DENMARK - EGYPT - PAKISTAN - GHANA - EAST AFRICA JUNE 2012
CROSSING BORDERS <MAGAZINE JUNE 2012
VOICE OF YOUTH
>CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
Editor’s note When we wanted to make a new CB magazine, it quickly became clear that the topic would have to be climate and youth participation. There is a groundswell of youth concerned about and taking action worldwide, growing everyday, to tackle the issue of climate change. They recognize how critical it is to act and that they are part of the solution.
At Crossing Borders, when we look across all the activities, which are taking place, it becomes clear that climate change is very much on the minds of youth from all walks of life. Therefore we invited youth involved in CB projects, the Global Studies programme and the CB volunteers to share their thoughts on the pressing issues in their local communities, with a focus on climate. This magazine is, as a result, as diverse as the problems
and the solutions of the world. The opinions expressed in the articles do not reflect or represent the opinions of Crossing Borders or the partner organizations, and are the responsibility of the individual writers. We invite you to comment on any of the articles in this magazine by emailing us at cb@crossingborder.org.
We hope that the activism and enthusiasm of the young writers in this magazine will inspire and encourage you!
Ragna Skøien / Editor Leah Strauss / Assistant Editor Gry Brøndum / Layout & Design Garba Diallo / CB Director & Photographer Cover / GREHAYA-seminar in Nairobi 2011
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
DEMENA Climate Ambassadors The following three articles are written by Climate Ambassadors: The ambassadors from Egypt, Jordan and Denmark have been active in trainings and in implementing climate action plans in their communities. The idea is to support constructive dialogue among youth and to strengthen youth leadership development and youth participation in the DEMENA, through the development of youth climate ambassador networks.
A tiny country with a huge Footprint By Edvard Tramsen /DANISH Climate Ambassador According to the World Wildlife Fund, Denmark is one of the top five countries consuming the largest amount of Earth’s natural resources, when compared to the amount of renewable resources used. - Get in the game Denmark! As a citizen from Denmark, I’ve seen us do a lot of good things for the environment like: creat-
ing huge windmill farms, greener agriculture, eco-villages, amazing recycling facilities, promoting public transportation, the commercialization of Solar power, as well as numerous Danes fighting for environmental justice.
America: in fact it is an embarrassment. We are already known for being one of the biggest food wasters in the world – in our private homes throwing away 20% of brought groceries [Link] – so this is an added shock.
However as we are such a small kingdom, with only 5.6 million people who pride themselves on being ecological, it is a surprise that we share the top spot of all time natural resource consumers with huge nations like Dubai and
Simply put, we are abusing our own huge amount of wealth and resources, while trashing the planet even further. When the planet one day serves us the bill, as it always does, it may not be Denmark who’s first in line to pay
DEMENA Climate Ambassadors in workshop at Krogerup College, Denmark
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off the consequences, but with our current exploitation we’re going to be one of the primary contributors to ruining our shared planet. Our wealthy Danish government allows us all the luxuries of the 21st century, so as a conscientious nation we have to show the world that we want to create a healthier world for future generations--to live in a sustainable way and to be a role model for other 1st world countries to follow. “We are living as if we have an extra planet at our disposal” – Jim
Leape, WWF International Director Here’s how you can make a difference without having to sacrifice your lifestyle, involving three simple words and five easy steps to Stop your consumption:
I have seen Danes bring a lot of good and positive change for the better before. I believe it only takes a small step for us to move in the right direction and to become a greater and inspiring nation. The change starts with you.
>Don’t buy anything you don’t need. >Limit your HOWE-usage: Heat, Oil, Water, Electricity. >Minimize and manage your waste. >Buy quality merchandise that will last. >Don’t buy anything you don’t need!
Climate change and Food Security in Egypt By Omar Latif /EGYPTIAN Climate Ambassador After familiarizing myself with research related with impacts of climate change in Egypt , I decided to share with all of you some real facts about the impacts of climate change on food security and water scarcity in Egypt. Water scarcity The first impact of climate change in Egypt is likely be felt in the domain of water. Water is already a limited resource, with the per capita share just below 1000m3 per year and is thus at the edge of the so-called poverty line /El Quosy, 1999. The river Nile provides more than 95% of all water to Egypt, and the annual rainfall varies from a maximum of 180 mm/year on the North coast, to an average of 20 mm near the city of Cairo and diminishes to as little as 2 mm close to the city of Aswan in upper Egypt. Both water supply
and demand are expected to be exaggerated by climate change. Impacts on the supply side are likely to arise from possible changes of precipitation patterns over the Ethiopian highlands and equatorial lakes. These effects of predicted climate change on both components are uncertain. Decline in rainfall on the upper White and Blue Nile catchments and Middle Nile basin may exacerbate the situation. It is expected by 2050 that climate change will increase water demand by an average of 5% (Eid, 1999). Meanwhile, most of the population of Egypt are linked to the agricultural sector which constitutes 20% of gross national products and consumes about 80% of the water budget. However, it should be noted that there are conflicting projections of the future availability of Nile water as a result of climate change. While some simulation studies foresee an increase in Nile water increase by 25% over current yearly levels,
a larger number of studies project declines reaching up to 70% (ElQuosy, 2008). The difference in results indicates that more robust studies are needed to provide a more solid basis for the design of public policy. Ultimately, the most plausible projections seem to point to less availability of Nile water in the future. Agricultural and food insufficiency
