“All the News

That‘s Fit to Print“

No 5 Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010 Free copy

TO TRANSLATE DISCUSSION INTO ACTION

40 degrees and a humidity of almost
60% in Istanbul did not stop 1,300 young
people from all over the world to discuss
and act. They spent more then 10 days
in workshops, panels and roundtables
to find solutions on current youth issues.
It will be completed by the Istanbul
Action Plan which will be presented at
the World Youth Conference in Mexico
in end of August.
The Campus ofYildiz Technical Univer-
sity in Davutpasa was in the last couple
of days crowded o 1300 young people
from 147 countries. They came together
for the 5th World Youth Congress (WYC)
to Istanbul to discuss,among other things,
the Millenium Development Goals and
how they can be achieved. Moreover
the Congress´ main theme was the old
Turkish solidarity system “imece – joint
action”. According to Minister of State
Faruk Nafiz Özak, the “world youth had
the oppurtunity to get to know and live
the charms of Istanbul and Turkey, as a
place of a huge historical heritage, an
example of peaceful and tolerant living
togetherness of various different cultures”.
The WYC is supported by the Ministry
of State,e-Youth Association,Peace Child
International, Istanbul Metropolitan
Municipality Youth Council and Istanbul
European capital of culture 2010.During
the opening speech various speakers
from different countries and politicians
from Turkey were honoured to speak at
this Congress and to support this kind
of movement.
Özak stressed that the cultural
exchange comes from two sides. “One
perspective comes from Turkish youth
who hale from 27 different towns in
Turkey and the other global perspective
comes of young people from all over
the world.”
This Congress was aimed to give them
a platform, where they can exchange
their experiences on society work.
Moreover to give them the opportunity
“to spread their messages to the world
by being an example.”
During the first week of the Congress,
more then 400 workshops were held.
The Congress continued with Action
Projects through 27 different cities of
Turkey. They varied from planting trees
to painting schools and cleaning the
environment.With those kind of Projects
the main aim of the Congress to translate
discussion into action.The projects that
have been held in Turkey over the past
four days have been a stepping stone for
many young activists to carry this kind of
experience back home.
According to Özak those kind of plat-
forms are important for the exchange of
youth “based on the principles of tole-
rance, cooperation and perceptiveness.
I, as the Minister of Youth, am honoured
to host such kind of event in the period
when youth movements are moving
forward and we are glad to be in the
frontline of this movement.”.
The 5th World Youth Congress is closed
through the Istanbul Action Plan which con-
cludes the process of developing the aims,
goals and outcomes of the WYC and the Faruk Nafiz Özak emphasised the vision,free thoughts lifestyle,productivity, He finished his speech by congratu- Congress will head off to theYouth March
Youth March to Taksim,which is a common importance of youth since they are “the dynamism and dreams of youth are one lating the young people to the Year of to celebrate the UN´s Year of Youth
custom of the World Youth Congress. treasure of every country. The energy, of the main powers to shape the future.” Youth. After this the participants of the starting today.

The 6th World Youth Congress:

Our Hopes and Expectations By Audry Maulana – Indonesia

After two weeks of countless work-
shops, thoughts sharing, trying to find
solution for our regional issues, lear-
ning the true meaning of “imece”, and
also, learning so many other cultural
values, we finally come to the very last
moments of the 5th World Youth Con-
gress. In Istanbul, we celebrated youth
and intercultural understanding toge-
ther with more than 1000 active young
people coming from 147 countries.
The World Youth Congress, which
have been a series of youth congresses
that started in Hawaii, 1999. After the
Hawaii Congress, it has been held
in Morocco (2003), Scotland (2005),
Quebec City (2008),and in our inspiring
and sharing their ideas in the tropical
atmosphere of Rio de Janeiro..
“I wish that my country would work
hard in organizing the congress, so
the delegates would feel welcomed in
Brazil.” said Neil Endrigo, one of many
Brazilian delegates.“Rio de Janeiro is a
very crowded city, it would take a hard
work to hold such congress here, but
I still feeling optimist that Brazil can
organize the congress successfully”
he continue. “And also, I think Brazil,
especially Rio de Janeiro would have
a better infrastructure because of the
world cup that also will be held Brazil
in 2014” said Neil.
Another opinion comes from Arabel
there so we can exchange experience
over there, and I hope we can make
youth voices more heard.” “Keep the
messages going, believe in you, I think
it‘s important to keep our voice heard,
because voices of youth are really can
make difference.”
But not everyone knows about the
6th congress that will be held in Rio
de Janeiro. For example, Emil Yaditya, a
delegate from Indonesia,confessed that
he wasn’t aware of that. “I don’t know
that the exact location of the congress
has been selected, I was hoping that my
city, Jakarta, would be the place for the
next congress” said Emil with a frown,
“but anyway, I think Brazil as a new
economical power of the world would
do their best to hold an event as big as
the World Youth Congress, I have my
optimism in Brazil.” said Emil.“I hope I
can attend the next congress, because
I feel I gain so much knowledge while
attending the 5th WYC in Istanbul.”
We hoped that the 6th world youth
congress will become a youth congress
where all of our voices be heard by
everyone in the whole world.We hoped
that in the next world youth congress
series, we can gain much more know-
ledge and able to share our thoughts
and views regarding issue that has
becoming a global issue.And at the end,
we all hoped that in Rio de Janeiro we
can gather once again, as a youth who
eager to make differences in the world
we living.
Obrigado Istanbul, obrigado Turquia,
vedo vocês no Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
(Thank you Istanbul, thank you Turkey,
see you in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!)

