ACGC Connect Spring 2012

A publication of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation

SPRING 2012

Youth Today – Partners in Promoting Global Justice In 40 years, the youngest members of our society today (sleepy newborns, tots learning to walk, and first graders shakily spelling their names) will be working in leadership positions that demand creativity and critical thought related to decision making and resource management. What will the world look like when we hand over the reins of responsibility to our children? How do our practices today affect the world’s future farmers, teachers, health practitioners, scientists, community leaders, and children?

YOUTH IN DEVELOPMENT

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Youth Engagement and the Global Youth Assembly | John Humphrey Centre World Education Changes Me | WUSC

CEIBA: Rooted in Youth Activism | CIEBA Tikho’s Story Inspires Alberta Youth | CAWST

International Week, International Develpment Week Come Together | U of A Change Your World Youth Leadership Tour; Top 30 Under 30 | ACGC

Photo (above): Members of CFCA’s Youth Council, create “seed balls” from potting soil, worm hummus and perennial wildflower seeds at a workshop focusing on food security. Youth Councillors are exploring new avenues to link local food security efforts (rehabilitating vacant urban spaces) to CFCA’s international efforts in community gardening, alternative sustainable agriculture, and climate change adaptation projects in Latin America and Africa. Photo by Erin Prout.

Suite 205, 10816A - 82 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 2B3

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the year 2050 will have an additional 2.3 billion people living on the planet, and require 70 percent more food. By only 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water stressed conditions.

The good news is this – today’s generation of children, teens, and young adults aren’t waiting around to graduate from high school, receive their university degrees, or reach a level of material wealth and job security before becoming actively involved in local and international community development.

Over the years, Change for Children Association (CFCA) has witnessed a powerful movement of children and youth across Alberta organizing in their schools and communities to focus on learning about global issues and taking inspiring steps to addressing poverty and injustice. Youth are hungry to act today not just tomorrow.

They are proving that they have valuable things to say, ideas to contribute, and a huge stake in what’s happening right now in our global community.

Last April, elementary students at St. Angela’s School in Edmonton, Alberta became CFCA’s youngest supporters when their teachers brought water justice into the classroom. Students shared daily water facts over the school intercom, learned about our water projects in Nicaragua, and played a hands-on game using blue jellybeans which simulated not having enough water (or having too much water) to meet their daily water needs. They even filled up recycled milk jugs and carried them around their playground to experience what it might be like to walk long distances everyday to collect enough drinking water. And finally, through a schoolwide Spell-a-thon, St. Angela’s students raised over $10,000 towards a well project in the community of Divino Niño (Divine Child) in Nicaragua.

The ripple effect of their small but powerful actions has reached other schools in Edmonton. Students at St. Teresa’s School are joining the movement. They have committed to raising $5000 school-wide for a community well in Nicaragua, and most importantly, to learning about the importance of water care and preservation through stories, water facts, and hands-on activities.

CFCA’s Youth Council – a team of eight passionate high school students who meet biweekly to dialogue on global issues – are taking their concerns and efforts to the next level. In the face of such startling statistics on water scarcity, these youth are organizing their own water justice conference in April 2012 to promote education and youth action about this life-giving resource to their peers. Youth2O – Youth for a Brighter Blue is an event organized 100% by-youth...continued on page 3

Development in the ‘developed’ world: youth engagement and the Global Youth Assembly In Little Buffalo, northeast of Peace River, 225 people live without running water

Screen capture, littlebuffalomedia, “Our Water” (available on youtube)

443 million schools days are lost annually because of water related illnesses. Making the link between access to water and impacts on health and education is simple when we talk about the developing world. Making that same link here in Canada is an entirely different feat, but no less of an important one.

This past July, 300 youth, most from Canada, and some from around the world, met at the University of Alberta for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC)’s third biennial Ignite Change Now! Global Youth Assembly (GYA).

The theme of the 2011 event was “Our World, Our Water”. While delegates explored the breadth of human impact on the world’s water along with a variety of strategies to value and protect this precious resource, they also learned, and were shocked, by the disparity of access to water in their own backyard. It’s not an easy thing, coming to understand development as not only a critical issue ‘over there’ but also as a call to action even in the ‘developed’ world.