Egyptian agriculture faces two major potential threats; the first is that River Nile might lose 30 to 60% of its main resources due to climate change. The second is that all estimates show that North African rain-fed farming would decrease to 50% owing to climate change. No detailed quantitative assessments of the actual impacts of climate change on agriculture have yet been carried out, though it is expected to decline by 10 – 60% /Pam, 1990. It is worth stating that seasonal - winter and summer crops - and geographical distribution of Egyptian crops are
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temperature controlled. The major crops in Egypt - wheat, maize, clover, rice, cotton, sugar-cane, bean, sorghum and soybean - are expected to decrease due to global change and water shortage. A doubling of CO2 might increase photosynthetic rates significantly, but crop harvests will decline due to water scarcity and heat-associated damage to plant pollination, flowering and the formation of
grains. By 2050 decline in yields due to climate change is expected to reach 28% for soybean, 18% for wheat and barley, 19% for maize and sorghum and 11% for rice, while that of cotton would be increased /Eid, 1999. Livestock production would also suffer due to reduced range of quality and availability. Hotter and drier conditions would widen the area prone
to desertification which would also be aggravated by increases in erosion and reductions in soil fertility. The economic and human costs of desertification would be tremendous. I hope leaders in our government take action now and create effective policies to reduce the risk of climate change. We’ve no time to waste…
Nuclear Power or not? By Hashim Taani /JORDANIAN Climate Ambassador It has been said that nuclear power is a clean source of energy. Moreover, that it is useful for our time as an alternative to fossil fuels. A lot of pro-nuclear people have said this for long time. So is it true? The process of generating electricity from a nuclear power plant
is relatively clean, because it produces mostly water vapor that evaporates to cool the system. Highly toxic waste However, there are something called fission fragments, which is a highly radioactive substance with high chemical toxicity. Nuclear power plants produce 16000 tons of highly toxic and radioactive material every year. That waste had to be dumped somewhere, which of course that begs the question of environmen-
Is it sustainable?
tal justice. Even before this is created there is also Uranium mining, which also pollutes: First you need to separate the ore from the rock. Then you add a type of acid in order to turn it from one compound to another. Sustainable or not? So the question remains: is nuclear energy a sustainable and clean energy?
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> Voices from the Arab Spring “On March 29, Crossing Borders together with partner Politiken hosted an engaging and well visited public debate at Politikens Hus in Copenhagen. The event was called “Voices from the Arab Spring” and the panel included two Danish ministers, namely Martin Lidegaard, Minister for Climate, Energy and Building and Christian Friis Bach, Minister for Development Cooperation.
>Speech
held by Rana Elmeligy /Climate Ambassador and Crossing Borders Global Studies student at Politikens Hus.
«Whenever I’m identified as Egyptian, the first question I am asked is whether I participated in the revolution or not. People have the perception that I represent the revolution and its people. It is not only because I am Egyptian, but because I am a young Egyptian. «Yes», would be the answer to the question of whether I participated in the revolution or not - but «yes» does not even begin to describe what I witnessed of the good, bad, and ugly that took place in Egypt. Yes, we toppled the regime of 30 years. Yes, we saw unity and hope, willingness to contribute time and energy to Egypt after decades of apathy. Because for the first time in 60 years we felt there is space for dreaming, taking ownership, shaping decisions and crafting our future. However, there are numerous questions that remain unanswered, or rather questions with answers that are too painful to accept. Why is it that after the regime was toppled, over 1000 martyrs have fallen, 200 of which died in a football match, and thousands were injured, and hundreds are missing. Why are former members of the regime not properly and fairly tried? Why are 15,000 young civilians tried under military courts and 1200 of them are underage, and for no valid reason WHILE police officers accused of murdering Egyptian protestors during the revolution are being acquitted, and by a civil court! Why are civil society organizations being subjugated to oppression? And most importantly why did the military council
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> THE LINK to a livestreaming of the event can be found here: http://www.livestream. com/crossingborders/ video?clipId=pla_0be736325549-4e49-be12-d67f1b27fe4b&utm_ source=lslibrary&utm_ medium=ui-thumb” > Christian Friis Bach (2 from right) and Martin Lidegaard (4 from right), respectively Danish Ministers of International Development and Energy at Voices of Youth event, March 2011
The story of a young Egyptian and the aftermath of the Arab Spring >CONTINUED
fail to fulfill every promise made since they took charge - to this day? In attempt to answer these questions, I give you the following: I remember running away from tear gas canisters and seeing people next to me collapse and suffocate. But I also remember seeing young men and women taking huge risks to carry out the injured to the field hospitals. I remember my friend who was arrested and sent to military prison merely for taking part in a demonstration. I remember my friend who is struggling to help the revolution’s victims and locate the missing. I also remember my friend who decided to join a protest to fight for the rights for the victims of the revolution, and nearly died in the process..he was lucky to survive because a bullet barely missed him and went for a young man next to him. I remem-
ber Moawad who used to go to Tahrir behind his parents’ back and received two bullets in the head and is now in a coma. And I remember a doctor, an engineer, a religious man, and many other good people that we lost for Egypt, during and after the revolution.
The traumas we have endured
prompted several initiatives to uncover the truth, apply pressure on those in power, and express our dreams and aspirations. We’ve seen street art and graffiti that sent very powerful and rebellious messages that resulted in authorities wiping them away. To fight the biased and dishonest state media, street media was established. A prominent example is Kazeboon, or Liars; a campaign that uses a projector, a wall, and public space to display and unveil the hidden atrocities of the military council, to inform the
uninformed.
