GATN Consultative Meeting for Mentors and Regional Representatives

Last Updated (Thursday, 31 July 2014 20:24)

The Consultative Meeting for Mentors and Regional Representatives of the Global Alternative Tourism Network (GATN) was held in Phnom Penh from 14-18 September 2013. The meeting brought together members of the GATN Task Force to review our programme, explore and strategise how best to develop this programme further in the coming years. We were also fortunate to have two members from the Tourism Watch, Bread for the World, Germany, Ms. Antje Monshausen and Ms. Annegret Zimmermann, participate in this meeting.

Mr. Yamada Kohei, General Secretary of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, welcomed participants to the meeting and shared his hopes and expectations that the Alternative Tourism programmewill contribute to leadership formation and development of global citizenship of young people.In his welcome to the participants, Mr. BunthokDeth, General Secretary of the Cambodia YMCA, informed that the Cambodia YMCA has also been working hard to develop an alternative tourism site and hoped that everyone would have a good time visiting the site on the following day.

Read more: GATN Consultative Meeting for Mentors and Regional Representatives

YMCA Regional Youth Conference 2014 - Guideline and Criteria for Hosting

Last Updated (Wednesday, 20 August 2014 12:06)

The Advance Training of Trainers in Gender Mainstreaming, June 3-10, 2013

Last Updated (Wednesday, 11 September 2013 17:00)

I. Introduction:

As earlier shared, after long years of attempts and efforts to advance our responses and achieve positive change in gender mainstreaming towards social change through the YMCA work, the eighteen (18) participants including resource persons to the Advance Training of Trainers in Gender Mainstreaming from seven (7) national and local movements including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand, realized that YMCAs need to strive harder in their quest towards their gender mainstreaming goals. Following the initial Gender Mainstreaming training held in Jakarta in November 2012, this follow-up training was conducted on 3-10 June 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. The need to further the YMCAs’ initiatives and responses in integrating gender mainstreaming process into the overall work of the movement is in itself a strengthening aspect as both women and men could become decision makers to sustain growth and development of the movement.

As has been written, shared and discussed in some platforms, “gender equality is the goal of gender mainstreaming. It requires integration of gender equality concerns into every aspect of the development process, including governance of an organization. It is a powerful tool for social change because it takes into account and responds to the intersections of power, wealth, knowledge, capabilities and rights in creating and sustaining gender inequality. It has been noted that YMCA, after 25 long years or more of taking this issue-based APAY thrust, has not gained much experience that can be shared as part of a strategic and specific action plans. Though it recognized this leadership initiatives to include it in the strategic goals, we know that in practice, there are no effective and tested strategies to help achieve institutional and social change in our respective movements and through response programs in communities we work with.

Read more: The Advance Training of Trainers in Gender Mainstreaming, June 3-10, 2013

APAY Regional Workshop on Social Economy

Last Updated (Monday, 22 July 2013 17:39)

The APAY Regional Workshop on Social Economy was held in Seoul, Korea during 27th to 30th June 2013. The National Council of Korea hosted the workshop. Twelve delegates representing various YMCA movements from the region of Asia and Pacific participated at the workshop. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Song In Dong, Vice President of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, while Dr. Ahn Jae Woong and Mr. Nam Boo Won, President and National General Secretary respectively, of the National Council of YMCAs of Korea welcomed all the participants. The immediate Past President of APAY, Dr. Park, Jai Chang and APAY General Secretary Mr. Kohei Yamada spoke at the opening ceremony.

Read more: APAY Regional Workshop on Social Economy