The World Youth Congress series was born in 1997 following the frustrations of the Rio +5 meeting where Governments and organisations met to discuss what progress had been made since the original Rio Earth Summit. How best to keep the concept of sustainable development in the public eye? Conceived as a kind of Young People’s Earth Summit, it became, instead, a process of identifying priorities for the new Millennium. The 1st Congress, held in Hawaii in October 1999, was entitled: the Millennium Young People’s Congress (MYPC). It identified ten key priorities for the new millennium – 8 of which closely mirrored the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, agreed a year later at the UN Millennium Summit. The key message of that first congress was: “Young people want to be active in development, not just beneficiaries of development aid delivered by others…” So was born the concept of Youth-led Development, and the Be the Change Youth-led Development programme which are central to the whole World Youth Congress Series.
Subsequent Congresses – in Morocco in 2003, Scotland in 2005 and Quebec City, Canada in 2008 – have all discussed one main question: “What are the most effective ways that government, UN and other development aid agencies can use the incredible talent, energy and idealism of young people in their shared effort to make poverty history in a sustainable way and achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goals?” Each Congress is unique: hosts are encouraged to stamp the identity and culture of their country on their congress and make it their own. Each also has several other features that distinguish the World Youth Congress Series from other International Youth Gatherings:
1. A strong cultural programme, instructive, often youth-led workshops, debates, an Educators programme, a Young Journalists programme and inter-action between development professionals and youth activists characterize the content of each congress. The content of the programme, the selection of the delegates, the staffing of the Congress, plenaries and workshops are handled by young people – some from Peace Child International and its network of youth leaders around the world, some from the Host Country. The Congress is Youth-owned;
2. A key part of every congress is Local Action Projects – where all delegates travel away from the Congress site and work with local people to build up facilities, do an environmental clean-up or assist in some social programme. The time away from the talking being engaged in doing has defined the World Youth Congress Series.
3. The emphasis on Action continues in the interval between each congress with a series of Action Projects proposed by delegates being funded to exemplify good practice learned at the Congress workshops and seminars.
4. But the real impact of the congress comes from the informal discussions of the young activists who share experiences and stories and inspire their peers to get started or keep going to address the urgent needs of their community and the world.