The objective of the Assembly is to create space where people and ideas are heard, where we can find our commonalities, break down barriers and start to think creatively about change. By framing issues of access to water, health and education in the language of human rights and by linking the protection of our natural resources to our right to life, the JHC and the GYA looks at development and social justice holistically.

In Alberta, concerns about tailings ponds and oil spills are common issues for discussion, but what we don’t hear about are the towns where “boil water advisories,” designed to be temporary solutions to unsafe water, are permanent fixtures in Canadian citizen’s lives. What we don’t hear is that there are more than 100 Aboriginal communities in Canada that have to boil their water and that eight of ten people without access to clean water live in rural communities. This is the case for the small Lubicon Cree community of Little Buffalo, an hour northeast of Peace River, where 225 people live without running water or a community sanitation system.

At the GYA, youth don’t just talk about problems; they explore the possibilities of solutions, of action, of creativity. Organizers were pleased to welcome two students from Little Buffalo, along with their mentor, Jaro Malanowski, to the event. They spoke frankly about their experience, living dependent on an unreliable water delivery system, about the cost to their education and what they decided to do about it.

As Amnesty International Canada launched their “Justice for the Lubicon Cree” campaign, a group of students decided to tell their story in a short documentary with the help of Jaro and his team from Avatar Media who were in town delivering a video training workshop. Their film, “Our Water,” takes the viewer on a tour of Little Buffalo in the middle of winter – we see where they get the water for their every day needs and we visit the school – the only building in the community with running water, which is supplied with less than pristine water by a truck that isn’t always on time. When there’s no water, the school is closed. More than forty school days have recently been lost that way.

The film has now been seen by people around the world, and the reaction is the same as that of the youth at the GYA: “that happens here!?!” It is incredibly vital that the voice of youth be heard, and that their concerns and their ideas are given the attention they deserve. Youth are leaders, not only of tomorrow, but also of today.

They are acting now to make a change in their community and they are being heard, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights pointed to the Lubicon in her statement on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

By pushing the issue, by making themselves heard, and by sharing their experience with their peers, these young people are agents of change in our province and, through the GYA, they are propelling a movement of youth dedicated to engaged citizenship for development. Because, development, after all, isn’t a finite condition, it’s an ever ongoing struggle, around the world.

By Amy Lambe, The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights amy@jhcentre.org

“World Education Changes Me” WUSC and Youth Participation in International Development We are not just the leaders of tomorrow, we are the leaders of today

University of Alberta Local committee at their SRP (Student Refugee Program) gala evening, along with members for their U of A campus StJean campus local committee Photo by Sandrine Kake

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At the opening ceremony of the World University Service of Canada’s (WUSC) first International Forum in Ottawa, keynote speaker and WUSC alumni Jackie Strecker had a special message to deliver to the youth delegation: we are not just the leaders of tomorrow, she shared, we are the leaders of today.

Strecker’s words ring true beyond a doubt. At WUSC, an international development agency with development programs in 13 countries, the work we do overseas is directly connected to local efforts in Canada, thanks in part to the overwhelming dedication of the hundreds of youth who make up a pan-Canadian network of Local Committees present in over 60 university and college campuses nationwide.

These student-run committees are arguably one of the organization’s most valuable resources: throughout the year they take on international development education campaigns, hold original awareness events, partake in a variety of ingenious fundraising initiatives, and even volunteer overseas.

They are the movers and shakers of our organization, keeping WUSC’s development programs fresh and in constant evolution.

In Alberta, four WUSC Local Committees are thriving with a passion for international development that takes form in a plethora of activities on campus. Amanda Floreani of the University of Calgary says her Local Committee members are eager to make a difference in the world. Why wait for the future when they can take action right now? For these post-secondary students, WUSC provides an avenue for concrete change. What is universally appealing to our diverse membership is that Local Committees independently choose the issues they wish to engage in: whether it be gender equality, HIV and AIDS awareness, or resettlement issues. This year, the Uniterra Fair Trade campaign “Buy into Change” has proved exceptionally popular on Albertan campuses. The Local Committees at University of Calgary and University of Alberta have been holding regular

events to promote ethical products in their communities. In fact, Elauna Boutwell from the University of Alberta aspires to see her campus become an entirely Fair Trade zone.

