Saturday 12th July 2003, 9am - 5pm

Where

Who

Cost

Aim:

The aim of this initiative is to convene a forum and workshop for young people. A diverse group of young Australians will be trained as 'Peace Reporters' and participate in a forum on Peace and Leadership hearing from prominent Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders in the Australian community. These 'Peace Reporters' will then attend and report on, the University of Melbourne's 150th Anniversary Flagship Conference: International Perspectives on Peace and Reconciliation.

The 'Youth Forum' will:

• Involve approximately 60, 16-25 year olds. This number includes 20 'Youth Leaders' and 40 'Youth Reporters'.
• Will target young people from different social/religious sectors to interact, discuss and share ideas around the theme of "Peace Media"
• Invite prominent speakers in the field of peace, reconciliation and leadership to share their experiences and knowledge with young participants
• Provide practical skills training in the form of UNESCO Cultures of Peace News Network (CPNN) Reporter Training workshops, including reporting skills, facilitation skills, communication skills and leadership skills
• Provide young participants with the opportunity to actively participate in the Flagship Conference as peace reporters
• Publish reports that 'Youth Reporters' have written about the conference. These reports will be published on the CPNN website (www.cpnn.org), and in the conference CD-ROM or their own publications.
• In conjunction with the Conference, build communities of people young and old, working in peace and reconciliation in Australia and internationally. This will not only help the understanding of conflict, it will also result in connections and projects between groups that help reduce conflict long term.

Beneficiaries of the 'Youth Forum':

The 'Youth Forum' will benefit the 'Youth Leaders' and 'Youth Reporters' not only through training and discussion at the forum but also through participation at the conference where they will have the opportunity to examine important issues and see influential national and international speakers. Importantly, it should be noted that the conference will also benefit from the participation of young Australians.

Need and Importance of the 'Youth Forum' and the Conference:

The International Perspectives on Peace and Reconciliation Conference will contribute to peace and reconciliation in Australia and internationally by bringing together people from many nations who have different experiences of the peace and reconciliation process. Specific focus will be placed on the experience of Indigenous Australians and on the reconciliation process in Australia. The Conference 'International Perspective on Peace and Reconciliation' tackles the issues of national reconciliation, regional conflict and the determinants of cultures of peace. These issues are of both national and international importance and of enduring significance. It is pertinent that the youth of today participate and act on these global and local issues. Youth participation in global civil society is invaluable and facilitates reconciliation, sustainable security and cultures of peace.

The 'Youth Forum' will be an integral part of the conference. The 'Youth Forum' and the conference are complementary and mutually supportive in focus, methodology and philosophy. The philosophy that underpins the 'Youth Forum' is drawn from the year 2000 UNESCO initiative to actively build 'Cultures of Peace' in the world. Peace is more than just an absence of war. A culture of peace must be an active pursuit that is carried out in ideology, attitude and action. The Youth Forum on Peace Media is an initiative based on the UNESCO Cultures of Peace News Network (CPNN).

The Cultures of Peace News Network (CPNN) is an innovative approach to 'Peace Media' and peace education that uses the Internet to exchange ideas globally. It is a global network of interactive Internet sites in many languages for information exchange on events and media productions that promote a culture of peace. The Internet is attractive to young people and the CPNN training starts with asking young people about their own ideas about peace. The primary mechanism employed to promote the project and generate interest and involvement has been the program of CPNN training workshops. In these workshops participants learn about the CPNN project, philosophy, and how to write and moderate (edit) reports through a series of interactive activities and discussions facilitated by trained CPNN facilitators. CPNN is a network of people as well as a network of internet sites. CPNN training will be provided to young people, empowering them to actively participate and bring reflections on this important international conference as 'Youth leaders' and 'Youth Reporters'.

For further information please email Mark at: mwayland@unimelb.edu.au