Istanbul (2010). For the next congress,
that is the 6th World Youth Congress will
be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2012.
Rio de Janeiro has been famous for
its beautiful beaches such as Copaca-
bana Beach and Ipanema Beach. And
of course, who doesn’t know about the
statue of Christ the Redeemer which has
been elected as the new Seven Wonders
of the World. In Rio, two years from now,
we will once again meet bright young
minds coming from all over the globe
Queiroz, another delegates comes from
Brazil “Well I think that the world youth
congress is a good idea for youth to
get together and sharing ideas which
not only important for the youth but
also important for everyone in the
world. This is also a good experience
for youths coming from all around the
globe.” When asked about how the 6th
World Youth Congress would be, she
said “By then, we have time to reflect
and I hope there will be more Brazilian
LET’S CLICK!
If you can manage to find an Internet connectıon some-
where, the team of the Virtual Congress would be happy
if you could upload your photos, videos, PowerPoints or
Outcomes of your Workshops or whatever that is related
to our Congress. Moreover we would be thrilled if you
could write a little blog post yourself or comment on the
posts of others.
If you can’t manage to find Internet our doors are open.
Several Pictures, Blogs, Videos and Radio
Podcasts are already available on the
Virtual Congress platform.
Find us in the Jumanji something building, (you might
know it as C) in room number D214 on the ground floor
where we have several computers that are connected to
the Internet.
So get started and check out
the Virtual Congress @ www.virtualwyc.net
or write to us @ virtual@unitedgames.org
2 No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010
A Sign of the Times
THE CATEGORY OF YOUNG JOUR-
NALISTS AT THE 5TH WORLD
YOUTH CONGRESS IN ISTANBUL
IS AN ACTIVE AND COURAGEOUS
GROUP OF ALMOST 100 BUDDING
YOUNG REPORTERS WHO ARE
CONTRIBUTING A HUGE AMOUNT
TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THIS
CONFERENCE BY CREATING A FLOW
OF CONTENT THAT WILL CONTINUE
TO SERVE THE CONGRESS AIMS
LONG AFTER WE HAVE ALL PACKED
UP AND RETURNED TO OUR 147+
HOME COUNTRIES. REPRESENTING
SO MANY DIVERSE CULTURES AND
BACKGROUNDS, IT IS REMAR-
KABLE TO SEE THE GROWTH OF
THIS COLLECTIVE EFFORT BY SUCH
TALENTED AND CREATIVE YOUNG
MINDS AS THEY STRIVE TO TELL
THE STORIES THAT MATTER FROM
THIS LANDMARK EVENT.
Peace Journalism Workshop –
We Deserve Better News!
Nowadays, 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week covering characterizes the media
system by promoting ‘infotainment’
(information and entertainment) accor-
ding to the political and economical
interests of the media. This situation
is the consequence of the structural
aspects of the media: the personal fea-
Youth-led projects found a new web ally
A new interactive and useful website to
propose and find assistance for develop-
ment projects was launched six weeks
ago in Germany. Develop 2.0 is a new
platform created by a non-profit organi-
zation,Develop 2.0 e.V,and is an initiative
that has been years in the making.
Mr. Rick Roeder, President of the pro-
ject, is excited to see the results of the
website and what it can do for the world:
“Develop 2.0 offers the opportunity for
young people from across the globe to
engage with each other and to partner
up in developing the world around
them,” he said. Simply upload your pro-
ject or proposal for a new project and
students from German high schools or
colleges will become your partners and
by Nathan Daniel Heller, South Africa
Aggeliki-Eleni Bitzouni and Christina Karypidou, Greece
tures of journalists,the political environ-
ment, lobbies and the audience’s hopes.
A specific workshop has been held,
focusing on the two different ways of
news writing, peace journalism and
war journalism.
While the latter is sometimes biased
and emphasizes emotional aspects,the
By Liza Smith, South Africa
help your plans become a reality.
Mr. Roeder offered workshops at the
Congress about the benefits of social
media for youth-led development pro-
jects and also explained the potential
social media has to globalize develop-
ment. Social media is an important tool
in both empowering and mobilizing the
youth to create new ideas and encou-
rages them to work together – or as the
tagline word of the event says:‘imece’.
Develop 2.0 is looking for projects led
by delegates from the 5th World Youth
Congress and Roeder encourages all
delegates to upload their projects and
profiles.
For more information visit:
www.develop2.org
Up. The first meeting of Young Journalists at WYC, Nathan Daniel Heller
Left. Journalists hard at work to produce this special edition, Nathan Daniel Heller
To ensure a continuation of process
begun here, a unique series of outcomes
will live on through the different media
being used in this collaborative effort,
such as video, radio, photo, blog and
documents (all available on the virtual
congress at virtualwyc.net or select
articles on the new global youth media
platform representingyouth.com).
THE CONGRESS TIMES...
Within a day of the first meeting a great
first edition was produced and in one
week the journalists worked around the
clock to produce four more professional
editions. For me, this effort is an appro-
priate indicator that so many young
people of today show a conscientious
and focused intention to work together
for the greater good, regardless of the
task at hand. If this is any representation
of the calibre of young journalists from
former, called peace journalism, aims
to explore the conflict background in
order to raise the audience awareness
on conflicts. Peace journalism is rather
people-oriented and reports post-
conflict conditions such as reconstruc-
tion, rehabilitation and peace process
implementation.
around the world, I think it proves that
we can transform many of the stagnant
mainstream media channels by collabo-
rating with the press offices and media
conglomerates of the world with our
fresh, vibrant and well-informed youth
perspectives.
The team of young journalists have
been facilitated by an experienced
group of media makers from around
the world including: general coordina-
tors Emre Çalışkan & Mühdan Sağlam
(Turkey), newspaper co-ordinators
Dumitru Iovu (Moldova) & Fatih Muslu
(Turkey), video coordinator Andrei
Ioniţă (Romania), radio coordinator
Anna Morawiec (Poland), virtual con-
gress coordinators Hannes Koudelka
& Georg Feiner (Austria), and myself
as a general facilitator to support the
conscientious production of media at
this event, Nathan Daniel Heller (South
Africa).
Workshop participants analysed both
styles through various games and exercises.
They were asked to express their reactions
in case of conflict, such as compromise,
competition and force imposition. The
discussion pointed out a general trend
towards compromise and the understan-
ding of the concepts of the workshop.
The recipe of
Turkey’s uniqueness
By Virginia Dumitras, Moldova
Each part of the world has its own
cultural recipe, making it unique. After
having a bit of Turkish cultural taste,
WYC participants explained what
makes Turkey special.
Yosiyana Badariah (Indonesia):
“I like the people, the culture, but the
food is not as salty and spicy as the
one I am used to. I love Turkish dance,
I love it because it is so interesting.
Also because I am a Muslim, I like all
the female clothes I have seen here.”
Hatim Abdelghafour (Morocco):
“This is my first time in Istanbul and I
appreciate it very much. First of all for
its diversity and for the warm welcome
Turkish people have been giving. I
appreciate the effort made by Turkish
people to develop their country. I think
it is people who make Turkey so spe-
cial, they have built a big civilization.”
Erkem Koksal (Turkey): “My
impression is that Turkish people
are friendlier than people expect.
The duality between the west and
the east makes Turkey very special.
Socializing with the roommates
By Cecile Guezennec, France
The Congress has made it possible
for us to meet people in many diffe-
rent ways. We have an Aile, we go to
workshops, we see each others for
regional meetings, we meet random
people in the bus or while queing for
lunch. We also have roommates. This
was supposed to be yet another way
to make it easy for us to socialize with
people from different countries. Does
it really work ?
For Shiba Sheikh, from India, it most
certainly does. She talks a lot with
her roomates from Morocco, Canada
and Turkey: “They are very sweet. We
share things, we coordinate waking up
times. We talk about our families and
what we do at home.” The roommate
experience did not start of too well for
some, especially given the confusion
that took place during registration.
Inga Sabanova from Latvia queued
for hours without water while Nadia
Mazzeo from Argentina was evicted
from her room! “I was in a room but I
had to change because when I came
Take Your Ideas Global!
By Yeuheniya Leonava, Belarus
To tell the truth, accidently partici-
pating at Julian O’Shea’s workshop
“Take Your Ideas Global. See the World.
Change the World” turned out to be a
good surprise. Participants shared their
experience and funny stories about
travelling and living abroad.
Fir st step: find out our dream
destinations. Guys from Italy, Spain,
Las-Vegas and New-York be ready: you
will have a bunch of visitors this year.
Then, Hawaii will be crowed, too. Is it
due to their impressing stand at the
exhibition with tasty chocolates and
friendly people?
Now guess the craziest destination.
Antarctica? North Pole? No! Take it
globally…the moon! We had two volun-
teers there, so do not be surprised if
you see the regular bus“Campus-Moon”
these days!
Julian O’Shea suggested figuring the
political and geographical ideal world
map.Would you prefer a world divided
into different countries or just a world
without borders? The question was a
bit tricky but we reached a common
conclusion: we are all human beings,
equal but culturally different.Let’s think
about the slogan “Unity is in Diversity”.
We are different but so similar.Together
we can do a lot, let’s start acting!
It is impressing how many different
projects the activists have here, how
creative and innovative they are. For
instance, two participants are working
as volunteers with teenagers,improving
their social skills, preventing them
from being involved in illegal actions
or falling into drugs or alcohol abuse.
People here should be an example for
the rest of the world.We are young and
In other countries you cannot find a
bridge that connects two continents,
this is a symbol for this special bond.
Some things are specific of Turkey: the
opening ceremony showed us many
of them.”
Neil Endrigo C. de Miranda
(Brazil): “I think Turkish people are
really nice and Istanbul is an amazing
place. I come from Brazil: my country
is like a child compared to Turkey, it
does not have such a history. When I
see a temple, a mosque, and a palace,
this is amazing for me because the
civilization came from here. I also
had a cultural shock because where I
come from,people are really punctual
and here being late is normal.The food
is also different but I really enjoy it.”
Nhi Dinh (Vietnam): “I really like
Turkey because people here are so
friendly.When I tell them where I come
from they know exactly the city in
Vietnam and this really impresses me.
Here we can also see the mixture of
European and Asian cultures.”
back someone had pushed my things
away and taken my bed.”
For Martin Sykes (UK), getting a room
was easy and socializing with his roo-
mates has been a breeze, especially at
the beginning of the Congress. But the
construction work that has been going
on right outside the dormitories has
been a serious problem. “They were
drilling at 10pm. I went back at one
o’clock in the morning and there was
a hole in the wall. A guy came through
the window in the middle of the night.
The drill was plugged to the socket in
the bathroom: the wire is still there.”
Apart from these niggling annoyances,
most of the delegates share rooms
with people from different countries
and have had a great time in the
process.“This is a real chance to meet
new people”concludes Emilie Etienne,
from France. We might be in Istanbul,
but in every room,you have been given
the chance to experience living in a
different country.
we do not accept half-decisions, we
believe in change!
About the Congress, Julian O’Shea
answered: “I believe that this is great
and I personally gained a lot of new
experience here, I am sure it is an ideal
place to build new connection which
can help in implementing projects and
ideas with other people’s help”.
Listen to this short funny story by an
Indian delegate: it can help you to
learn something more about Turkey.
All of you know Indira Gandhi who
was the Indian Prime Minister.There is
an expression in Turkish which sounds
actually the same “indiregandi” but it
means “to steal something”. So, dele-
gates from India, please be careful,
because your possible political talks
may seem suspicious for the local
people!
No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010
East Side Story: Tales of Romanian recession
We Romanians have outstanding
records. Although cell biology, the
Coanda effect, cybernetics, the
Procopiu magneton or the disco-
very of insulin do not generally
ring a bell, many would agree that
Count Dracula would definitely
jolt your memory with thoughts of
Romania. The same goes for John
Dillinger, the beloved bank robber
of the 1930s, whose reputable
better half, Ana Cumpanas, finge-
red him to the FBI.
These days however people tend to
overlook Romania as a just another dull
eastern European nation. Nonetheless,
I can assure you that we remain truly
fascinating.
This summer for example we have
witnessed black magic being perfor-
med against the Presidential candidate,
wages being cut by a quarter, flooded
orphans on high heels and tyrants
exhumed for a role call.
We have been having quite a time.Yet
it makes me wonder - why the seemingly
farcical mess?
Perhaps I should present myself
before the youth delegates of the 5th
World Youth Congress. Just as dainty
rays of sun announced the middle of
May we were analyzing the occult forces
of Basescu`s purple ties and socks
which attacked social democrat Mircea
Geoana with negative energy during the
televised presidential debates. Conclu-
sively, he lost.
But as you will see, it was no wonder
Middle East Discussions: Who Sets the Agenda?
I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE
PROBLEMS WE HAVE IN THE
MIDDLE EAST AND HOW
THESE PROBLEMS ARE PER-
CEIVED IN THE WEST.
By Ahmed Omar Afifi, Egypt
During the Middle East regional mee-
tings at the congress, we have discussed
many issues that significantly affect
our countries and if addressed, would
greatly improve conditions back home.
We selected education and youth empo-
werment as the most important problems
to be addressed as we consider them to
be the backbone for the change that we
need.
Somebody was wondering why we
did not discuss security issues. Some
of the Western states accuse certain
Arabic countries of being strongholds
for terrorism,pretending not to see what
is happening within their own borders.
But don’t we all agree that that terrorism
exists in many regions far beyond the
Middle East?
One frequently hears about dramatic
terrorist attacks in different countries
which involve citizens of these very
countries. Why should we Arabs accept
this seemingly exclusive accusation,
believe it and then try to defend oursel-
ves against it?
If someone accused you of being a
thief, you won’t run after all the people
you know and say “Hey everyone, he is
saying I’m a thief but I’m not! Here is the
proof and I promise to work on it!”You
will just ignore him and let the people
see the real you.
Thus, in my opinion, we should totally
ignore any terrorism-related allegations,
move on and work on the serious
problems that our countries face. We
should let people see the truth by our
normal way of life, our actions and our
communications.
That is what we, the Arab youth, deci-
ded for ourselves and our countries.We
should not let others dictate what our
problems are.We are aware that security
and human rights also need our atten-
tion. But we know our priorities and we
do not have to follow Western concerns.
We are in charge here.
that genies,pixies,people with paranor-
mal abilities and even Lord Voldemort
all fought together at the front line of
Basescu`s re-election as President. In
a matter of days, the newly reinstated
President announced that pensions,
which are 150 Euro on average, will be
cut by 15% and wages by 25%.
This was almost as shocking as the
incident with the purple socks, particu-
larly because Basescu had repeated
throughout the election campaign
that there were no problems with the
economy. He insisted that those who
maintain such a thing were being paid
by the moguls and that, conversely, we
were actually on the verge of cornu-
copia.
Out of the blue (or should I say
purple), the GDP fell by 7.7%. The
government went to bed contemplating
economic growth and woke up in the
middle of a recession.
With terrorist concerns and the possi-
bility of attacks by other envious nations
fresh on his mind,Traian Basescu swiftly
edited the National Defense Strategy,
ultimately identifying the press as the
root of all evil.
The Supreme Defense Council agreed
that ”media campaigns that denigrate
state institutions”are a threat to national
security and therefore oppose the law.
As the ”transgressors” from France 24
observed, one can no longer accurately
speak of freedom of press in Romania.
Personally,I absolutely loved the way the
French portrayed Basescu in the middle
By Orasanu Andra, Virtual delegate, Romania
of a military parade. What an image.
When the great deluge came to visit
last month - this greets us every year
– one thousand eight hundred and
seventy homes along with one thou-
sand nine hundred hectares of forest
were laid to waste.
But no fear! Help was on its way.
The best way to summarize this at the
time was, perhaps, a headline in The
Telegraph:”Flood victims given high-
heeled shoes”.
Confused? Allow me to explain. This
particular jollity involved Elena Udrea.
She is one of the very few prominent
female figures in Romanian politics –
perhaps the sole figure since the 1980s
when comrade Elena (Ceausescu)
had blessed the people with her much
envied and uncontested administrative
skills.
The new Elena is blonde and has
posed in bikinis for a magazine shoot.
Have I mentioned that she is also the
Minister of Tourism? And this time her
administrative skills compelled her to
act especially after the floods.Mrs Elena
Udrea called for her limousine driver
and hurried to comfort those affected
with bags of chocolates and one filled
with high heeled shoes. These were
aptly described by liberal democrat
deputy Mihai Banu as ”very good for
a party.“
One might suppose that these events
are sufficient to keep us occupied. Mind
you, I left out the President`s trip to the
flood victims of the destroyed villages,
where he berated them for not blea-
ching the walls of their (former) houses.
So here I am, August 2010, switching
the TV on to see what`s next. Former
communist dictator Nicolae Ceau-
sescu and his wife, shot 21 years ago,
have been exhumed for identity tests.
Their daughter, Zoia, requested for this
to happen 15 years ago, but only now
has the court decided to approve her
Photo by Ze‘ev Yanay.
3
request.
Delegates of the 5th World Youth
Congress, this is only one example of a
cry for change. And we young people
can make this change!
IMPRINT
General Media Coordinator
Cemil Yücel
Editors
Irina Shuvalova, Russia
Maria Kouchma, Russia
Cecile Guezennec, France
Nicoletta Gomiero, Italy
Gülferem Ölçüm, Germany
Kartik Das, Singapore
David Hiss, Germany
Elena Roda, Italy
Emre Çalışkan, Türkiye
Mühtan Sağlam Türkiye
Robert Schmidt, Germany
Ellie Harvey, Australia
Layout
Dumitru Iovu, Moldova
Photographers
Hassan Zamani, Morocco
Nathan Daniel Heller, South Africa
Jonas Eriksson, Sweden
Photo Editor
Nathan Daniel Heller, South Africa
representingyouth.com
Facilitators
Dumitru Iovu, Moldova
Emre Çalışkan, Turkey
Fatih Muslu, Turkey
Mühtan Sağlam, Turkey
For more articles and media go to:
www.virtualwyc.net
All the pictures of action projects were
supplied by the participants.
All articles do not necessarily repre-
sent the opinions of the magazine.
POWERED BY:
EUROPEAN YOUTH PRESS
E u r o p e a n Yo u t h P r e s s i s
an umbrella association of
young journalists in Europe.
It involves more than 50,000
journalists working for university
magazines, Internet projects,
radio and video productions,
or are interns in editor-rooms,
freelance journalists, journalism
students or trainees. With print
magazines or Blogs, PodCasts
and V-Casts, the association wants
to give young media makers from
all over Europe the opportunity
to cooperate directly with each
other. Above all, the aim of all
member associations and the
umbrella structure is to inspire
yo u n g p e o p l e t o d e a l w i t h
media and take an active part
in society by fostering objective
and independent journalism.
Visit:
www.youthpress.org
4 No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010
WEST
AFRICA
ON THE
MARCH…
By Muhammad Tahir Hassan, Nigeria
WHEN THE CHANCE CAME OUT FOR ME TO TAKE PART IN
THE WORLD YOUTH CONGRESS, I KNEW THAT I HAD TO
GRAB THIS OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE
FUTURE STARTS. I HAD IN MIND THAT HERE I WAS GOING
TO GET INSPIRATION TO SPREAD MY WINGS AND SOAR
ABOVE THE WORLD.
Thus, I arrived in Istanbul with high
expectations and I must say that so
far I am fully satisfied wıth how the
event is going on.
I come from Africa, a continent
stereotyped to be an abode for bad
governance, corruption, HIV/Aids
and other diseases, unemployment
and lack of basic needs of life stan-
dards. This could be true to a large
extent but I have a good news for all
of you. The future of this continent
is bright. Tomorrow brings hope and
I can see the light at the end of the
tunnel.
Before coming to Istanbul, the con-
stant question ringing in my mind was
‘when are we getting there?’Then, the
first regional meeting for West African
delegates changed my whole percep-
tion and I have found an answer to
my question.
The meeting was an eye opener
and I hope that all of you attended
them because it was like a blow of
fresh air that we all strongly need.The
meeting has made me clear my throat
singing out the song of the future. It
made me look inside my mind again
and believe that West African youth
is taking over the continent and the
world at large.
If education is the key to success in
life, then I can say that we are beco-
ming a successful story because the
majority of the projects ran by West
African delegates has to do with edu-
cation! Even though the projects have
similar themes, the approaches and
implementation methods differ. For
instance, consider the noble project
of Babalola Oningbudo from Nigeria
which focuses on providing books at
barbershops and other public places
for people to be read in waiting
rooms. He runs also a neighbourhood
bookshop.
Desire’s work in Ouagadougou is
aimed at encouraging young people
to attend school classes. He even
takes his time to go from house to
house to teach kids! Isn’t that great?
Muhammad from Ghana is a wise
man. He understands the power of
the media and uses the Radio Gold
Accra to enhance the role of youth in
his country. His brother form Ghana
has been running his organization
for four years and he wants to build
a school in the next two years to
ensure the early enrolment of kids
form Northern Ghana into schools.
While others are focused on child
education,Abbase from Togo is parti-
cularly involved with elderly people.
He believes that it is never too late
for them to be literate. Thus, part of
his project is to lead adult education
in his community, whereas tackling
poverty through childhood educa-
tion is the dream and project of my
brother Amadou from Senegal.
Boully Galissa is also Senegalese
and is a student coordinator. Most lea-
ders prefer to use aggressive method
to make their cases, Boully is trying to
change the status quo. His project is
championing a civil and better way
for students to protest! You can say he
is a peacemaker.
Let me wrap this up by telling you
about my project in Nigeria. My own
project is aimed at grooming the
leader’s tomorrow. I care about the
future and believe that if you work
with youngsters and instil in their
psyche that they can change the
world, equiping them with all the
skills and information needed, then
you can go to sleep with your eyes
closed because tomorrow will be
better than today!
West Africa is on the rise ladies and
gentlemen.Watch us rise with the sun!
ARAB YOUTH DISCUSSES
REGIONAL PROBLEMS By Wojoud Mejalli, Yemen
TWO REGIONAL MEETINGS OF MIDDLE EAST AND ARAB COUNTRIES TOOK PLACE AT THE EXHIBITION AREA ON THE LAST TWO
DAYS OF THE CONGRESS. A WELL-ORGANIZED GROUP COMMITTEE ALONG WITH CO-FACILITATORS DEBATED DIFFERENT ISSUES
AND IDEAS THOUGHTS AND PROJECTS REGARDING THE MIDDLE EAST REGION.
„The first meeting was a mess because
things were not well prepared and
young people did not really understand
the meeting’s aims,” Afnan, a Jordan
co-facilitator, said. „There was a lot of
miscommunication and a lack of infor-
mation but the second and the third
meeting were better than we expected.“
The second meeting began with an
ice-breaking singing, with participants
divided into sub-regional groups such
as Maghreb, Egypt, historical Great Syria,
Arabian Peninsula and North Gulf.
Participants worked together to figure
out the most famous song played in the
sub-regions, starting to communicate
through music.They also tried to choose
the most famous words and food used
in each country.
Concerning the regional problems,
six themes were defined based on
the participants’ interests, such as Mil-
lennium Development Goals (MDGs),
Sustainable Development, Security,
Poverty, Education and Gender issues.
Delegates addressed the problems
and tried to find solutions of the issues
faced by their countries. Noufuel, a
participant from Morocco,proposed an
idea in order to support social entrepre-
neurship and innovation in the Middle
East and North African region.
“Creating an Arab development fund
will definitely help improve the quality
of work and reduce the unemployment
rate in the region,“ Noufuel said. Stating issues to be discussed. “They should
that health care should be generalized have chance to study abroad before
not only for children but also for elder being educators to enhance their
people, he added that “good examples experience. Moreover, they should
should be implemented by all local work during and after their studies to
governments.” be updated,“ she noted.
Recalling that young people speak Saying that they need to care more
out for their rights from the governments about technology respecting culture
without any boundaries, Egyptian dele- of Arab societies in preventing to loose
gate Mohammed Kamel emphasized time during the adaptation period,“We
that Arab young people are strongly have to choose technology and ideas
motivated to talk about their problems, which are suitable for our values and
needs and rights. culture,” she said.
Referring to his own experience,“We “Education through technology,
did a lot of interesting work by being including mobile phones, should cover
well-organized at the governmental and everyone in order to provide better life
civil society level,” he mentioned. conditions.”
“NGO‘s should play an important role Ilhami Khaled, a Lebanese partici-
in the education system with some pro- pant, suggested a project on mediation,
grams such as introducing technologies conflict prevention and resolution
for society and helping young people which may help to educate in order
get access to all the information they to act as mediators themselves in their
need,” he said, adding that the govern- own communities, becoming stronger
ments should also set policies to give and more eligible.
equal chances for all people. International Peace Child and
Jana Bou Reslan, a Lebanese dele- UNICEF representatives supported the
gate, said that education and the way regional meeting with their feedbacks,
of training teachers are very important suggestions and project ideas.
A new age for the Balkan youth
By Nikola Skondric, Serbia
IN FEBRUARY 2008, THE tries: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Mace-
PARLIAMENT OF KOSOVO
donia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania.
(SERBIA‘S SOUTHERN PRO- Greece and Turkey are not considered
VINCE WITH AN ETHNIC ALBA- as a part of the Balkan region, in the
NIAN MAJORITY) DECLARED political and economical sense of the
ITS INDEPENDENCE. THE REAC- term, although they are formally in
TIONS FROM THE INTERNATIO- the Balkan Peninsula, and Moldova is
NAL COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN sometimes included in this region. The
Balkan region has always been a politi-
DIVERSE. SERBIA REGARDS cal and economical hotspot in Europe,
KOSOVO AS AN AUTONOMOUS especially during the last decade of the
PROVINCE OF ITS OWN, UNDER 20th century. Today, it seems that the
THE EU MISSION GOVERNANCE conflicts belong to the past. The region
THERE, AND SO FAR HAS is facing new challenges in terms of
DISPUTED ITS SELF-DECLARED economic transition and transforma-
INDEPENDENCE. tion and establishing a market economy,
as well as the EU accession.
WYC in Turkey is a great way for the
The Balkan region is located in South- youth of the Balkans to meet each
Eastern Europe. It got its name from other and exchange ideas on how to of other regions in the world. and economical events. This Congress
a Turkish word meaning ‘the chain of enforce changes in their countries and In the post-conflict era of the 21st cen- and other conferences in the Balkans
wooded mountains’ and refers to the the region on the whole, in every area tury, it is really important for the youth of will hopefully expand the cooperation
actual chain of mountains located in of life where it is possible. It is also the this region to connect to their neighbou- among the youth of the Balkans and
the center of the Balkan Peninsula. The way for the youth of the Balkans to be ring and non-neighbouring countries, ensure the new future for this formerly
Balkan region consists of several coun- introduced to the beauties and issues to overcome obstacles set by political troubled region.
No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010 5