The past year has graced us
with a parliament that has less than 10% of youth representation, a series of governments that claim that current protestors are not genuine revolutionaries but thugs and anarchists, and has graced us with an unqualified constitution drafting committee. The only thing I can say: Some of us want to keep protesting, some are waiting for a miracle, some believe there’s nothing we can really do, and some - and I am one of them - believe the least we can do is to keep on unveiling the good. The bad. And the ugly. Where does this leave us now? Well - you tell me! Thank you.
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Reclaiming Public Spaces in Egypt By Tayseer Khairy Ahmed, Egyptian Climate Ambassador It started many years ago when the people first lost ownership of their public spaces, as people were focusing on their own daily life problems. The youth created their own spaces where they could talk, express their own feelings and problems, share and exchange. Finally, when all of these people wanted to unite and create a form of action they went to Tahrir Square and they made their own revolution. Link: The Guardian: Protests in Egypt – as they happened The Egyptian revolution restored
Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring
the ownership and the belonging to the public spaces. It had never been seen before: people making a revolution, where they start to clean their own streets, paint pavement and pursue countless initiatives to create a green and sustainable country. Public spaces such as Tahrir Square in Cairo, El Arbaa Square in Suez and El Qaed Ibrahiem in Alexanderia play essential roles in the Egyptian Revolution and in raising continuous awareness in Egypt as well. It is common now to witness groups of youth who use public spaces for awareness raising campaigns on many
levels, such as climate change and its effects on Egypt, informal education for children, and teaching people how to grow their own crops and how to make compost. In the meantime you can find political campaigns in the public spaces on raising awareness about current political issues such as elections. After all, in Egypt now there is a rich agenda for the public spaces where people can enjoy, learn, engage and get involved in roles of responsibility and participate in numerous actions.
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A Country Facing Democracy >Impressions from a Dane
By Mette Toft Nielsen April 2011 was the date of my first visit ever to Egypt--meaning I had never visited the safe and less problematic country people describe it to be before the January 25 revolution. However, I still fell in love with the country rather quickly. No doubt you see the problems, and feel the instability; people are frustrated, security is lacking, and the parliament has not been able to change anything in the last months. Expectations of the coming president are indeed high! Wednesday, May 23: It is approx 35 degrees in Cairo, the sun is burning, and the line at the polling station is getting longer. Nevertheless people are flocking there, and for the first time during my stay in Cairo, I see them join the line, waiting patiently in the back, talking to the people around them, discussing, and sharing newspapers. To me this indicates how important this precedential election is to largely all Egyptians. Males
and females, youth and elders, Christians and Muslims: all social classes are represented. All have been waiting for this day to come: Egypt’s first free presidential election ever! That is huge. I feel touched when I see how they are standing there; struggling with the heat, but smiling, discussing in a friendly manner with their neighbour in line, engaging and devoting themselves to participate in the decision of making a better future for Egypt. Still, belonging to the Danish youth, who grew up with democracy as a fundamental part of society –not something I should think of with appreciationwill probably not allow me to fully grasp how huge this situation I am witnessing really is. After standing from a distance, feeling a little embarrassed by just standing there and observing, my eyes catch one of the males’ standing in line (it is a males only line). I walk over there, approach him and say: “Wow, what a line, huh?” It was actually more a conclusion than a question. But he follows up by replying: “Yes, of course. People have been waiting for this!” I could not help think-
ing how his reply indicated how obvious the matter seemed to be for him, followed by the fact that people had actually waited for this day to come. It was not the wait I had waited for, for the right-wing coalition in the Danish parliament to be out-matched, but a kind of wait I can hardly imagine. Maybe that was why people were flocking to the polling stations, making Hatem Begato (secretarygeneral of the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission), extend voting hours by an additional hour, with cars still lining up by 8pm with people wanting to make sure their vote would be included in the final count. Suddenly, the hope that during the last couple of months have seemed to be lost came to life in that line at the polling station. Expectations have never seemed higher. Whoever the president may be, I truly hope, he will be able to meet and fulfil the hope and expectations of these people and their fellow Egyptian citizens!
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CROSSING BORDERS PAKISTAN The Climate Ambassadors are working hard to put climate on the agenda in the MENA region. On the other side of the world, Pakistan is also facing enormous challenges, relating to climate, such as the recent devastating floods in the region, and other issues. Still, youth are getting active to try to make a change. One example is Crossing Borders Pakistan, CB Pakistan, an informal association of Crossing Borders Denmark. The founder, Bilal Masood, writes about his experiences after returning from Denmark.
Staying Positive against odds By Bilal Masood
my interviews as their Hero and invited me as a guest in several programmes.
After an enriching 2011 as a student at Crossing Border’s Global Studies in Denmark, I have returned back to my home country. Yes, I am now in Pakistan, at the right place and at the very right time. There are some leading TV Channels who have aired
Expectations are high from the youth who are looking at me to be a source of change that could motivate them to make a positive difference in society.
/Founder of Crossing Borders Pakistan
There are people who have encouraged my work abroad as the Youth Ambassador of Pakistan and locally to inspire youth which consist of more than 65% of my country’s population. There are those who never thought that I would return home so soon and were thus surprised. Then there are also those who ask when I am expecting to go abroad again.
ates despondency, and this is all-pervasive. With issues like illiteracy, unemployment, child labor, gender discrimination, family pressures and with horrible impacts like suicidal behavior, usage of drugs all indicate that when one can’t see a future, one starts to mythologize a new society one think will come from ashes of violence which may be a shortcut, but will inevatably have devastating results. Unfortunately, extremist tendencies are increasing among Pakistani youth and it gives an opportunity to indoctrinate such minds by the forces who exploit religion for political and power purposes.
