely incredible keynote speakersincredible keynote speakersincredible keynote speakersincredible keynote speakers especially Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, Craig

Keilburger, Gary Martin, Josh Thome, Ocean Robbins, Mariatu Kamara and Dr. Andy

Knight, as well as all the others I cant specifically remember at this moment.

- the incredibly interesting and stimulating workshopsinteresting and stimulating workshopsinteresting and stimulating workshopsinteresting and stimulating workshops

- the Friday night dialogue with the Governor GeneralGovernor GeneralGovernor GeneralGovernor General.Michaelle Jean is an amazingamazingamazingamazing

woman and I felt so tremendously proud to be a Canadian and to be inspired by this

extraordinary head of state.

- the connections with fellow presenters and other delegates. What a powerhouse ofa powerhouse ofa powerhouse ofa powerhouse of

innovation, inspiration and creativity assembled togetherinnovation, inspiration and creativity assembled togetherinnovation, inspiration and creativity assembled togetherinnovation, inspiration and creativity assembled together under one roof. The energy waselectrifying and contagiouselectrifying and contagiouselectrifying and contagiouselectrifying and contagious.

- the excellent foodexcellent foodexcellent foodexcellent food provided by the NAIT food services staff as well as that fantastic

Aboriginal luncheon on Sunday.

- the films, the music, the information packages, etc., etc., etc.,

Special thanks in particular to Carrie, Rene, Liza, Mandy, Chelsea, and the other key

conference organizers. I can only imagine the time, effort and energy that has gone into

planning an event of this magnitude. You also had to face many challenges during the

conference, Im sure, but did so with patience and grace. I hope that you are all taking

time to reflect with pride on all that you achieved with this conference and the many

peace and human rights ripples that have been initiated here and will continue to be felt

around the world for years to come.

Colleen Ring


Renee, Lisa- Thank you once again for all your hard work. You guy's really made it happen

and I was happy to be involved. We are in the middle of adding people, and doing our f irst

round of outreach as I type Thanks again Renee--- I have been talking non stop about

how amazingamazingamazingamazing the conference was since I have gotten home,

Dev Aujla, DreamNOW (Project Partner)


30/34Page 30


Helllloooo RENEE!

Man oh man was that ever an inspirationalinspirationalinspirationalinspirational conference, you totally outdid the year before

conference - great job to you and your team for hosting such a great meeting. I made

numerous contacts and FB is just buzzing with GYA activity!

Also looking forward to ICN and how we move forward in Canada - let's keep the

momentum going!

Regards,

Ajay


Congratulations on the fabulous event that you put on. Both OMNI and Citytv are very

proudproudproudproud to support you and I am glad we got into this partnership. Please feel free to contact

me for future events throughout the year!

Thanks for everything,

Sorin Mihailovici (OMNI Partnership)


Thank you SO much for planning the conference, it was the single most life changinglife changinglife changinglife changing

experience I have ever had.ever had.ever had.ever had. I hope you experienced as much fun and growth as I did!

Thanks so much!!

Julia


I just wanted to thank you for the amazingamazingamazingamazing weekend, it felt so good to break out of routine

and be around people from all over Canada and the world thinking about the world and

the issues going on in it. What a great experience and I hope I can make it back for 2011

in the Peg.

Thanks again!

Bohdan


Hello Carrie,

My experience for being there for one day was amazingamazingamazingamazing. What you folks are doing for the

youths is super terrificsuper terrificsuper terrificsuper terrific and I wish the John Humphrey Centre and the Global Youth

Conference all the best in the future! Thank you Carrie.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Rittwage (Photographer)


31/34Page 31


Hi Renee!!You guys made an AMAAAAAAAAAZINGAMAAAAAAAAAZINGAMAAAAAAAAAZINGAMAAAAAAAAAZING conference Im SOOOOOOOO thankful that I got

a chance to attend!!! Thank you,

Naureen Haque


Hi Renee,

Hope all is well. I wanted to thank you for having us to the assembly last week. I tried

looking for you, however, you seemed to be quite busy (totally understandable of course!).

The conference was definitely a success. I met lots of people and I look forward to carrying

on with them in the future.