ACTION
PROJECTS
6 No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010

Finally:
A Real Display
of Imece! by Kartik Das, Singapore

TRENCHCOATS AND FANCY LEATHER SHOES ARE THE FIRST

THINGS YOU SEE AS YOU STEP INTO THE HAYIR CARSISI IN THE
PENDIK MUNICIPALITY. WHAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE MISTAKEN
AS A STORAGE FACILITY FOR FASHION APPAREL IS ACTUALLY
A „DONATION BAZAAR“, ONE OF 60 SUCH CENTRES THAT EXIST
IN THE MANY PROVINCES OF ISTANBUL.

This particular facility is run by 10
people who spend their days working
tirelessly in preparing and packing
items so that someone somewhere in
their area can live more comfortably.
At the 5th World Youth Congress (WYC),
the theme of ‚Imece‘, or joint action, has
been repeated on several occasions
but only now has it been exemplified
through a real life scenario.
Those in need have to fill out an
application form that requires details
about income, health conditions, and
family, after which they are subject to a
visit from the municipality which veri-
fies their financial status. Testimonials
from neighbours are also taken into
consideration as part of the application
process. Once the applicant is deemed
‚needy‘,the relevant items are mailed to
their home address every three months.
From new winter clothes and stationery
for children, to setting up tents and pro-
viding food for when the fast is broken
during Ramazan, the concept of Imece
is generously backed up with financial
muscle.
With the municipality operating a
yearly budget of US$100 million, the
Hayir Casiri is just one of the many pro-
jects that they run to sustain the region
of Pendik. From setting up a regional
library (Pendık Beledıyesı Kemal Tahır
Kütüphanesı) to maintaining school
buildings (Kırımılı Fazılet Olcay Ana-
dolu Lısesı) and opening local parks
(Bosna Park), the funds are directed
solely to improving the lives of the
diverse community that resides there.
Water, roads, education and recreation
all come under the responsibility of
this municipality, which over the past
years has come to be recognized as
the model to be emulated in Istanbul.
The challenge that congresses such
as this one face is that youth often lose
themselves in the complexities of the
follow up projects. In an global envi-
ronment where youth‘s family values
are said to be diminishing in the rise
of an individualistic approach geared
towards financial prosperity, this pro-
ject is a heartwarming reminder that
family is unequivocally important. The
concept of a larger Aile is something
that communities worldwide need to
adopt. It is a perfectly simple and fea-
sible mechanism that will allow those
in need to get the aid they require. The
extravagant budget aside, the concept
of taking the effort to coordinate and
sustain a simple donation bazaar for
the community is something one must
refuse to let pass by without accolade.
So if you have embraced the concept
of Imece,take this as inspiration and try
to better the lives of your extended Aile,
regardless of language, race or religion.
Remember this – if a society is to
prosper, it must prosper as one.