They say this because we are going through some very tumultuous phases in our country’s historyPakistan has been plagued with enormous internal challenges like the menace of terrorism and extremism, the energy crisis, rampant corruption, poor governance and monstrous challenges for youth, to mention but a few.
However, amidst impediments, there are a number of passionate young people who are trying to do what little they can to inspire the generation who have the present and future in their hands. Although, it may be a little drop in the ocean, youngsters of Pakistan have to play their part according to their capacities to make a difference in their societies.
My answer is very clear to those people that this is the time when Pakistan needs me the most and I am here to stay and play my role to bring about change. The lack of opportunities and regard for merit and virtue cre-
Their positive stories need to be promoted and encouraged by all which will be the beacon of light for others around them. Crossing Borders Pakistan: http:// crossingborderspakistan.wordpress.com is one of the informal
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associations of Crossing Borders in Denmark which I founded last year with an aim of waging non-violent action and to spread positive energies around among the youth with the collaborative efforts of like-minded stakeholders. Change will not come from radical revolution, but from little
steps. It is only the start that we need, start with cleaning our community, start with raising our voice for justice if someone cuts in-line, start with respecting different points of view, start with teaching a child whose parents cannot afford to pay the school fee, and most importantly start with asking
ourselves everyday what role we played today for making our society more just and effective.
>BILAL’S BLOG: http://myvoiceforpakistan.blogspot.com/
Voices of Youth Bilal /Crossing Borders Pakistan “This is the time when Pakistan needs me the most and I am here to stay and play my role to bring about change”
>WATCH the interview with Bilal http://crossingborderspakistan.wordpress.com
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Voices of Youth GHANA Having heard the story of a passionate, young Pakistani activist, we will move to another part of the world where the challenges are different, but the enthusiasm and energy among the youth are the same. The following articles are written by young people in Ghana. The Voices of Youth project focuses on ensuring effective youth participation in Ghana’s democratic experiment and good governance pursuit as a nation. Following the multiple discovery of oil in commercial quantities off the west coast of Ghana, the need for capacity building for youth advocacy and civic engagement is urgent and extremely high. Without youth participation, the nation risks loosing all the gains made so far in building about two decades of efforts at achieving good governance at all levels.
Bridging the Information Gap in the Energy Sector By Emmanuel Kwesi Menshah In too many countries, oil booms have left the development to remain elusive, in that the rich get richer, the poor
stay poor, corruption flourishes, economies stagnate, whilst social conflict and environmental damage deepens. It is against this backdrop that youth advocates inducted by YES-Ghana are trying in our own small ways to help
YES-Ghana Youth Advocates conference on oil good governance, Tokoradi, Nov. 2011
our Nation Ghana to avoid this resource curse--a trap that many of its contemporaries have fallen into. Since the production of Ghana’s oil is chiefly offshore, the people
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CROSSING BORDERS
Creating Space for Dialogue
that are directly affected are the fisher folk. Thus, as youth advocates for good governance in Ghana’s oil sector, we made the legitimate concerns of fisher folk in our district a point of advocacy. The forum for the fishers With the help of YES-Ghana, we held a stakeholders’ forum on the 6th of October last year at a town called Aboadze, in the Shama district, Western Ghana to discuss the impact of Ghana’s oil exploration activities on fisheries in Ghana and also to advocate for the security of livelihoods of the fisher folk. The forum moreever brought together major stakeholders in the marine economic environment including government officials, traditional authorities, and representatives from oil companies. The forum also set in motion processes to establish dialogue between the fisher folk and other stakeholders in the oil sector to help address and resolve mutual concerns and also provide a platform for representatives of the oil companies to share their thoughts, experiences and pertinent issues with the forum participants. The forum had about 100 participants attending and these participants brought to the forum a valuable mix of experiences and perspectives as well as community desires and concerns. Feedbacks from the forum participants after the forum was
very much appreciated as there were calls for continuous dialogue on the theme so as to ensure resolution of mutual concerns. The forum has had a great impact in my community and the district as a whole because pertinent questions such as why fishermen were forbidden from fishing closer to the rig, what oil companies have done or are doing pertaining to corporate social responsibilities to compensate the frontline district, as well as the security measures that have been put in place to mitigate the possible effect of oil spillage and ballast water discharge on marine and human lives were all addressed. The forum also in some way helped to bridge the obvious information gap in the energy
sector and also provided a market place for the trading of ideas and perspectives on the production, utilization and general governance of the oil sector in Ghana. As an advocate, together with other young people in my community, the activity has inculcated in us the perception that young people are undoubtedly invaluable partners and an essential ingredient for social development and that there is a need for us to bring to the table creativity, enthusiasm, exuberance and leadership skills towards local development. We are also looking forward to bring on board other programs and activities that will go a long way to making the oil find in Ghana a blessing rather than a curse.