WUSC’s motto “Education Changes the World” resonates with our Local Committees in Alberta. As members of WUSC, our students not only contribute to building a more equitable and educated world but their participation in international development is an opportunity for personal, academic and professional growth in itself. Elauna, a student, believes the organization’s motto should read “World Education Changes Me.” Other Local Committee members in Alberta agree that WUSC provides them with practical learning opportunities on international development issues, especially regarding immigration, refugee issues and cross cultural relations through the Student Refugee Program (SRP). This unique Canadian program allows Local Committees across the country to sponsor refugee students each year so that they may attain their dreams of post-secondary education in Canada as permanent residents.

To raise awareness on the SRP the University of Alberta held a gala in early 2012 and is preparing to hold a refugee camp simulation in March. Their counterparts at the French campus St. Jean recently held a catered dinner with proceeds going towards Shine a Light: a campaign to support girl’s education in refugee camps. Sandrine Kake of the francophone Campus St-Jean Local Committee explains how her committee organized and promoted the event, coordinated the tricky logistics of preparing and cooking for a large gala dinner as a team, and inspired other students to support refugee girls’ education in the process –– a learning process that builds important leadership skills. “Our committee is flexible and really open minded. We’re happy to do any kind of activity to support WUSC and [teach] people about world issues.”

The life of a student is very busy, admits Terry Noel of the Grant MacEwan WUSC committee. Yet when it’s something that you really care about, you find the time and an outlet to be involved.

WUSC is fortunate to have the energy and innovative thinking our student members constantly bring forth in new and inspiring ways.

When asked what unique quality youth can bring to the table in international development, Sandrine considers the following: “If we keep doing the same things, we keep getting the same results.”

Youth who see things with a fresh perspective are discovering new and exciting ways of contributing towards positive change.” WUSC couldn’t agree more.

The Ceiba Association: Rooted in Youth Activism

At Ceiba we value Community, Solidarity, Education, Respect and Environmental Sustainability. These principles are the foundation for our local and international partnerships and youth projects. Youth activism is at the heart of our organization, which means our projects are designed, developed and put into action by local and global young people who are already living examples of “the change” they wish to see in the world.

Local:

At Ceiba our local projects strive to partner with organizations, schools, public places, and most importantly – YOUTH – to create spaces where Edmonton youth can come together, have fun, address injustice, and envision Edmonton in new and innovative ways.

One of the ways Ceiba does this is through mural projects.

This past August Ceiba collaborated with Boyle Street Community Services Youth Unit and the Edmonton Boys and Girls club of Edmonton to establish a youth led mural project called “Painting for Change”. Over the course of one week, ideas and values were uncovered through facilitated dialogue and the mural was painted on 3 pieces of canvas with each depicting an important theme – community, bullying and diversity. The murals are portable and so far have been displayed at Boys and Girls Clubs around Edmonton, Change for Children and at the University of Alberta as part of International Week.

International:

Ceiba’s current focus is on strengthening partnerships with innovative community development organizations in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Our projects strive to transform unjust structures while creating pathways for Edmonton and Latin American youth to come together in the spirit of learning, sharing and promoting peace and understanding.

Project HOPE (Hands Open to People Everywhere) is a

Ceiba-managed initiative that fosters sustainable community development through education, cultural exchange, and youth activism. Project HOPE is an educational experience offered to Grant MacEwan University students through a partnership between Ceiba and MacEwan.