Action Projects:
Istanbul Action PAST By Curro Martino, Germany
Activism or Photoshooting?
By David Hiss, Germany

The Istanbul Action Plan is one tangible
outcome of the World Youth Congress
2010.
It contains thoughts and suggestions
concerning the „Millennium Develop-
ment Goals“ which were set up by the
United Nations in the year 2000.It reflects
the processes that took place during this
year’s summit aiming to „express the
voice of the youth“.
In order to mobilize „material and
institutional support“ for „youth-led
development projects“ and to enhance
further discussions on social change
it highlights several key focus areas of
global challenges, added by concrete
suggestions for action, followed by a list
of concrete initiatives which participants
of the congress are just about to start.
It is Sunday, the eighth of August, I am
sitting next to the Blue Mosque on the
old hippodrome - the ancient horse
running arena. My eyes are wandering
up and down the old Egyptian obelisk
- a huge piece of marble stone, in the
sharp shape of a clear crystal - pointing
to the sky.The Hieroglyphs - which were
carefully carved into its surface - are
thousands (millenniums) of years old.
They look perfect, exact, clean and
abstract. They show symbolic images,
telling a forgotten story.-
Three snakes - woven into a spiraling
upright copper pillar - stand next to the
obelisk. Their heads are missing. The
origin of the sculpture is Ephesus - the
old Greek mystery center of the „Logos“
- the cradle of philosophy.The statue was
erected in 400 B.C.when Byzantium was
founded. Later, Jesus‘ mother Mary died
in Ephesus and nearby the „Apocalypse
of St. Jon“ was written. I walk around it,
following the snakes with my attention - a
slow and silent movement of constant
transformation.-
My way leads me to Hagia Sophia
- church of the Holy Wisdom. For one
thousand years this church has been the
most influential centre of eastern Chris-
tianity. - Built with marble stones from
all over the ancient Roman Empire - just
before its fall - it preserved the atmos-
phere of the antique world and wisdom
- Sofia - all through the middle age.Today,
most Christian mosaics are gone; crosses
are replaced by Islamic ornaments.With
the Turkish invasion of Constantinople
in the 15th century, the antique wisdom
reached northern Italy: the start of the
Renaissance. A giant Seraph still looks
down from the ceiling.-
The sun became the centre of the
world. European powers conquered
the whole globe and installed huge
empires. A global economy started to
emerge.- The ancient order of society
was no longer accepted and finally
overthrown.National states were formed
and the individual - capable of thinking
independently - was proclaimed as the
new sovereign.- After long struggles and
with the help of technological innova-
tion old Europe succeeded in destroying
itself in two disastrous wars, the answer:
The United Nations. - After that: the cold
war, the fall of the Berlin wall.
And finally,by the end of the twentieth
century: the rise of a global civil society
movement starting to unite beyond eco-
nomic interest and national boundaries.
The past of humanity is our past, what is
our future?
Imece.For some people it is a random
word with no meaning, for others it
makes life easier and for the attendees
of the 5th World youth congress it is the
main topic; an idea of joint action and
communal volunteering. An idea that
they are supposed to bring back to their
respective countries. A few days ago
these delgates departed to partake in 24
different action projects all over Turkey.
Now that they are back it is time to gather
opinions.
Talking to the participants,two general
tendencies become clear. Some dele-
gates feel that the local communities
took very good care of them and enabled
them to master the concept of‘Imece’.Yet
other, more critical voices were raised.
Where was the ‘real’ action? Did their
effort really change something in the
community or was it merely an oppor-
tunity to take nice pictures of youth at
work that was seemed more for show
than anything else?
“We visited beautiful places and could
see a lot of the local cultures, museums
and different towns.It was very well orga-
nized”, says Kadri from Estonia. Other
delegates like Lim from Cambodia were
similarly enthusiastic as he commented
that “The program was really nice. We
did not only want to engage in action
projects but also get to know their culture.
They included everything.We worked
together at the seaside. Alone we could
never have collected all this rubbish but
together it works!” Imece at work was a
joy to behold.
Most however were left dissatisfied
with the extent of the action.“It was not
much of an action”, sais Harshavadhan
from India,“ but it was a good thing as
four days would not be enough for an
effective project. I think it was a good
oportunity to meet people and we had
an exceptionally good group leader. For
three days we got all that we can get.”
However some participants had
another point of view.“We did not do
anything useful and in the end we pro-
duced more trash than we could clean
up.Our action was no real action but still
they took a lot of pictures. I feel we were
more models than activists”,said Beatriz
from Portugal. Even though Stephanie
from Mexico enjoyed the way her Aile
was received, she also was critical of
the event.“We did not really do anything
for the community but still they took
pictures of us.With an action project you
can really have more of an impact than
being together with a lot of important
politicians.”
These are very different opinions on
action projects that were rather similar
in nature. However, Spud from the US
shared a few of his insights on the topic.
“I think the problem arose from different
expectations.It would have been a good
idea to have a starting event, so people
would understand beforehands what the
projects would be like.”
One can share both feelings. On the
one hand delegates were truly embraced
by Turkish hospitality and most families
grew very close together. It can, however
seriously be questioned as to whether
there might have been other intentions
behind organizing these events, some-
thing perhaps more sinister than simply
helping the delegates understand the
concept Imece.
No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010 7

Heritage and Trash of Iznik By Irina Shuvalova, Russia and Gülseren Ölcüm, Germany

TheYalicapkini Aile was ready for their
Action Project.The journey brought us to
beautiful Iznik, which has its historical
roots in the Roman Empire. It has a great
value for Christian history as part of the
former Nicaea and Ottoman Empire.
Moreover it preserved a significant
amount of architectural monuments
such as the ruins of the Roman Theatre,
museums in a former Hamam and Hagia
Sophia, which was a church before the
Ottomans and later became a mosque.
The wall of Iznik had four gates of which
three were preserved.Another living fact
of historical and cultural heritage is the
ceramic art of this place,which is famous
all over the world and adored by the
citizens of Iznik and Turkey.
On our arrival to Iznik we were taken
by local journalists on a sightseeing tour
of the city. The city is located along the
amazing Lake of Iznik, which is surroun-
ded by many diverse little villages. The
lake itself is not ordinary.It is as large and
as blue as a sea. People of all ages use it
for fishing, swimming and relaxing. It is
therefore not just an economical source
but also a recreational destination for the
local community. However the beautiful
landscape is being destroyed by the car-
elessness of the people who throw their
garbage into the lake and on the beach.
We were invited by the Iznik muni-
cipality to the local newspaper “Yerel
Gündem” and e-genclik Association.The
task of the Yalicapkini Aile was to clean
the beach. Can you imagine cleaning a
beach which is constantly being polluted
by the visitors? It is like eternal rolling the
stone as Sisyphus! So the main aim was
to set an example for local communities
with a display of action and through
feedback in the local newspaper.
People in such places are mostly
affected by those who come from the
capital city or other countries. That is
why our help was supposed to be useful.
So, visitors of the beach were irritated at
the beginning which was apparent by
the way they were staring at us. This irri-
tation however soon turned into interest
and even support. “We are ashamed of
ourselves“commented one elderly lady
at the beach. Others were grateful for our
work and were prepared to change their
attitude towards environment. Children
were happy and began helping us enthu-
siastically and we enjoyed collecting the
garbage.
The heat was terrible, but actually
we did not have to work for a very long
time. To be honest, we worked two days
just for a couple of hours, and very few
people wished to make more than was
demanded.We were treated to an exten-
ded vacation of sorts.We had accommo-
dation in front of the lake and had the
opportunity to swim a lot,to walk around
and observe life as it is.We saw big fami-
lies coming with food cooked at home,
with a great variety of items ranging from
samovars to chairs and carpets.We saw
women in colorful national dresses and
men drinking tea, or chay, from special
thin glasses put on little plates.The habit
of drinking chay is an occurrence that
requires no special time or occasion.
They drink it everywhere and all the time:
not just while at a café, but even during
money transactions at the bank.
During our free time we had the chance
to get to know our family members better.
From strangers we became close friends.
It should be pointed out that during the
sessions of informal communication we
got nearly no information about professi-
onal skills and achievements of our new
“relatives”. The same could be said for
the other Congress’s workshops which
were not organized properly. But we had
a great opportunity to compare ways
of life, which appeared to be nearly the
same, and different personal characters.
We also engaged in a cultural exchange
of languages, music and cultural back-
grounds. Mika from Argentina taught the
others how to dance tango.Ghassan from
Lebanon sang Arabic songs. Uljana from
Ukraine and Christian from Puerto Rico
initiated playing interesting games. And
our Aile leader Alper arranged a Turkish
dinner for us where we danced to live
Turkish music.
Before our departure we had a meeting
with the vice mayors of Iznik. In this ses-
sion we were asked to make useful sugge-
stions on improving city and community
life.At first we stressed the importance of
educating people and providing them
with more bins. Moreover we suggested
that more care should be taken when
it comes to preserving sites of historical
heritage and use the places as cultural
venues.
All in all our family members were
pleased with this kind of Action Project.
We had the chance to get an impression
of a typical Turkish countryside and a
glimpse into the lives of the people who
call it home.

The Fun Project – Alors on Danse!

By Robert Schmidt, Germany

Imagine a white boat in the Marmara
Sea.Party music is playing and 20 young
and attractive people are dancing on
the deck. What is it? Shooting for a
commercial? No. This is an action of
the Aspendos family! Our favorite song
during the project was Alors on Danse
(Let’s dance) by Stromae. The family’s
report will show that even if our project
started with nothing but fun,we had still
work to do.
Friday morning started with guided
tour to the Ministry of Youth and
Atatürk’s house. Everyone knows Ata-
türk as the person who brought demo-
cracy to Turkey. It is impossible to stay
in Turkey without observing his picture
at least once a day.
After the tour, we took a boat trip
along the Istanbul coast. We danced
and screamed for three hours, and
then most of us took a bath in the sea.
We were glad to have so many Turks in
our family as they told us about Turkish
traditions like Ramadan.
On the second day, we were working
at an archeological site. We visited
schools, universities and a local theatre,
where we learned a Turkish dance and
how to play the drums.We also attended
a music therapy of disabled children
and met with local authorities in Istan-
bul. On the last day,we cleaned a picnic
site and played sack race.
In general, our family used to dance
and sing all day and all night long: on
the campus, on the boat, in busses, in
front of busses, at discos, in schools,
in pedestrian areas and in shopping
centers.
During the Action Project,we learned
a lot about Turkey and our family mem-
bers’ cultures.
Let us continue integration. Alors on
Danse!