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CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
Experiences from Live Radio Program in Ghana By Amos Katsekpor, CYIB-Curious Minds Takoradi Media and radio work means to me staying in the studio and having a live program with listeners calling in to share their thoughts on the issues being discussed. But in the advent of emerging issues in contemporary times, one has to be innovative and creative in order to broaden the scope of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s listeners. There are so many categories of listeners: the well informed people, people most affected, stakeholders and many more. Live programs, like the ones I am used to, never offered the chance to reach out to all these people. The only sec-
tion our programs addressed was mainly town dwellers and they are already well informed and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have many problems. Taking part in media training in community radio exposed me to some of the challenges in the world of media and radio. For example, there is the challenge of a community unwilling to respond and aid in data collection, or the important factor of language which can create a great barrier as our live studio programs were mostly in English. The exposure to community radio enabled me to be critically and in an unbiased manner analyse the information. It also gave me the options
of diverse choices of approach in tackling issues, especially with the training session I had in the area of youth in oil and gas governance. It helped equip me with the technical know-how in media work as well. These training sessions and ďŹ eld work have together enabled me to be able to gather information and produce my own programs, not to forget how appreciative I feel when I am through with a production. These experiences can never be forgotten as it has given me the opportunity to take up an initiative to propel youth involvement in the oil and gas industry.
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Using Media Skills to Inform Local People about the Effects of Oil
By Dora Mochiah, CYIB-Curious Minds I am a member of Children and Youth in Broadcasting. I live in the harbour city of Takoradi in Ghana’s Western Region. Until I visited Adwoa, a fishing community 20 kilometers away, I would not have known that there is a need to use the radio to inform people about developments around them. During a broadcasting training visit to Adwoa I was surprised to learn that many young people did not know about the discovery and drilling of oil off their coast, let alone about the possibility of oil spillage. I was surprised to find out that some of the young people in Adwoa had not even heard of Ghana’s oil discovery. Many have little knowledge about the discovery and drilling of oil from the Jubilee oilfields. Being a member of the Children and Youth Broadcasting group has changed my outlook and approach when it comes to sharing information and knowledge. I think with the right skills, young people can greatly benefit from sharing information
through radio. I also learnt that I must be the one to take charge and start looking at issues myself, since it is obvious that an issue may be the talk of the day, yet some young people may have little or no idea about it. This group of young people might be failing to note that discussions on oil and gas governance and other youth related issues are very important in their lives.
But the challenge is how to get members of the community interested in sharing information. With the training from facilitators from the Ghana Community Radio Network, we have been using participatory tools to learn and share information from community members. One new thing that I learnt is that when I first come to a community, I should make friends with community members by showing interest in whatever they are doing. This makes them
feel comfortable around me and they then communicate more freely. I felt happy when I realized that community members were appreciating me for what I was doing, not only as a young person but also as a woman. To some extent, this was because I was leading them through the interview sessions and they felt this was a role for men and not women, since in our society women are often relegated to the background and are not even allowed to speak in public. Young people are always appealing that their rights and participation should be at the forefront of development. What I realized from field trips organized as part of the training is that most young people can effectively participate in oil governance and other issues that affect them based on how much knowledge they have about the issues, the quality of information they have, as well and how well they can be assisted to share the information.
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A Story of Personal Empowerment from YES-Ghana By Felix Aryee, Curious Minds When I first started peer education I was shy and unsure of myself, but now, as many will tell you, I have blossomed into a person who stands up for what he believes in, isn’t shy to speak, and has developed a passion to make change rather than sit back and wait for change to happen. Having been part of a few training and capacity building programmes organized by Curious Minds Ghana and YES-Ghana (Youth Empowerment Synergy) on issues concerning youth and government as a whole, I have channelled all my strength and knowledge into using the mouth
piece (radio) of the community in my area as a platform to relay the information and experience to the local public. The training I have been given has also broadened my horizon on best practices to approach issues that concern the youth, such as STI’s, Gender Empowerment, Poverty Reduction, etc. No easy task It is not an easy task to encourage the youth to develop a changed attitude towards their lives, but it is always worth a try. I hope that those I educate will take the information given, apply it to their lives, make responsible decisions, and eventually become positive role models for the future
YES-Ghana Youth Advocates conference on oil good governance, Tokoradi, Nov. 2011
youth in our society.
I want the youth of my generation and future generations to be empowered. I want us to speak up when the current education system is out-of-date and ensure policy makers create positive policies that affect the youth are implemented.
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YES-GHANA INTERVIEW:
Wendy Mercy Minnah on Youth, Oil and Gas in Ghana > Wendy (24) is an executive Member of The Interim Steering Committee of the “Youth Platform on Oil and Gas”. From The Ahanta West District. YES-Ghana: When you first heard about the discovery of oil off the West coast of Ghana, what were your expectations, hopes and fears? Wendy: My expectations were that many jobs would spring up, reducing the rate of unemployment especially among the youth in my region and that it would boost Ghana’s economy and increase our standards of living. I really hoped to get employed in one of the oil companies with a “fat salary” since I was almost one with school. Furthermore, I also assumed that the government would now increase its own role in the economy and also encourage more private sector activities related to the oil and that in a short time, Ghana’s economy would improve just like those of other successful oil drilling countries. But I also had fears- like that there would be land disputes among the traditional authorities of the frontline communities, that oil revenue would be mismanaged by those in authority, or that people in the frontline communities would face increased health problems. YES-Ghana:
The production of oil in Ghana provides a great opportunity for young people. In your opinion, how can young people engage meaningfully and ensure that the emerging oil industry would yield development, peace and non-violence? Wendy: In my opinion, I think there should be a body within the Ghana National Youth Authority friendly to all, with a listening ear and mandated by the government and the Ghana National Petroleum Company to educate the youth through programmes, advertisement and projects and which would also provide them with general information about the operations of the oil/gas industry. In other words, the youth should be fed the right information. In this way the youth can visit this institution with representatives in their districts and ask important questions about the industry. Secondly, the educational system of the country should encourage more practical and on-the-field training, especially in the senior high schools where youth can develop the tendency for manual related jobs and not only office jobs. YES-Ghana: What was your motivation to
join the project ‘Youth for good governance’ in Ghana’s emerging oil economy? Wendy: I joined the ‘Youth for Good Governance’ project because it was an opportunity I was waiting for to learn more about the oil discovery off the West coast of Ghana. YES-Ghana: What impact did the activities have on your community, in particular the youth? Wendy: During the implementation of our action plan, the youth were informed about, among other issues, non-violent ways to solve issues which they embraced and even expressed their interest to be part of the Youth Advocates. YES-Ghana: If you compare the situation before the project started and now, what has changed? Wendy: Now, with regards to the employment situation where youth had high hopes to work in the oil sector, they have channeled their interests to other sectors of employment like entrepreneurships and agriculture,
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since they have been made aware that they also are indirectly related to the oil sector. YES-Ghana: As a member of the interim steering committee of the youth platform on oil and gas, what are you personally going to do to ensure that the voices of the youth are heard?
