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Empowering Children and Young People
GNRC members recognize that children and young people are not just recipients in need of help from adults, but also powerful actors in the shaping of their own lives. Children and young people have an essential role to play in bringing about transformation in their communities and nations. They often bring a unique, spiritual perspective and much-needed idealism and hope to issues that adults have been unable to solve. When they are given opportunity to participate as equals, their presence and effort challenges adults to go beyond what is conventionally thought possible.
Today, there is a thriving GNRC Youth movement on several continents. For more information and to see some of the protagonists, visit the GNRC Youth page.
Since the beginning, the GNRC has honored the voices of children in all its work. The First Forum of the GNRC heard statements from six young people from various parts of the world. At the Conference of Children for the Coming Generation (CCG), organized by the Arigatou Foundation and Focolare in July 2000, 213 children from around the world drafted a Message that was sent to world leaders. On the occasion of the UN Special Session on Children, the GNRC hosted a Children’s Conference which composed and delivered a message to the UN delegates. The Second Forum of the GNRC included participation of 38 children and young people from all over the world. Young people presented in plenary the challenging realities facing children around the world, followed by the delivery of their own Message of Peace. After this, the young people joined the regional sessions with the adults.
Children and youth participation was further enhanced at the Third Forum of the GNRC, in 2008. As the GNRC had consciously moved towards working with children and youth, a youth pre-meeting was organized prior to the Forum to ensure an informed and meaningful participation of the 40 GNRC youth representatives in the event. The participants discussed and elaborated on the theme of the Third Forum, presenting their concerns and challenges in the opening ceremony and plenary sessions of the Forum, especially those related to the three sub-themes: violence, poverty and the environment. In the thematic group discussions, the youth presented their concrete suggestions on each sub-theme and in the regional meetings they proposed concrete action plans.
All regional and international meetings and events of the GNRC invite children and young people to participate alongside adults. Most recently, a group of GNRC youth participated in Myochikai’s 60th Anniversary celebrations held in Japan in October 2010, where they offered a moving dramatic presentation on the challenges that children and youth face in their societies. A preparatory meeting was held prior to the event to discuss the issues and identify their own call for action.
In addition, many events have been held exclusively for children and young people, such as national and regional capacity-building workshops and camps on child rights and youth leadership. At the international level, the annually-held International Youth for Peace workshop aims to empower the GNRC youth in their role as agents of change to make a difference in their communities.
The ethics education for children initiative launched by Arigatou International and the GNRC, based on Learning to Live Together: An Intercultural and Interfaith Programme for Ethics Education, has been crucial to empowering children and young people as key actors in their own learning about values and spirituality, not as subjects of “instruction” in ethics. Through their participation in this educational programme, youth become aware of the reality they live in and develop a sense of common responsibility regarding the challenges in today’s world. Equipped with the necessary life skills, they gain the determination to address injustices and become agents of change. As a result of this learning experience, young people in the GNRC have taken a major role in advancing the work of the network, leading some projects and activities in their own communities.
More information on how the GNRC regions are empowering children is available at the “Regional Networks” menu above.
Today, there is a thriving GNRC Youth movement on several continents. For more information and to see some of the protagonists, visit the GNRC Youth page. Since the beginning, the GNRC has honored the voices of children in all its work. The First Forum of the GNRC heard statements from six young people from various parts of the world. At the Conference of Children for the Coming Generation (CCG), organized by the Arigatou Foundation and Focolare in July 2000, 213 children from around the world drafted a Message that was sent to world leaders. On the occasion of the UN Special Session on Children, the GNRC hosted a Children’s Conference which composed and delivered a message to the UN delegates. The Second Forum of the GNRC included participation of 38 children and young people from all over the world. Young people presented in plenary the challenging realities facing children around the world, followed by the delivery of their own Message of Peace. After this, the young people joined the regional sessions with the adults.
Children and youth participation was further enhanced at the Third Forum of the GNRC, in 2008. As the GNRC had consciously moved towards working with children and youth, a youth pre-meeting was organized prior to the Forum to ensure an informed and meaningful participation of the 40 GNRC youth representatives in the event. The participants discussed and elaborated on the theme of the Third Forum, presenting their concerns and challenges in the opening ceremony and plenary sessions of the Forum, especially those related to the three sub-themes: violence, poverty and the environment. In the thematic group discussions, the youth presented their concrete suggestions on each sub-theme and in the regional meetings they proposed concrete action plans.
All regional and international meetings and events of the GNRC invite children and young people to participate alongside adults. Most recently, a group of GNRC youth participated in Myochikai’s 60th Anniversary celebrations held in Japan in October 2010, where they offered a moving dramatic presentation on the challenges that children and youth face in their societies. A preparatory meeting was held prior to the event to discuss the issues and identify their own call for action.
In addition, many events have been held exclusively for children and young people, such as national and regional capacity-building workshops and camps on child rights and youth leadership. At the international level, the annually-held International Youth for Peace workshop aims to empower the GNRC youth in their role as agents of change to make a difference in their communities.
The ethics education for children initiative launched by Arigatou International and the GNRC, based on Learning to Live Together: An Intercultural and Interfaith Programme for Ethics Education, has been crucial to empowering children and young people as key actors in their own learning about values and spirituality, not as subjects of “instruction” in ethics. Through their participation in this educational programme, youth become aware of the reality they live in and develop a sense of common responsibility regarding the challenges in today’s world. Equipped with the necessary life skills, they gain the determination to address injustices and become agents of change. As a result of this learning experience, young people in the GNRC have taken a major role in advancing the work of the network, leading some projects and activities in their own communities.
More information on how the GNRC regions are empowering children is available at the “Regional Networks” menu above.