Action project in Düzce – An Unforgettable Experience

Nikola Skondric, Serbia

The action projects for the ‘Anadolu’

and ‘Lokum’ families took place in
Düzce from Friday the 6th of August
to Monday of 9th of August. It was a
great opportunity for the delegates
to be introduced to this peaceful and
pleasant community.
Düzce is the capital city of the Düzce
province, in the North-West of Turkey
and it is located along the coast of
the Black Sea, between Istanbul and
Ankara. In ancient times it was called
‘Konsopa’ and it remains well known
for its rich history.
The city of Düzce welcomed the
WYC delegates with open arms and
warm hearts. Immediately after their
arrival, the delegates were introduced
to very rich and diverse program,which
was jointly organized by the local
municipality and local organizations.
This program included a tour around
Düzce, with visits to the historical
museum and natural wonders in the
form of a complex of caves near the
city. The beauty of the Düzce com-
munity was further discovered with
visits to the mill and waterfalls in the
hills. The rafting trip in particular will
hold fond memories of the city for the
participants who had the good fortune
to experience it. During their stay, the
delegates had a chance to enjoy the
beauty of the Black Sea and to spend
quite some quality time in the city. On
a cultural note, the delegates had the
chance to attend a traditional Turkish
wedding, which was a real pleasant
experience for all.
The other days in Düzce were filled
with excitement and joy.The delegates
got a chance to enter an Art Crafting
School where they had an opportunity
to make a work of art on their own – a the delegates were introduced to the later visited. This youth center does The Action project in Düzce was a properly introduced to the community a great city and the WYC delegates will
painting, jewelery, a simple ceramic life in rural areas of the Düzce commu- an amazing job in organizing courses nice way to introduce the delegates in just 4 days.This action project was a remember the time they spent there
decoration. For the less artistically nity, where they were warmly accepted. of interest for young people and rai- to a small community, its richness and really great opportunity to make new with great joy. Thank you Düzce, thank
inclined, they were able to see how car- The delegates also had a chance to be sing awareness on the topics that are its most important issues.The program friends, experience new things and to you Turkey!
pets were being made. With hazelnut informed of the activities conducted important both to them and society was rich and filled with many different be witness to the beauty of the Turkish
collecting and tree-planting activities, at the local youth center, which they on the whole. activities so that the participants can seaside. Düzce will be remembered as
8 No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010

A Van Gölü Paint Job By Maria Kuchma, Russia

Paint rollers distributed. Pictures and
Atatürk’s photos off the walls. The pain-
ting begins. We are at a primary school
in a hilly village located 20 minutes
from the Black Sea city of Samsun. We
are here to make the 25 children study-
ing here a bit happier when they return
to school after their summer holidays.
The single story school building,cove-
red with tiles, has only three classrooms,
a director’s cabinet and a teacher’s
room. Twenty-five WYC volunteer dele-
gates have two days to paint the school’s
interior and exterior and sort out the
mess in the nearby garden.
Cows grazing around the school
stare at people with brushes and rakes,
who went about breaking the usual
silence of a lazy summer afternoon.
Over-mature plums fall down from trees
in the garden while a group of young
people fill big black bags with flaccid
leaves and grass.
The painting team is working nearby,
doing their best to make the school’s
ecliptic walls brighter. Making straight
the line between the upper white part of
the walls and the lower terracotta part is
not an easy job,but a ruler and a scotch
tape make all the difference.
“I don’t mind if I get dirty. I feel natu-
ral,” says Ivana from Macedonia, whose
face, hair and clothes are spotted with
paint.
Atanur Sarioglu, the school’s director,
is also here to supervise the restoration.
We ask him to tell us about his pupils.
“Our advantage is that we have only
a few children, so we can look after
them one by one. They are studying
quite well, and teachers often call me
from the secondary school,praising our
children,“ he says.
He adds that many of his former
pupils have graduated from universities
and became lawyers, doctors, agricul-
ture specialists and of course, teachers.
“Unfortunately, we are short of space,
and children from different forms are
forced to have their classes in the same
classroom at the same time,” he says.
Aya Sato, student and social activist
from Japan, says she likes her Action
Project.
“What I feel is that we are really
helping people,” she says. “The work
we are doing here is a good example
of interaction with local communities.”
ANNE LEMIEUX FROM
CANADA:
“BEFORE LEAVING ISTANBUL,
I HAD NO EXPECTATIONS ON
OUR TRIP TO SAMSUN. IN
THE END I ENJOYED IT A LOT.
I FELT USEFUL PAINTING THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL WITH OUR
FAMILY MEMBERS AND LOCAL
PEOPLE. THE FIRST DAY WAS
A LITTLE BIT CHAOTIC BUT
WE MANAGED TO ORGANIZE
OURSELVES, AND THE SECOND
DAY WAS MUCH MORE PRO-
DUCTIVE. I ALSO APPRECIATED
ALL THE WORK DONE BY THE
ORGANIZERS IN SAMSUN
TO MAKE US ENJOY OUR
STAY. GENERALLY SPEAKING,
I LOVED MY EXPERIENCE
AND I AM REALLY HAPPY TO
HAVE LIVED IT WITH MY NEW
FAMILY.”

İzmir: Intersection of History,

Beauty and Tolerance By Çiğdem Erdal, Turkey

The action Project started with a
beautiful scene of İzmir. The city was
lying in front of participants, near the
Aegean Sea. Today İzmir is known as
one of the most popular destinations
thank to its port, the Alsancak, impor-
tant for both importing and exporting,
many historical places like Ephesus,
Kemeraltı Open Bazaar, as well as
many museums, indicating that the
city witnessed so many important
developments throughout the history.
The Lale Family on the first day
visited the historical Kemeraltı Open
Bazaar, one of the most famous places
in Izmir, built in the XVII century. The
Bazaar lies behind the Clock Tower,
built by a German architect who built
the German Embassy,as well.The tower
is 25 m tall, it is surrounded by four
fountains and its columns are inspired
by Northern African themes.After spa-
ring some time in shopping, the group
visited some traditional craft masters
making wine barrels and copper stuff.
Things were getting more interesting
when, the following day, the group
visited a Kazakh tent in Kemalpaşa
and tasted the “Kımız”, a traditional
drink, made of horse milk and then
fermented.A wise old Kazakh man told
that Kazakh tents have got the spirit of
the family: all the people, women and
men, old and young gather under the
tent for celebrations, anniversaries, as
well as for important decisions.
The workshop on carpet weaving
was totally a new experience for most
of the group where some of them also
tried to tie the knots.There the activists
experienced how traditional crafts can
be so beautiful as well as being chal-
lenging.This, you can understand after
hearing the price of a very valuable
carpet: 150 thousand $!
The following day the family visited
Meryemana House and Efes, in the
southern part of İzmir. These ancient
places are in Selçuk, an Izmir town.
Meryemana, or Virgin Mary’s House, is
believed as the place where Mary spent
her last days with St. Jean (Yuhanna).
In the past, Meryemana was visited
by some of the popes: it is possible to
see some of their personal stuff inside.
There is a small Byzantium church
within the ruins. It was a real big expe-
rience for Christian activists such that
this house is holy for them.
After leaving Meryemana, the group
reaches the ancient city of Efes. Efes, 3
km far from the town Selçuk, is lying
on a very wide region, of which the
construction goes back to 6000, B.C.
Since it was moved so many times
during the history, the ruins are sprea-
ding on almost 8 km-wide-area. The
ruins,namely Ayasuluk Hill,Artemision,
Ephesus and Selçuk are visited by
almost 1,5 million people every year.
One of the most beautiful construc-
tions of the Roman period, the Celcus
Library, was used both as a library and
a tomb. It was turned into a tomb after
the death of the governor of Ephesus,
Celsus, by his son. The other buildings
include Artemis Temple, Meryemana
House, Ashab-ı Kehf, and Isa Mosque.
Finally, when the action Project day
came,the group found itself on a shore
of Çeşme, the most famous holiday
destination of İzmir, to clean up some
part of the shore off trashes. With a
good teamwork, the shore, at least a
little part, became more clean. The
trashes became a kind of link between
all the members of the group. None
of them got tired, none of them got
thirsty or hungry because, in the end,
everyone was thinking the same: the
world is a liveable place only if people
make it liveable. This was the end of a
trip, full of fun with the team spirit, let’s
call it a real “imece”!

The Black Sea Aile

By Cecile Guezennec, France

The Karadeniz family bore her name
well and spent the weekend near the
Black Sea, on the north coast of Turkey.
The bus was supposed to take eight
hours to get there. On departure day,
we were happy to learn that it would
be “only” take five hours: we had a bus
with some supernatural powers... but it
turned out to be an eleven-hours trip !
It was well worth it: our destinatıon, the
town of Kastamonu, lies in a mountai-
nous area covered in forest, wild and
beautiful. After a week in Istanbul, this
was a completely different Turkey.
The first day felt like a summer
camp: we hiked to a canyon, then to a
waterfall. For some in the Aile, this was
a first try at hiking; as a reward for all
this walking in the sun we swam in the
cold water of the waterfall. The second
day was beach day. Our action project
was to clean the beach of Inebolu.It was
very nice to work on such a location,
a cobblestone beach with transparent
water during a sunny day. But somehow,
the beauty of Inebolu is not enough to
convince people to protect it. It was
covered in papers and cigarette butts,
especially near a little restaurant just
above the beach. Cleaning the beach is
only efficient on a short-term period, if
habits do not change. On the plus side,
we all worked together, as an Aile. This
would have been ‘imece’ if some people
on the beach or at the restaurant had
joined us.The last day,we met the mayor
of Kastamonu. He asked us how was
our stay and what we thought of his city.
Amanda Hachey from Canada pointed
out the lack of a good recycling system
in Kastamonu.The mayor answered that
a plan was being made, to be ready in
a year. So habits are changing on the
Karadeniz coast.
No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010 9