Wendy: I am going to work together with the executives of the various youth associations so that they can bring to the fore the concerns of the youth of their respective associations. Also, I will encourage them to form more youth groups so that together we can get more young people involved.
Crossing Borders Peace in The Horn of Africa Workshop in Nairobi - November 2011
YES-Ghana: What is your vision for the youth of your district/country? Wendy: My vision is to see more educated and empowered young people who will contribute meaningfully to their own development in all aspects and the district at large.
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
CROSSING BORDERS EAST AFRICA Crossing Borders is not only active in Ghana, but also on the Eastern part of the African continent. Climate change is at the root of and exascerbates many conflicts in the Greater Horn of Africa, deeply affecting youth. Nevertheless, the spirit of youth participation is evident. Youth who have participated in Crossing Borders’ projects in the area have created the GREHAYA NGO.
>Crossing Borders seminar in November 2011, Nairobi The youth from Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan went to Nairobi´s tech center iHub to talk to Erik Hersman, one of the founders of the crowd mapping company Ushahidi.com.
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
They Face Hunger, War and Illiteracy By Gry Brøndum
The youth in the Greater Horn of Africa is the most challenged in the word. Crossing Borders supports the group GREHAYA, who wants peace. Being young in The Greater Horn of Africa can be tough: war, violence, hunger, Illiteracy, unemployment and HIV are just a handful of serious issues that kids from Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia grow up facing. Some become pirates, some become soldiers - and some try to look for a more peaceful future. As Deng Malek from the group GREHAYA writes in the group’s common blog: ”In South Sudan
most of the youth are illiterate, so they can’t contribute positively in the affairs of the state or nation building process.” And the result is, as he states, that most youth are: ”recruited in the army of militia groups to earn a living”. The majority of the population in the Greater Horn of Africa today is youth. So in order to create peace in the Horn of Africa, it is crucial to focus on empowering the youth by providing them with the necessary tools to avoid a violent path. In 2011 Crossing Borders organized two leadership and capacity building seminars in Nairobi for the 25 members of GREAHAYA focusing on youth advocacy, communication, project building and social
GREHAYA at Kuona Trust Art Center, Nairobi, Kenya - November 2011
media. And since Crossing Borders has chosen the Horn of Africa as one of the three core focus areas for the upcoming years, CB will continue to support GREHAYA and the youth in the Greater Horn of Africa, by helping GREHAYA to get registered as a regional non profit organization in Kenya, which will enable them to apply for funds and establish a regional office, and to connect GREHAYA with other youth organizations in the region. Read more about the youth and their problems on the common blog, which was set up during the seminar in Nairobi, November 2011: www.hornofafricapeaceadvocates.blogspot.com
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
Crossing Borders Global Studies Spring 2012 >Back in Denmark, the Global Study students are searching for solutions to and learning about climate challenges.
The following articles are the students’ reflections from experiences from their Sustainable Tour 2012. For almost two weeks, the 20 international students (including one Dane) travelled around Denmark, visiting places promoting more sustainable development – both on a small and a large scale. The first stop was Ærø, an island located south of Funen, 75 minutes by ferry from the port town of Svendborg. Ærø has actively worked with renewable energy for decades, using wind turbines, solar energy and biomass to provide the island with electricity and heat. At the island, the students had the chance to visit the world’s second largest solar power plant and to get inside a wind turbine, as well as visiting a farmer working using organic methods. For the braver ones, a dip in the rather cold sea water was a refreshing part of the daily plan. The study trip continued to Odense, Århus and Samsø, where the students visited places such as the Århus NGO-centre, the HC Andersen House, Samsø’s nature school and the Samsø energy centre. The trip gave the students important input and knowledge about sustabinable development – and a unique chance to see new and diverse sides of Denmark.
Søren Hermansen presenting the Samsø Energy Academy to the CB Students, Spring 2012
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
SEA - SAMSØ ENERGY ACADEMY By Szilvia Szmitsek, Crossing Borders Global Study student, spring 2012 On a cold windy morning we visited a unique place called Samsø Energy Academy. The academy was built to concentrate on a sustainable future through a number of renewable energy projects and to make these accessible to others. This is where Samsø communicates all the experience that the island has amassed from its many renewable energy projects: from wind turbines and straw-based district heating to rapeseed oil tractors and solar panels. The academy also functions as a conference centre, where companies, scientists and politicians can discuss renewable energy, energy saving and new technologies, and house an exhibition and energy summer school for tourists and school students visiting the island. The two-wing academy building lies in the middle of a green meadow with a view of the sea; close to the sea’s energy, and with plenty of solar warmth radiating down upon it. The building’s form language is a modern interpretation of the local building style of simple saddle-roof houses.