The 2011-12 Project HOPE team consists of 13 MacEwan students – all selected from diverse academic backgrounds – who meet on a weekly basis from to plan creative community fundraisers, learn about the roots of poverty, challenge social injustice and build leadership skills, all while striving to raise over $60,000 for the construction of 2-classrooms for a high school expansion project in San Andres, BOSAWAS, Nicaragua. The high school will provide access for over 500 Miskito Indigenous youth to complete their secondary education. In May 2012, Project HOPE members will travel into the remote village of San Andres, which is located in the UNESCO-recognized BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve, a rainforest reserve than spans over 22,000 squared kilometers, and is the traditional territory of Miskito and Mayagna indigenous peoples.

Project HOPE will spend 1-month living and participating in the school construction, learning Spanish and Miskito, and engaging in Nicaraguan culture.

Ceiba was started by a small group of passionate and determined Edmonton youth in August 2010. Our guiding principle is one of hope: a hope that empowers youth to become stronger global citizens through community exchange and education. To learn more about Ceiba visit our website at www.ceibaassociation. com or like our page on Facebook.

Painting for Change, Edmonton 2011 Photo courtesy of CEIBA

Youth activists are living examples of “the change” they wish to see in the world

Tikho’s Story Inspires Alberta Youth on Global Water Issues

On a picnic with his friends is not where Palash Bagchi, CAWST’s Fund Development Coordinator, expected to come across Tikho’s Story. He usually hears Tikho’s name at the office, and via CAWST’s Youth Wavemakers team, who developed the classroom resource, Tikho’s Story, in collaboration with the 10 year old girl in Zambia. When Palash saw his daughter and her friends mimicking Tikho this hot summer day, he was amazed that the children were still discussing the content months after school had ended. He was easily convinced that Tikho’s Story had the ability to stick with young children and resonate with their senses.

CAWST, the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology, is a Calgary-based non-profit organization that works in 69 countries. The mandate of CAWST is to deliver training and consulting services in water and sanitation to clients working with local populations in developing countries. In 2008, CAWST officially launched the Youth Wavemakers Program in response to the demand from Alberta youth wanting to learn more about global water and sanitation issues and how they connect to them. To meet this growing demand, CAWST now provides educators with lesson plans, unit plans, action project tools, and other resources that they can use to teach youth about these issues.

Through CAWST’s vast network of client organizations overseas, opportunities are endless for working with youth to create content for Canadian classrooms. In April 2010, Lisa Mitchell, CAWST’s Education Program Developer, went to Zambia to meet with Tikho and her mother Gladys. When Lisa asked Tikho and Gladys if they could share their story about Tikho’s daily life and water use, they were both happy to oblige. To ensure that the content came from Tikho’s perspective, Lisa had her take the footage featured in the resource.

Lisa worked closely with Gladys and Tikho throughout the creation of Tikho’s Story to make sure that CAWST’s description of their life in Zambia was realistic and honest. At one point, Tikho insisted that CAWST share more pictures of her friends since they

are such an integral part of her life, an added element CAWST did not think to include. In the final cut of Tikho’s Story, Lisa used a couple of videos taken by Gladys of Tikho riding on her bike with friends and playing dodge ball to round out the story of Tikho’s daily life.

Once Tikho’s Story hit Alberta classrooms, Lisa realized that Tikho taught her something significant about youth engagement: kids in Canada connect with overseas youth if they are first able to see similarities. This is why sharing authentic youth-to-youth stories has become one part of the Youth Wavemakers philosophy of education. When elementary students in Canada view Tikho’s Story, they see Tikho as a kid just like them who plays dodge ball and rides her bike.

However, they also see footage of Tikho’s friends collecting water from a contaminated well, and learn that Tikho uses 20 litres of water compared to the average Canadian who uses 327 litres. By viewing Tikho’s Story, youth discover that they can learn from these differences.

Youth-to-youth stories also motivate Canadian kids to take action. Some children are so shocked by the overuse of water here in Canada compared to Zambia that they begin to make behavior changes, such as not running the tap when they brush their teeth, or taking shorter showers. When asked what youth have gained from their involvement in the Wavemakers Program, one Alberta teacher said, “Increased awareness of local and global water issues and the understanding that as citizens of the world, we all have a role to play in being socially responsible.”

CAWST’s Youth Wavemakers Program continues to collect stories with inspiring youth overseas and package them in engaging resources that motivate youth in Canada to take action locally.