The Doubtful Essence of Eskişehir Action Project

By Febi Purnamasari, Indonesia

ALMOST ALL AILE OF THE
CONGRESS WENT OUT FROM
ISTANBUL FOR ONE MAIN
PURPOSE: THE ACTION PRO-
JECTS. HOWEVER, SOME
PARTICIPANTS DOUBTED
THE ESSENCE THEY HAVE
HAD FROM THAT PROGRAM.
PEOPLE FROM THIS GROUP
ARE THE EXAMPLE.
Ayran family traveled six hours from
Istanbul to Eskişehir with various expec-
tations. Some participants hoped to help
the local people by doing real actions
while others just wanted to have more
fun. The result was that they had a com-
bination of both.In a day the participants
had an average three hours for action
projects.They were planting the trees at a
park,working at a construction field,and
collecting the trashes. The last project
was a short one because they were some
journalists who wanted to report about
the participants and their action project.
Rest hours of the four days were mostly
for additional activities such as sightsee-
ing, recreation (including shopping), or
visits to some local organizations like the
youth center and agricultural institution.
For the action projects, the participants
were really helped and assisted.Though
they had had guidance at the beginning,
they still needed hands from the local
people. Moreover, the action projects
seemed to give chances for participants
to try ‘new’things rather than to help with
their own hands. Like during the trees
planting project, most of the participants
did not dig the ground strongly enough
and they preferred to ask the local
people to do such thing. Also, during
the constructing projects, they only had
around fifteen minutes to TRY each work.
It means they left the work before it was
totally finished.
ESKIŞEHIR’S NEW
‘CELEBRITIES’
Ayran people were like celebrities.
Cameras and journalists were parts of
Ayran’s experience in Eskişehir, from fun
activities to the serious ones such as the
action projects. They were there taking
pictures and video while the participants
were planting the trees, working at the
construction field, collecting trashes,
having meals,and doing other additional
activities.
HONEST OPINIONS
Due to the various expectations and
commentaries among Ayran people
about the action projects, the Congress
Times provides a space for them to speak
up more. Hope they could be useful
input for the next two year congress. Let’s
hear their opinions!
„The action projects have been very
useful in engaging us (the delegates) to
build relationships with the local people.
The action projects have also been
utilized in ways of showing the local
people that we are willing to perform
acts and services that benefit them and
their environment. All in all, the action
projects were awesome.“Daniel Saifoloi,
American Samoa
„I would have liked to do work for
Eskişehir community. We worked for a
total two hours which in my opinion
is not enough to make a change in
Eskişehir community or to change
myself. I wish the work was not only for
the pictures.“Edenne Fournier, Quebec,
Canada
„Action project is symbolic rather than
practical. For example,the planting trees
project. There were already gardeners
around with shovels so that it was not
a long term or sustainable project. Field
work was just video modeling.I expected
us to work with local NGOs and to help
the people with their activities.”Jia Jun
Lee, Malaysia
“Even though we were lost for most of the
time and we kept ‘changing’ our plans, it
was a pleasure to explore the pretty city.
The action projects were very interesting.
However, they would have been better if
we could have done the work ourselves
instead of assisting only.”Sidra Iqbal and
Huma Iqbal, Pakistan
“The action project is good. However it
would be better if we had the chance to
integrate and interact with many people.”
Josephine Barbi M. Balilia, Philippines
“We were basically forced to pose for
cameras and media in general. So, it
looked like we were doing something.
Most of the planned activities were not
done because it was ‘too hot’ and the
ones that we performed were very short,
meaningless, and insufficient. Today
(9/8), we were given plastic bags and
plastic gloves to ‘pick up trash’ for under
10 minutes while media took pictures of
us ‘working’. We generated more trash
and polluted more the area by the 42
gloves used and 21 plastic bags. Even
though I tried my best to help, we were
taken sightseeing twiıce as much as we
were taken to action projects. Terrible
experience but great people (delegates)
and Eskişehir.” Oswaldo Gomez, Mexico
“Great team work, small groups division
was good idea. Good organization and
hospitability too.”Aleksandra Pavlovic,
Serbia
“I think these activities were not action
projects. It was all fun and entertain-
ment for us. I do not say that we should
not have fun but we should have done
serious actions. We are here to make a
change. But all what they care about is
how they look like in front of the govern-
ment and the press.” Hagar Omar, Egypt
“Action projects were very cool. We
discovered new amazing places, did a
social work… It was a chance to know
each other more and more. I will miss
these days.”Aamer Ibraheem, Syria
“The action project turned out to be
unexpected just like this whole congress.
The planning was easier and the orga-
nization went smoother even if it was
communicated to the participant only
sometimes. The people in the planning
of this event are people with big souls
and beautiful smiles. As for the work,
we could have been ‘exploited’ some
more, although nobody really minded
us visiting and touring around.As for the
team, we slowly discovered each other,
sharing experiences we will carry within
us for a long long time.”Mihaela Huluta,
Romania, Febi Purnamasari, Indonesia

Besides the
action project in
Eskişehir
By Elena Roda, Italy

A YOUNG GREEN CITY. interesting to understand how Globa-

ESKIŞEHIR WELCOMED THE
ACTION PROJECT GROUP AND
THE GROUP ANSWERED WITH
MUSIC, FOOTBALL SUPPOR-
TING AND DANCING.
THREE DAYS TO BECOME THE
ESKIŞEHIR’S STARS.
Es-es-es ki-ki ki eski-eski es.The Eskişehir
action project had just one soundtrack:
the anthem of the Eskişehir football
team, es-es-es ki-ki ki eski-eski es.
On the first day the entire group started
singing and has never stopped, trying to
turn into the football team’s most impor-
tant fan. And, surely, they got it.
They caught the Eskişehir medias atten-
tion and became stars for one day: some
articles about their action project have
been published in the local newspapers.
Unfortunately, the majority of activists
could not understand Turkish, but still
they could enjoy the pictures seeming
very satisfied.
Eskişehir welcomed the action project
group offering a three days city guided
tour: parks, sightseeing, the local youth
centre and, last but not least, the Espark
shopping mall. Actually it is not really
correlated to the participants’ idea
of “action project” but, at least, it is
lization is part of real life. Zara, Mango,
Yves Rocher, Media World: commercial
chains, shopping centres are exactly the
same all over the world. You can be in
London, New York, Hong Kong, Eskişehir
or anywhere else but when you enter a
shopping centre you will feel the same:
the unreal idea that in those places
you can fulfil all your dreams. That is
Globalization.
Besides the Espark, Eskişehir is a young
green nice city,three hours far away from
Ankara.Here young students enjoy study-
ing at the Eskişehir biggest university and
crowd its huge campus. The city offers
many different possibilities to young
people. At the local youth centre they
can learn to play the guitar, play theatre,
have computer lessons and spend your
time playing volleyball or basketball at
the sport centre.The action project team
also tried to play. Alas, the outcome was
not very“agonistic”but,at least,full of fun.
Eskişehir is also a water city.The first day
the action project group had a boat trip
on the river that crosses the city, dan-
cing and singing Turkish music. It was
amazing to see how the people on the
riverside were looking astonished at this
funny music event. It was our way to say:
“Hey, people from Eskişehir: the action
project group from the WYC is here!”

Some Moments at Great Ancient Troy City

By Faisal Akber, Bangladesh

Troy is a city which existed over 4000
years and known as the center of anci-
ent civilizations. For many years people
believed that it was the city mentioned
only in the tales and never existed until
it was first found in the 19th century.Troy
is located in Hisarlik near Canakkale
province. Troy also is one of the most
famous cities in the history,remembering
us Hector,Achilles and Achaean Greeks,
the sake of Helen,Paris,Agamemnon and
Priam.The ancient city of Troy has been
inhabited since the Bronze Age although
the city has been destroyed and rebuilt
several times throughout history.
We 28 members of GELLIBOLU family
visited Troy City on 9 August. Just we
entranced inside the Troy, noticed a
large replica of the Trojan horse at the
front of the ruins.Someone took pictures
someone ride on Trojan horse.Of course
not the real Trojan horse because it
was made about 37 years ago. Taking a
picture with Trojan horse obviously is a
great photo opportunity.
A Guide of troy informed us, Troy has
nine separate cities and 47 different
layers, each of which represents a diffe-
rent period in the history of Near Eastern
civilization and cultural evolution. As
a result of this variety, archaeologists
excavating at Troy,study cultural remains
spanning over five centuries. The layers
of ruins in the citadel at Hisarlik are
numbered Troy I – Troy IX, with various
subdivisions:
• Troy I: 3500–2600 BC
• Troy II: 2600–2250 BC
• Troy III:2250–2100 BC
• Troy IV:2100–1950 BC
• Troy V: 20th–18th centuries BC
• Troy VI: 17th–15th centuries BC
• Troy VII: 1300–1190 BC
• Troy VIII: around 700 BC
• Troy IX:Hellenistic Ilium,1st century BC
Muge, Nathalia, Faisal, Theano, Abdel,
Mou delegates became astonished
by observing the ruins of Troy and the
art, surrounded wall of troy. The Bury
of Achilles, archaeological structure of
Troy remembered us about the reality
between Troy Film and real troy city. It is
surrounded by fields of grain with a few
interspersed villages in the area.
Juan Antonio, a delegate from Spain,
pointed that ‘It is a great opportunity for
me to see the Troy city.One time in my life
I can say that I’m very proud for seeing
the real Troy city.’
Theano from Cyprus ‘Once I knew
about Troy and Trojan War in the Greek
Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad,
epic poems of Homer. But now practi-
cally I observed the Great Ancient Troy
City which factual and legendary in the
world.’
10
„WE ARE EVERYWHERE“
THESE ARE OUR VOLUNTEERS - THE PEOPLE WHO SACRIFICE THEIR ENERGY AND SLEEP EVERY DAY SO THAT WE CAN ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF OUR STAY AT THE CONGRESS.
BORA AKINCE, 21
20 YEARS FROM NOW: PRIME MINI-
STER OF TURKEY
AVERAGE SLEEPING TIME: 3 HOURS
Bora is the chief volunteer at the con-
gress. „We are everywhere. We are really
busy.We have meetings at night,that‘s why
we sleep only a bit - for about 3 hours a
night. Sometimes we are so tired that we
get ourselves into various awkward - and
funny - situations.“ „Several days ago
I called a respected math professor at
the Yildiz University who helps us with
the congress. She did not hear the call,
and then called me back. I said „Hi,Ayse,
how are you? What‘s up?“ When I under-
stood whom I was talking to, I was really
confused, because I thought it was some
of my friends and called her by her first
name,“ he recalls.Bora has enjoyed his
stay at the congress and is grateful to all
Aile leaders who, along with the volun-
teers, have done their best at the WYC.
Guiding the WYC: Aile Leaders!
Do you remember the person waving
around the signs with unfamiliar names
written on them,smiling hopefully at you,
anticipating the arrival of their latest son
or daughter? For the past twelve days,
the family leaders have been the go to
people when we have had problems
BUKET TURKAY, 22
MY MOTTO IS ‚SMARTER PEOPLE FOR
SMARTER WORLD‘
AVERAGE SLEEPING TIME: 4 HOURS
If you want to express your gratitude
to a person who has helped supply
WYC participants with water during
workshops, look for this girl. She is not
the only one, but certainly the most
important person when it comes to
staying hydrated. „I should be here at
9am every day. I live in the Asian part
of Istanbul, and it takes me much time
to get to the campus and back,“ she
says.However,despite all the difficulties,
Buket says she is happy to be at the
congress. „Apart from fun we are having
here, I have a chance to improve my
English while talking to people from all
over the world,“ she says.
Buket is currently studying indus-
trial engineering at Yildiz Technical
University.
with the food, when we needed a guide
to Istanbul or when we just needed
someone to talk to.They have gone out of
their way to ensure that we would never
feel helpless.
Goezde Giftlik from Fasil felt com-
pletely at home with her international
By Maria Kuchma, Russia and Andrea Arzaba, Mexico
BERK YUNUS, 22
„ACCEPT THINGS HOW THEY ARE. BE
TOLERANT.“
AVERAGE SLEEPING TIME: 5 HOURS
Berk believes that participating in
the WYC as a volunteer will allow him
to help others and experience new
things personally.„I have not met people
from Bhutan or Cambodia before I
came here. This is what is great about
the congress,“ Berk says. „The people I
meet here inspire me to take action to
make myself and the world better.“ An
International Relations graduate, Berk
believes that tolerance is very important
because it helps build bridges between
the people. He is really excited to show
everyone „cool places“ in Istanbul.
By Kartik Das, Singapore, and David Hiss, Germany
children. “I felt like in a real family. I
really liked being with people all the
time and getting to know them deeply.
Being a Aile Leader improved my self-
confidence.”
And while we learnt from them, the
feeling was very much mutual. Pelin
TUNAHAN YILDIZ, 21
‚I WANT TO BE A STAR!‘
AVERAGE SLEEPING TIME: 4 HOURS
Tunahan works hard every day to
make our stay at the congress truly
unforgettable. He is a volunteer pho-
tographer, and his camera is always
„combat-ready.“ „I love taking photo-
graphs. Most of all I like photographing
people, that is why I feel happy at the
congress - there are so many people
here!“ Tunahan says. He sees the WYC
as a great opportunity to improve his
English and to make friends with people
from various countries.
If you want to learn how to take good
pictures, look for Tunahan.
Asena from Anitkabir was grateful for
the opportunity to interact with people
from all over the world. “It was a very
nice experience. In the family we all
taught each other something. Even
though we were from many different
cultures everyone opened up easily. All
No 5, Istanbul, Thursday, August 12, 2010
LALEHAN ÖZALP, 23
AVERAGE SLEEPING TIME: 5 HOURS
‘Being a volunteer can be crazy or
can be very boring. Usually I wake up
at 7:30 or 8 have breakfast with other
volunteers. Then we have a meeting
where we get divided into groups, for
example I can be working in the work-
shop area helping delegates getting to
the right direction or I can be in the
reception.We finish work in the evening,
we have dinner together and we are
around the campus until midnight in
case delegates need something. Some-
times we also have midnight meetings’.
Lalehan described this experience
as an unique one. She has just finished
her degree in chemistry and she will
start looking for a job after the congress.
the family members were hard working,
collaborative and always positive. I
could learn to take responsibility. This
experience also taught me to be unbi-
ased towards people.”
The time has come to recognize them
for their contributions and sincerely
YASIN BAHADIR EROL, 21
AVERAGE SLEEPING TIME: 6 HOURS
‘I became a volunteer because I
wanted to serve my country and my city,
as well as gain some experience for my
CV. Sometimes we enter the workshops
and we learn together with others, also
meeting new people. We like making
new friends as well’.
Yasın describes his job as a volunteer
as one that involves ‘helping delegates,
answer their questions, showing the cor-
rect ways, getting the correct supplies
for the workshops and having fun too’.
Yasin is currently studyıng Molecular
biology and genetics at Istanbul Tech-
nical University.
thank them. They have treated us like
family and,as we have learned in Turkey,
the importance of Imece and family
transcends borders.
Teşekkürler Aile Lideri!
Sayı 5, İstanbul, Perşembe, 12 Ağustos 2010 11