Both the design and the materials have been chosen on the basis of sustainable ideas. The architecture utilises low-energy, prefabricated and high-insulating building components, and the building is clad with zinc, contrasted with black-painted spruce panels. To minimise electricity consumption the academy makes optimal use of natural daylight, solar panels and natural ventilation. The academy has minimal drinking water consumption and uses rainwater to flush the toilets. We were very lucky because inside the building we met Søren Hermansen, the director of the Samsø Energy Academy. He is well-known in Europe, Japan and in the US. The locals and his wife consider him a heroe because he turned Samsø into a world famous, nearly CO2 neutral community. Visitors including ambassadors and experts come from all over the world to admire Samsø’s miracle. Soren still fights for greener transportation. SEA together with the local community now try to find a path toward a greener future for Samsø with electric cars. “What we have done on the island during the last years is reconstructing the energy production
from fossils to green energy”, Søren explained. He said the use of proven technologies is the key to success. His main theory is ’think local and act local’ which worked incredibly well in the process of getting the locals engaged in the Master Plan in 1997. The Master Plan aimed to have green reform on the island namely to reduce CO2 levels and to produce renewable energy. Søren worked very hard to convince the locals in many different meetings to use new technologies such as new pipes, solar panels, heating pump systems, and better insullation. The community accepted the new ideas because they felt that their opinion mattered. The new local knowledge created local jobs. In addition, these changes helped the island survive and has bolstered the local economy. Samsø has the ambitious plan to be fossil free by 2030. I do believe that this community will be able to achieve its goal because they already have taken major steps towards creating a fossilfree future, not to mention they have the key to success, i.e. the common knowledge and a charismatic, talented leader of the community. Good luck, Samsø!
> Global Studies visit to Samsø Energy Academy, Spring 2012
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
„Be yourself because everybody else is taken” By Szabina Lócki and Melvine Elyse Ta /Global Studies Crossing Borders 2012 During the study trip, the Global Studies visited the KaosPilot School. It was founded in 1991 in Aarhus, Denmark. The school grew out of a youth organisation called the Front Runners, who worked with cultural and social projects. The KaosPilots is a self-governing institution comprised of two parts: the school and the consultancy. The purpose of the Kaospilots is “positive so-
cial change through personal growth”. The main mission of KAOSPILOT is based on management, education for people from different cultures – using their creativity to achieve action and develop good ideas. The goal is to be the best school for the world. It is to create an environment where people love to learn, create and discover their entrepreneurial and leadership skills, trying to achieve „... positive social change through personal growth.” The program
is based on four pillars: Leadership, Project, Process and Business. Szabina explains: “The most interesting thing in their education for me was that they emphasized the importance of the unique approach of Leadership as an essential part of the methodology. We also got the chance to talk to some students who were working in their project in the school. They were open-minded, curious and interested”.
CB students conducting a workshop on the UNMDGS, Rungsted High School, Denmark
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
The study tour and the focus on sustainability and climate throughout the course is one of the central parts of the entire Crossing Borders experience. Here are two students’ reflections after having spent one semester in the Global Studies course.
Denmark through the eyes of a Muslim girl By Shahiya A Manik, Crossing Borders Global Study student, spring 2012 When I first told friends and family I received the Crossing Borders scholarship to Denmark, I was told with a pat on the back that it will be tough. Weeks followed with sad looks and depressing comments about Denmark being a racist and prejiduce country till I left in December 2011. I consoled myself at the Copenhagen airport before I stepped out with strength and a deep breath. But the funny part is that Denmark and it’s people are nothing like what I heard. It’s definitely not discriminatory towards a Muslim girl from Asia. The people I met did not care if I was brown skinned or that I was Muslim. For them what mattered was, what I thought about global issues and what I had to say about it. So, this is about Crossing Borders Global Studies program through the eyes of a Muslim girl who spent 6 months in Denmark studying about global perspec-
tives and global awareness. I sat in a class with 20 other people from around the world talking about global activism and discussing current international affairs. Crossing Borders program had modelled me into a global citizen, to “think globally and act globally.” It has taught me talking about change does not change things, acting upon it does. The concept of dialogue space doesn’t need to be just about brain storming but could be used to build more concrete platforms. What’s more is the idea of a folk high school, free from exams. I have never been a theory based student anyways--for me practical and active learning is very important. The idea of the folk high school as driven by the student’s eagerness and passion to learn is very important, as you cannot force anyone to learn something. When I leave in June, I will take back a lot: The platform Crossing Borders had provided for me to be an active global citizen. The time the school has given me to explore my passion in life and
in others. The opportunity it has given me to live and study in an international environment. I will miss the fun things that have become a part of my life, cleaning toilets with my roommate in the morning, Saturday parties in the small hall. The beautiful forest that surrounds the school and the quiet cemetery across the main road which had become so green and part of my every day walk, and most importantly the people I’ve met who have made such an impact on my life. This is my 6 months and experience in less than 500 words which I will cherish for a very long time to come.