All the Best. Sincerely,

Bobby Cameron.


Hi Renee,

I just wanted to thank you and your entire team for putting together such a phenomenalphenomenalphenomenalphenomenal

conference. I am inspiredinspiredinspiredinspired and equippedequippedequippedequipped with new contactsnew contactsnew contactsnew contacts and knowledgeknowledgeknowledgeknowledge that will help

me move forward to change the world! I know how much hard work it is to put together a

conference and thought this may put a smile on your face :).

Susheela


Hi Renee,

Renee,I would like to thank you and the Group at John Humphrey Center. The GlobalYouth Assembly was an amazingamazingamazingamazing oppurtunity to connectconnectconnectconnect with such an amazing group of

people. It has in fact inspiredinspiredinspiredinspired me to pursue a personal project.

Thank you for an amazing, enriching expereinceamazing, enriching expereinceamazing, enriching expereinceamazing, enriching expereince.

Best Regards

Ali Dossa


Hi Renee,

Just want to give you and everyone at the John Humphrey Centre a big thanks for letting

me participate in this years GYA Conference. I learned a lot and met so many interesting

people! I'm feeling really inspiredinspiredinspiredinspired to get a project started now.

Thanks again, will keep in touch,

Samantha Cacnio


Renee,

Thanks. This is just one of many compliments people have been passing on re. the GYA.

You and your gang are to be congratulated for pulling off this empoweringempoweringempoweringempowering event. I was so

grateful to be a part of it.

Cheers,

Andy Knight


32/34Page 32

More Feedback

We received a lot of feedback directly at the Global Youth Assembly. The following are

quotes from delegates:

I love the energyenergyenergyenergy! Thanks for all the great inspirationinspirationinspirationinspiration! Remi Charron

CultureCultureCultureCulture, respectrespectrespectrespect, honestyhonestyhonestyhonesty we trust empowering our people with some knowledge first,

change were of the GYAwere of the GYAwere of the GYAwere of the GYA.

Overall I had a great experience at the GYA; it has given me a lot to think about and a lot

of ideas and experiences to draw on going forward. I got to know some interesting people,

I participated in some really engagingengagingengagingengaging workshops, and I listened to some inspiringinspiringinspiringinspiring

speakers. The speakers and presenters were awesome and the delegates were as well

as evidenced by the talenttalenttalenttalent they showed off at a couple of open mic sessionsAlex Abboud

Blog

It was unbelievably refreshingrefreshingrefreshingrefreshing and inspiringinspiringinspiringinspiring to see all those people from all over the world

in that gymnasium. In my community, youth involvementinvolvementinvolvementinvolvement and engagementengagementengagementengagement was never

really common and apathy was all too common. Yet, hundreds of youth from all over the

globe came and showed that the youth of today does care about tomorrow. The biggest

inspiration though had to be Craigs speech. He is a true youth activist all over the globe

and this world needs more people like him. Wow. Overall an amazingamazingamazingamazing experience. The best

part yet, STILL three days left! If this is the kind of learninglearninglearninglearning and eyeeyeeyeeye----opening experienceopening experienceopening experienceopening experience

that I have after one day, I wonder how I will feel after it is all over.Josh B

Overwhelming excitementexcitementexcitementexcitement about the conference and the desire to go home and share and

build within their own communities, as well as keep the connectionsconnectionsconnectionsconnections they had made over

the weekend. Volunteer

I saw a lot of older people who were there really impacted by the energyenergyenergyenergy of the youth.

Many adultsadultsadultsadults walked away with a new respectnew respectnew respectnew respect for hip hop culture, or a new hope for future

generations.

Beautiful mixture of cultural diversityBeautiful mixture of cultural diversityBeautiful mixture of cultural diversityBeautiful mixture of cultural diversity represented at the conference which was especially

important for many of the rural youth who were not

as exposed to different cultures in their own

communities.


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The John Humphrey Centre wants to THANK YOU!!!

Numerous partners and funders helped to make this project a success. Thanks to all of you!

Alberta Association for Multicultural Education

Project PloughsharesEdmonton Chapter

ignite change now! global youth assembly 2009 report

Documents