Fotoğraflarla Kongre

Camdan Dünyalar Burçak Yıldırım

Cam ve cam sanatları her zaman ilgimi
çekmiştir. Kongre‘de gerçekleştirilen
cam atölyesi sayesinde bu sanat dünyanın
değişik yerinden birçok delegenin de ilgi-
sini çekmeyi başardı.
Cam işleme sanatında dünyada saygın yeri
olan Türkiye, bu alandaki deneyimlerini
katılımcılarla buluşturdu. Kongre‘nin
3. gününde gerçekleşen cam atölyesine
katılımcıların yoğun bir ilgisi dikkat
çekti. Delegeler, hem cam eşyaların
nasıl yapıldığını görüyor hem de kendi
aksesuarını kendisi yapıyordu.
Ben de fırsatını bulunca cam sanatçısı
ve eğitmeni Sertaç Bayraktarla sohbet
ettim. Sertaç Bey bu işin hem mutfağında
yetişmiş hem de okulunu okumuş. Bu
sanatın inceliklerini Ermeni hocası
Arşank Özben‘den öğrenmiş. „Bir işi
öğreneceksen Ermeni‘den öğreneceksin,
onlardaki disiplin başka bir şey ben şuan
çıraklarıma o derece katı davranamıyorum,
ama işin sırrı tam da bu“ diyor.
Sektör olarak camı sorduğumda ise
oldukça dertli cevap veriyor. 2005‘e kadar
her şey iyiye giderken yapılan düzenle-
meyle Çin‘den gelen ürün miktarı artmış.
Ürün cam gibi gözükse de cam değilmiş.
Bizim mal ettiğimizden ucuza satıyorlar,
diyor. Peki, buna nasıl direniyorsunuz diy-
orum, trendleri takip ederek diyor. Eğer bir
modelin Çin‘e girdiğini hissederse hemen
bırakıp yeni ürünler tasarlıyormuş.
Peki, nedir bu camın özü, diye sordum,
gerçekten kumdan mı yapılır cam?
Kumdan değil, kumun içindeki silisy-
umdan yapılıyormuş. Efsaneye göre
1600‘lü yıllarda bir adayı keşfeden
İspanyollar kumsalda ateş yakmışlar.
Sabah uyandıklarında kumun etrafındaki
saydam ve sert maddeyi görünce camı
keşfetmiş olmuşlar.
Boncuk olarak cam fotoğraflardaki
gibi, uzun kamışa benzer silisyumlarla
yapılıyor. Ateşte çevire çevire eriyen cama,
usta istediği şekli veriyor. Ben de kendi
cam kolyemi „biraz“ yardım alarak yaptım,
yaz renklerine uygun olsun diye turuncu
ve beyaz seçtim. Bu iş yaz sıcağında haki-
katen zor meziyet.
Diğer cam eşyalar da eriyen camın metal
kalıplara dökülmesiyle yapılıyormuş.
Bu eğitimi nerden alabiliriz diye
hemen sordum, Kadıköy Halk Eğitim
Merkezi‘nde Eylül ayından Mayıs ayına
kadar süren toplamda 568 saat süren bir
eğitim veriyorlarmış. Bu eğitim sonunda
eğitmen dahi olunabiliyormuş. Aynı
eğitim bir de Tuzla‘da var. İlgilenenlere
duyurulur.

„Kendinizi tanıyor musunuz? Burçak Yıldırım Türkiye

Dünya Gençlik Kongresi kapsamında pek
çok ilgi çekici çalıştayla katılımcılara geniş
bir bilgi birikimi ve vizyon kazandırılmaya
çalışıldı.
Çalıştayların kapsamına alanına konu-
lar katılımcıların hayata farklı bir gözle
bakmasının da sağlayıcısı oldu. 1 Ağustos
tarihinde 12.00-13.30 saatleri arasında
gerçekleştirilen „Self Awareness to build
a stronger self“ “ adlı çalıştay bunlardan
bir tanesiydi.
Hintli Eğitmen Vahibhav Mathur, farklı
bir çalıştay olacağının ilk sinyallerini
çalıştayın en başından verdi. Katılımcılar
öncelikle açık alanda hiçbir kural ve kaide
bağlı kalmadan ellerindeki topu havada
tutabilmeye çalıştı. Bu kısa etkinliğin
ardından salona tekrar dönüldü. Neden
böyle bir ısınma etkinliğinin yapıldığına
ilişkin soruya her katılımcıdan farklı bir
cevap geldi. Fikir yürütüldü ve farklı bir
fikir harmonisi ortaya çıktı.
Çalıştayın ikinci yarısı da tıpkı ilk
bölümde olduğu gibi ilginç ve dikkat
çekiciydi. Mathur, katılımcılara şöyle bir
ön açıklama yaptı:“ Görünmez olduğunuzu
ve bir kafede insanların sizin 5 tane iyi
yönünüzden bahsettiğinizi düşünün sizce
bu yönler neler olur” sorunun ardından
5ler kişilik gruplara ayrılan katılımcılar
fikir teatisi ile kendilerinin iyi yönlerinin
neler olabileceğine dair bir fikir teatisi
yaptı. İyi yönlerin biraz çekinceyle grup
içinde paylaşılmasından sonra ise sıra kötü
yönlere ilişkin çalışmaya geldi.
İnsanların ikinci kısımda yani eksik
yanlarını sıralamalarındaki rahatlıkları
çalıştayın amaçlarına ilişkin ipuçları
barındırıyor. İnsanlar kendilerinin iyi
yönlerini anlatmakta ve bunun tartışmakta
çekinceler yaşıyor. Eksiklikler söz konusu
olduğunda ise herkes daha konuşkan ve
farkındalık içinde.
Çalıştay pek çok açından
değerlendirilebilecek bir etkinlikti.
Kapsamı ve etkinlikleri bağlamında
çalıştay özgüvenin aslında farkındalıktan
beslendiği mesajını veriyor. Kongrenin
gençlik kongresi olduğu gerçekliği ile
sadece genç değil, sorunlara çözüm üreten
ve üretim sürecine kendi kişiliğindeki
güçlü ve zayıf yönlerin farkında olan
gençlerin kongresi olduğunu ortaya koydu.
12 Sayı 5, İstanbul, Perşembe, 12 Ağustos 2010

Bakan Özak: Gençler

5. Dünya Gençlik Kongresi‘nin
yapılmasına öncülük eden Gençlik ve
Spordan sorumlu Devlet Bakanı Faruk
Nafız Özak, Dünya Gençlik Kongresi’nin
kapanış töreninde yaptığı konuşmada,
dünyanın 148 ülkesinden gelen 1400
gencin imece teması etrafında birleşerek;
Türkiye’den dünyaya demokrasi, hoşgörü,
gönüllülük, dayanışma mesajı verdiğini
kaydetti. Özak, “Gençler bir ülkenin en
önemli zenginliğidir” dedi.
Dünyanın en geniş kapsamlı gençlik
organizasyonu olan ve Devlet Bakanlığı,
e-Gençlik Derneği, Peace Child Interna-
tional ve İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi
Gençlik Meclisi’nin organizatörlüğünde
gerçekleşen Dünya Gençlik Kongresi
sona eriyor. Kapanış töreninde konuşan
Bakan Özak, dünya gençleri Türkiye’nin
27 ilinde bir yandan, “imece”nin ruhunu
anlamını tecrübe ettiklerini, diğer yandan
ise tüm dünyaya ihtiyacı olan birey ve
toplumları desteklemeye yönelik örnek
bir mesaj vermiş olduklarını söyledi. Özak
ayrıca, “dünya değişecekse; bu, gençlerin
liderliğinde mümkün olacaktır” dedi.
Bakan Özak, İstanbul‘un binlerce yıllık
medeniyetin mirasçısı, dünya kültürlerinin,
barışın, hoşgörünün, farklılıklara saygının
simgesi olduğunu söyleyerek, gençlerin
İstanbul’un ve Türkiye’nin güzelliklerini
tanıma ve yaşama imkanı bulduklarını
dile getirdi.
Tüm dünyada gençliğin öne çıktığı bir
dönemde, Gençlikten sorumlu Bakanlık
en önemli zenginliktir
olarak böyle bir etkinliğe öncülük yapmak-
tan büyük mutluluk duyduklarını ifade
eden Özak, sözlerini şöyle sürdürdü:
“Geleceği şekillendirecek en önemli
güçlerden biri, gençlerin enerjisi, vizy-
onu, özgün düşünüş tarzı, üretkenliği,
dinamizmi ve hayal gücüdür. Gençlerin
bu dinamizminin daha barışçıl, daha adil,
daha hoşgörülü, daha kalkınmış bir dünya
doğrultusunda yönlendirilmesi gerekiyor.
Türkiye Cumhuriyeti olarak gençlerin
kişisel ve sosyal gelişimine çok büyük
önem veriyoruz.”
Özak, gençleri dünyanın en önemli
zenginlik ve değerli varlıkları olarak
gördüklerini belirterek, gençlerin aynı
zamanda geleceğin teminatı olduğunun
da altını çizdi.
Tüm gençlerin Dünya Gençlik Yılını
kutlayan Özak, sözlerini şöyle tamamladı:
“Gençliğimizin dünya gençliği ile
karşılıklı hoşgörü, işbirliği ve anlayış ilke-
leri çerçevesinde kaynaşmalarına büyük
önem veriyoruz ve ülkemizde her düzeyde
ve her alanda gerçekleştirdiğimiz gençliğin
güçlendirilmesine yönelik adımların başka
ülkelere de örnek olmasını diliyoruz”
Öte yandan E-Gençlik Derneği Başkanı
Kemal Uysal, İstanbul’da böyle bir etkinlik
gerçekleştirmekten duyduğu mutluluğu
belirterek, “Bizler medeniyetlerin beşiği
Türkiye’de birçok ülkeden gençleri bir
araya getirişmiş bulunarak gençlik olarak
dünyaya barış mesajı ile meydan okuy-
oruz” dedi.