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
>Crossing the Borders By Jose Arce Bayona /Crossing Borders Global Study student spring 2012
“Caminante no hay camino” (own translation) by Antonio Machado Traveller, it’s your footprints that are the path, nothing more; Traveller, there is no path, the path is made by walking. By walking the path is made and looking back you see the trail you will never tread again. Traveller, there is no path, only the wake upon the sea… Some time ago in this place where today the forests are full of hawthorns you could hear the voice of a poet shout “Traveller, there is no path, the path is made by walking…”>
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
There are those who walk seeking adventure. There are those who walk slowly because they are confused. They are those who cannot understand how a few can impose their law on the rest, therefore they walk and walk; maybe one day they’ll understand. There are those who are led to walk because they feel foreign in their own land. There are those who walk shyly and sad because they don’t have anyone to walk with. There are those who walk their entire lives and it gives them the ineffable: Happiness. Perhaps there is no purpose in walking. Perhaps there is no destination. What counts is simply that we continue, walking the path, crossing the borders. What a paradox is this surreal process of globalization: Free movement of goods, but no free movement of people. Personally, I consider this process, a cry of humanity to connect, share and learn from each other. Globalization has given us a certain “ease” to cross physical borders. However, globalization has made it even harder to cross those abstract borders, those borders that stand between one human being
and another human being, those borders that by crossing, leads us to the understanding of other human beings and, as John Steinbeck said, by understanding other human beings, understanding their conditions, why they do what they do, why they are who they are the only path that remains, is the path to love. The privilege I was born in, privilege that not many can have, allowed me to travel and cross physical borders. However I underestimated the trouble I would have to go through in order to cross those borders that I cannot not see, separating me from the people of every country I visited. The crossing of physical borders allowed me to learn different languages, to be faced with other cultures and other people from around the world. This cultural diversity I was constantly faced with awoke my curiosity early about foreign cultures and in achieving a deeper understanding of the conditions each human being has to live in, whether they’re terrified or peaceful. We’re all shaped by the existing conditions in our environment. Each culture I faced or lived in represented new perspectives and challenges, as I had to learn new ways of speaking, to
understand the different established values, norms and conventions and to get to know their history, traditions and manners. I constantly had to adapt in order to be fully integrated into these new cultures, but these processes have been the ones that have enriched and inspired me the most. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to cross physical borders because even though most of our political class likes to talk about democracy, this is nonexistent in most countries of the world. One cannot talk about democracy, if one is not listening to their people. The Zapatista folk tale Nevertheless, the crossing of these invisible borders is something that one can do personally and indeed for mankind. Something that helped me cross them, is that I understood that even though we all come from the womb of a woman we are different, however equal. We are black. We are white. We are yellow. We are tall and small, but most important of all: We are human. To discuss how one can cross these invisible borders I will use a Zapatista folk tale, written by the Sub Comandante Marcos himself. The folk tale tells the story about
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
two Mayan Indians who were wondering why the macaw had so many colors. The older Indian tells that in the beginning of time, the macaw didn’t have any color. It was grey, white and black, as the rest of the world. One night, the gods were fighting, as usual, because the world was so dull with only two colors to paint with. So they agreed they would make more colors to make life more joyous for men and woman. The first god took a walk to clarify his thoughts and he got so deep in his thoughts that he forgot to see where he was walking and tripped on a stone so big that he hit his head and he began bleeding. When he saw the color of his blood, he ran back to the other gods to show them the new color and that was how red was born. The second god went in search of a color that would represent hope and after walking and walking he succeeded. Green was the fourth color to be born. The third god started digging deep in the soil searching for the color of the heart of the Earth. As he found the heart of the Earth, he showed it to the other gods. Brown was the fifth color to be born. The forth god wanted to find out the color of the world, so he began to go very high up, until he saw the color of the world, however he didn’t know how to bring it to the other gods. So he stared and stared until he became blind because the color of the world stuck to his eyes. He went back down and told the other gods he had the color of the world in his eyes and blue was the sixth color to be born. The fifth god went to look for another color, until he heard a child laughing and he decided to take his smile away and left him in tears. That’s why they say chil-
dren can be laughing for a minute and then crying in another. The color of the child’s smile was the seventh color to be born and it was named yellow. The gods became tired eventually and drank themselves to sleep, leaving the colors in a little box under a tree. The box wasn’t closed tightly enough and the colors began to escape and to play and mix together giving birth to more and more colors. The tree protected the colors from the rain so that they wouldn’t wash away. As the gods woke up, they talked to the tree and told him that he protected the colors and that he would have to take care of them and that from his top they will paint the world. The gods climbed to the top and colors began flying all over the place. The blue remained partly in the sky and partly in the sea. The green fell into plants and trees. The brown, which was the heaviest, fell to the ground and the yellow, which was the laugh of a child, went to paint the sun. As they spread more colors around, a mess began to emerge because they didn’t care where the colors went. Some colors eventually fell over men and woman and that’s why there are humans of different colors and ways of thinking. After a long journey of painting they decided to rest. However, as they didn’t want to forget the colors they learnt about a safe way to keep them. As the macaw was passing, they caught it and began to paint all the colors on it. That was how the macaw came to hold all its colors and flies around just in case men and woman forget how many colors there are and how many ways of thinking there are and that maybe by seeing the macaw flying with great beauty they will be reminded that the world would be a better place if all the colors and all the ways of thinking had their place.
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
CB Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 41, June 2012
CROSSING BORDERS
Creating Space for Dialogue