The Kids of Kayele, an online computer game targeted for the junior high curriculum, features footage collected from Zambian teenagers and will be released by April, 2011. All of CAWST’s teacher resources can be downloaded for free from their website at cawst.org/wavemakers.

Tikho is a 10 year old girl in Zambia Photo courtesy of CAWST

Kids in Canada connect with overseas youth if they are first able to see similarities

Youth Today continued from page 1 for-youth, and will involve inspiring speakers, presentations, and hands-on workshops on water justice and related topics, including food security, indigenous issues and gender equality.

These examples go to show that youth these days are setting the bar pretty high when it comes to transforming “talk” into “action” for a more socially just and environmentally sustainable world. They are the members of society with the greatest long-term potential to change the current global practices that show 20% of the world’s population consuming 80% of the world’s resources – which is both socially unjust and unsustainable. When it comes down to it, kids are the ones with the most at stake.

Change for Children knows that it takes all ages to change the world. We are grateful to partner with children and youth living around the world in the collective effort to promote human dignity,

healthy communities, and global justice.

By Trina Moyles, CFCA International Projects & Education Assistant CFCA’s “Global Justice Schools Program” promotes social justice education and student involvement in our international projects through presentations, video conferences, and interactive resources. CFCA is excited to launch an interactive storybook for elementary students called “Paola’s Story – Water Around the World” on March 22, 2012 – World Water Day. Learn more by visiting www.changeforchildren.org.

Youth these days are setting the bar pretty high – transforming talk into action

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International Week and International Development Week Come Together for Albertan Youth

The University of Alberta’s award-winning International Week program for 2012 saw 70 high school students on campus this year through a partnership with the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC). This is the first year that International Week has included a special one day program geared towards global-minded high school students. In celebration of the Canadian International Development Agency’s International Development Week, the Youth Day program focused on the important development theme of empowering women and girls, and how high school students can make a difference through global citizenship.

In addition to having the opportunity to participate in youth-focused education activities, students had the chance to take part in International Week programming alongside University students, professors and community members. The program was free, and students and teachers from over 7 schools in Edmonton and Calgary attended.

Laura Keegan, former Humanitarian Issues Program Coordinator for the Red Cross and a recipient of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 recognition, led youth participants through an experiential learning activity that challenged assumptions about gender roles and explored the world we live in at a deeper level. Laura included stories from working in the field of international development with women in countries such as Panama and Papua New Guinea, as well as the roles of men and boys in empowering women and girls.

Students joined a packed house at the lunchtime keynote panel, Women, Decision Making and Development, featuring Kenyan

Youth Day participants received t-shirts designed to celebrate the 2012 International Development Week theme “Empowering Women and Girls”

Change Your World: Alberta Youth Leadership Tour

ACGC is a coalition of NGOs working in Alberta and committed to advocating harmonious relations among nations and to promoting equitable community development within nations which is people-centred, democratic, just, sustainable, inclusive and respectful of indigenous cultures.

ACGC can be contacted at: Suite 205, 10816A - 82 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 2B3 Tel: 780.988.0200 | Fax: 780.988.0211 Email: admin@acgc.ca Visit our website at: www.acgc.ca E-NEWSLETTER If you would prefer to receive an electronic copy of the newsletter in the future instead of a printed copy, please contact admin@acgc.ca or 780.988.0200. Thank you.

Canadian International Development Agency

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Agence canadienne de développement international

By Lynn Sutankayo (Global Education Program, University of Alberta International)

I have improved my knowledge of international development because I learned more about NGOs, grassroots, the culture of gender equality, etc. I have always been inspired to help the community, but this program encouraged me even more. – Youth Day Participant

Check out ACGC’s Top 30 Under 30 Magazine!