İstanbul‘da ‚İmece‘ mesajı

bu eylem projeleri ile katılımcılar, fındık
topladı, çevre düzenlemelerine yardım etti
ve yoksullara yiyecek ile giyecek dağıttı.

ÇALIŞTAYLARDA DÜNYA
SORUNLARI MASAYA
YATIRILDI

Kongre kapsamında gerçekleştirilen

çalıştaylar, 5. Dünya Gençlik Kongresi
boyunca dünya sorunlarının konu edildiği

İstanbul‘un Yeni Aileleri

yaklaşık 400 çalıştay gerçekleştirildi.
Kadın hakları, çocuk hakları, medya ve
demokrasi, doğal kaynakların korunması
gibi dünya gündeminin üst sırasında
yer alan konulara gençler kafa yordu ve
“ARTIK TÜRKIYE‘DE BENIM DE BIR AILEM VAR. HER GÜN BIR çözüm üretemeye çalıştı.
ARAYA GELEREK EĞLENDIĞIMIZ BIR AILE,” DIYOR KARADENIZ
ADLI AILENIN ÜYELERINDEN FRANSIZ CECILLE GUEZENNEC. KÜLTÜREL ETKINLER ILE
KEYIFLI DAKIKALAR YAŞANDI
İstanbul‘da gerçekleşen 5. Dünya Gençlik arasında güçlü bağların oluşturulmasında Avrupa Kültür Başkenti İstanbul‘da ilişkin fikirsel paylaşım içerisinde bulunan Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Davutpaşa
Kongresi, farklı kültürleri buluşturmasının önemli rol oynadı. buluşan dünyanın 147 ülkesinden gelen geleceğin genç liderleri sorunlara ilişkin Kampüsü’nde gerçekleşti.
dışında çoğu yabancı katılımcının Türk Aileler her sabah bir araya gelerek günü 1300 genç çözümler üretiyor. İlk olarak 1999 yılında 5. Dünya Gençlik Kongresini farklı
kültürüyle tanışmasını da sağladı. Kongre birlikte karşıladı. Gönüllü olarak eylem 31 Temmuz–13 Ağustos tarihleri Havai’de gerçekleşen kongre serisinin en EYLEM PROJELERI ILE kılan bir yön ise kongre kapsamında
delegelerinin en büyük deneyimi ise Türk projelerine de aileler birlikte katıldı. 27 arasında Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi vazgeçilmez özelliği ise farklı kültürler- TÜRKIYE’NIN 35 FARKLI gerçekleştirilen kültürel etkinliklerdi.
aile kültürünün bir parçası olmalarıydı. Aile kente dağılan aileler, gerçekleştirdikleri Davutpaşa Yerleşkesi‘nde buluştu. Bir den bir araya gelen gençlerin her kongrede Öncelikle katılımcılar, Türkiye’nin farklı
Liderlerinin Koordinatörü Caner Sayan, projelerle toplumun bir parçası haline araya gelerek bir harmoni oluşturan bir teman etrafında toplanması ve konfe-
NOKTASI ZIYARET EDILDI bölgelerini tanıtan danslara eşlik ederek
Türkiye‘deki toplantıyı diğerlerinden geldiler. Gerçekleşen tüm çalışmalarda gençler, dünya sorunlarını birlikte çözmek ranslar, çalıştaylar ve eylem projeleri ile keyifli dakikalar yaşadı. Boğaz turu ile
ayıran en önemli unsurlardan birisinin aile geleneksel çalışma kavramı “İmece” için “İmece” mesajı verdi. çözüme ilişkin aktif katılımlı analizler Kongrenin ana gayelerinden bir tanesi, İstanbul’a hayran kalan gençler Alfa
kavramı olduğunu söylüyor. ön planda tutuldu. Delegeler tüm işleri Dünya Gençlik kongresi dizisi, ortaya koyuyor olması. sosyal duyarlılık alanlarına gençlerin aktif Omega’nın göz dolduran performansı ile
Toplumun en küçük birimi olan aile, gönüllü şekilde birlikte gerçekleştirdi. dünyanın farklı yerlerindeki gençlerin, Havai’nin ardından 2003 yılında Fas’ta katılımı sağlamak. Bu amaç çerçevesinden eğlendi. Kapanış seremonisi için Bruhaha
Türkiye‘de aynı zamanda toplumun en Samsun‘daki delegeler okul boyarken, sivil toplum kuruluşlarının, gazeteci 2005 yılında İskoçya’da ve 2008 yılında katılımcılar, Türkiye’de 27 ili kapsayan 35 ekibinin ritimleri ve dansları ile de kon-
önemli birleştirici unsuru olarak kabul edi- Bursa‘dakiler İznik Gölü‘nün kenarını ve siyasetçilerin bir araya geldiği bir Kanada’da gerçekleştirilen kongrenin noktada sosyal duyarlılık projesine katıldı. greye keyfi dolu bir veda hazırlığı yapıldı.
liyor. Kongre‘deki aileler de katılımcılar temizledi. platform. Dünyanın güncel sorunlarına 5cisi Devlet Bakanlığı himayesinde Türkiye’nin tanıtılmasına katkı sağlayan

Görüş: Dünya Gençlik Kongresinin Sivil

Toplum ve Kamu Diplomasi Boyutu
Kemal Gülpınar Türkiye

148 ÜLKEDEN 1000’I
AŞKIN YABANCI GENÇ
GIRIŞIMCININ VE 300’Ü
AŞKIN TÜRK KATILIMCILIYLA
BULUŞTUĞU DÜNYA GENÇLIK
KONGRESI’NIN 5.SI BUGÜN ITI-
BARIYLE İSTANBUL’DA SONA
ERMEK ÜZERE. TÜRKIYE‘DE
GERÇEKLEŞEN KONGRE IMECE
TEMASI ÜZERINE TOPLANDI.
Dünya’nın en büyük Gençlik
Çalışmaları’ndan birisi olan Kongre’de
400’e yakın Atölye’nin yanı sıra 80 farklı
Sivil Toplum Kuruluşunun katıldığı
Gençlik Fuarı gerçekleşerek 27 farklı
şehirde aynı anda Eylem Projeleri
yürütüldü.
Birleşmiş Milletler Bin Yıl Kalkınma
Hedefleri’nin yapılabilirliğini sorgu-
layan, ulusal ve uluslararası taban da
Gençlik Politikaları’nın yapımına katkıda
bulunmayı amaçlayan Kongre’nin
hazırladığı “İstanbul Eylem Planı” iki
hafta sonra hükümetler arası düzeyde
yapılacak Meksika Gençlik Zirvesi’nin
ana gündem maddelerinden olmaya aday.
Kongre’nin ülkelerarası ilişkilere
yapabileceği etki aynı zamanda “Kamu
Diplomasisi” kavramıyla farklı bir anlam
kazanıyor.
Soğuk Savaş sonrası küresel sevi-
yede “Ulus-Devlet” modelinin aşınmaya
başlamasına paralel olarak “Diplomasi”
kavramı da bir dönüşüm yaşadı. Diplomasi
klasik tanımıyla “bağımsız devletlerin,
yani uluslararası sistemin temel birimleri-
nin birbirleri ile olan ilişkileri ve kullanılan
metotların tümü” olarak açıklanıyor.
Bu tanım değişikliği Diplomasi
kavramının içeriğini değiştirmekle
kalmamış, aynı zamanda literatüre “Kamu
Diplomasisi” kavramını dâhil etmesini
sağladı. Bu tanıma göre Kamu Diploma-
sisi; “Medyanın uluslararası ilişkilerdeki
rolünü, hükümetlerin kamuoyuna dayan-
arak kendini geliştirmesini, bir ülke-
nin özel kuruluşlarının diğer ülkelerin
kuruluşlarıyla hükümet dışı etkileşimde
bulunmasını ve tüm bu uluslararası sürecin,
politika geliştirme ve dış ilişkilerin yön-
lendirilmesi üzerindeki etkisini kapsıyor.
Bu ilişki türü birçok farklı kanaldan
yürütülüyor. Genel anlamda bahsedilen
özel kurumlar “Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları”
olarak adlandırılıyor.
Bu tanımda özel kuruluşlar olarak
bahsedilen kurumlar ağırlıklı olarak “Sivil
Toplum Kuruluşları” kapsamına gir-
mektedir. Bu tarz kurumlar “Fikir Üreteç
Araçları” olarak da adlandırılabilirler. Bu
araçlar belirli kanaat önderleri tarafından
yönlendirilmektedir. Bu kanaat önderleri
Siyasi Parti Liderleri’nden, İş Adamları’na,
Medya Sektörü’ne kadar uzanmaktadır. Bu
kuruluşlar ülkelerin imajını yönlendirebilir
ve yeniden inşa edebilir. Ülkemizin imajını
rasyonel şekilde değerlendirebilmesi için
potansiyel verilerini belirlemesi gerek-
mektedir. Kısaca bahsedersek;
Türkiye, bölgesindeki ülkelere naz-
aran Batı Değerlerine olan uyumu ve
Demokratikleşme Sürecinin ivmesini sür-
dürerek devam ettirebilen bir ülkedir. Ülke-
nin dinamik genç nüfusu, tarihsel uzlaşı
birikimi mevcut olan bir ülkedir. Bütün
bu özelikleri içinde damıtan İstanbul’un
Kongre Mekânı olarak seçilmesi ise dik-
kate değer bir husustur. Çünkü yüzyıllar
boyunca Düzen, adalet, huzur ve barışın
farklılıklarla beraber yaşanabildiği bir
kadim medeniyetin ruhunu hala içinde
saklayabilen nadide bir şehirdir, İstanbul.
Medeniyet Havzaları’nın kesiştiği bu
topraklarda Gençliğin Küresel çapta
sorumluluk alma istekliliği gelecek adına
umut verici diye düşünüyorum. Üniversi-
telerden iş dünyasına kültürel ortak paylar-
dan insan hakları ve küresel sorunlarla
mücadele etme konusundaki birikimlerin
aktarıldığı Kongre, Doğu’nun değerlerini
Batılı vizyonuyla buluşturan coğrafyada
sürdürülebilir Barış ve Kalkınma için
Gençlik adına önemli bir adım sayılabilir.
Son olarak 5.Dünya Gençlik Kon-
gresi artılarıyla ve eskileriyle Türkiye
Gençleri’nin gurur duyması gereken
bir organizasyon olduğuna inanıyorum.
Organizasyonun bir parçası olarak da başta
Organizasyon ekibi olmak üzere emeği
geçen herkese teşekkür ediyorum.