ACGC is proud to announce its second Change Your World: Alberta Youth Leadership Tour. ACGC, in partnership with Sombrilla International Development Society, will be selecting five youth in grades 9-12 to participate in a two-week international development project review in collaboration with ACGC member organizations working in Peru. In 2010, 5 Albertan students were selected to visit 7 ACGC partner projects in Ethiopia (photo above). Based on the success of the first tour, ACGC is looking forward to sharing the experiences of this group of incredible youth as they travel to Peru. To stay up to date on the participants’ blogs and podcasts from Peru, check out www.acgc.ca.

ACGC Connect is published by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation with the financial assistance of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The views expressed by the publication are not necessarily those of ACGC or its member groups.

Agricultural Officer Dr. Judi Wakhungu, Political Science student Aliza Dadani, and Indigenous community advocate Donita Large.

This diverse panel of women spoke to the impact that women’s participation in decision-making has on development, and how their involvement can result in poverty alleviation, personal safety and fulfillment of human rights for all.

Students then had their choice of participating in 1 of 4 concurrent sessions alongside the rest of the International Week crowd: Citizen Solutions: Mobilizing for Water Justice in Nicaragua (led by Change for Children Association); Play Around the World: A Transformative Learning Experience (Play Around the World); Son Preference: Implications on the Status of Women (Indo-Canadian Women’s Association); and Student Refugee Panel: A Reflection on Democratic Processes (World University Service of Canada).

Youth Day MCs Fiona Cavanaugh and Laura Roberts concluded the day with an engaging wrap-up session, Towards Change: Your Role in the Global Community, where students envisioned the world they want to live in and strategies they could employ in their everyday lives to turn their visions into realities.

The magazine highlights the Top 30 youth from Alberta and the Global South who are actively making positive change in their communities, locally and globally.

ACGC hopes that by sharing the stories of the youth, Albertans will be inspired to take action on issues they’re passionate about.

To view the magazine, visit www.acgc.ca/idw

ACGC Current Membership march 2012 Action International Ministries • Alberta Public Interest Research Group (APIRG) • Altamas for Peace and Development Association • Association of Canadian Peacemakers International • Awaso Canadian Academy Foundation • Bridges of Hope International Network of Development Agencies • Canada World Youth • Canadian Association for Participatory Development • Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace • Canadian Crossroads International (CCI) • Canadian Department of Peace Initiative (CDPI) • Canadian Humanitarian • Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan • Caro-Canadians Reaching Out to the World’s Children Foundation • CAUSE Canada • CEIBA Association • Centre for Affordable Water Sanitation and Technology (CAWST) • Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Research (CGCER) • Change for Children Association • CHF • Covenant International Ministry • CUSO-VSO • Engineers Without Borders Canada • Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning • Ghost River Rediscovery • Global Centre for Outreach Foundation • Global Environmental and Outdoor Education Council (GEOEC) • Helping Youth Through Educational Scholarships (HYTES) • HIV Edmonton • Innovative Canadians for Change (ICChange) • John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights • Keiskamma Canada Foundation • L’Institut Indo-Canadien Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute • Lifeline Malawi Association • Light Up the World Foundation • Maharashtra Seva Samiti Organization (MSSO) • Marda Loop Justice Film Festival • Mennonite Central Committee - Alberta • Micah Centre at Kings University College • One! International Poverty Relief • Optometry Giving Sight • Oxfam Canada • Project Shelter Wakadogoo • Racecourse Community School Fundraising Initiative • Rainbow for the Future • Rainbow of Hope for Children • RESULTS Canada • Sahakarini Inter-World Education and Development Association • Samaritan’s Purse Canada • Somali-Canadian Education & Rural Development Organization (SCERDO) • Sombrilla Refugee Support Society • Stop TB Canada • The Canadian Moravian Mission Society • The Human Development Foundation • The Leprosy Mission Canada • The Tamaraneh Society for Community Development and Support • Tools for Schools Africa Foundation (TFS-A Fdn.) • Trickster Theatre • True Vision Ghana • UEnd Foundation (UEnd: Poverty) • Unisphere Global Resource Centre • United Nations Association in Canada - Edmonton Branch • University of Alberta International - Global Education Program • Women’s Empowerment International Foundation • World Fit For Children - Alberta Chapter • World University Service of Canada (WUSC) • World Vision