Tokyo Statement

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Last Updated (Thursday, 04 February 2010 01:07)

Forum on Global Citizenship, 16-19 October 2008, Tokyo, Japan

Preamble

We the 38 participants from the YMCA’s of Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom and the World Alliance together with resource persons on Global Citizenship gathered as a Forum on Global Citizenship from 16- 19 October 2008 at the YMCA Asia Youth Center, Tokyo, Japan

We affirm our commitment to the resolution of the 16th World Council 2006 on Global Citizenship and the Quadrennial Thrust of the APAY on Global Citizenship and Social Responsibility.

We explored the concepts of Citizenship and Global Citizenship, in particular in the context of the current social dynamics of Globalization and undertook a conceptualization process in relation to the mission imperatives of the YMCA as expressed in Challenge 21.

We listened to the action responses and good practices of YMCA’s and Civil Society Organizations engaged in the forefront of Global Citizenship actions and lead us to develop a common curricular framework for action in our context.

What do we mean by Global Citizenship? :

Global citizenship is a way of approaching the world and the complexities brought about by the process of globalization. It is a framework that enables people to appreciate that the global is a part of local everyday life regardless of where one resides and where the realities of communities and nations are more and more influenced by global dynamics and processes. This phenomenon brought about by greater integration at all levels coupled with revolutionary changes in information and communication technologies have brought about greater opportunities but also threats. Today, more than ever, the expression of human solidarity that cuts across categories of space, time, generations and gender, aimed at bringing about peace, social justice and ecological integrity is possible. And yet, the threats of exclusion and greater fragmentation of peoples and nations are, today, also made more real.
The primary focus for the exercise of global citizenship is the community and its practice includes an appreciation of the globalisation in issues that impact development, livelihoods, education, health and advocacy.

In this globalized world we realize Rights, Duties, Membership and Participation as key components to Citizenship integrating notions of universal human rights, environmental and planetary interests, multiculturalism and takes into account the emergence of an information society.

We understood the Global Citizenship as a pragmatic response to these conditions.

Global Citizenship in the Context of the YMCA

As declared clearly in Challenge 21, YMCA is a world-wide ecumenical movement committed to building a human community of justice with love, peace and reconciliation for the fullness of life for all creation. In this contemporary world where planetary survival including that of humanity is at great danger, and where the interconnectedness and interdependence among all the creation has begun to be awakened by humanity in the form of “new planetary spirit”, YMCA is called upon to re-define itself as a collective actors of, as well as commit itself to the genuine practice of, Global Citizenship at all levels – from individual to community, national to global, thus realizing its solemn motto ‘That they all may be one’.

Hence our approach to global citizenship, in order to make a fundamental challenge to the structural causes of present days realities, would need to focus on building social responsibility, ethical and human values, justice, peace and sustainability of life.

We conceptualized Global Citizenship as an awareness and act of commitment rooted in the spirit of global consciousness and interconnectedness of the world. It recognizes the need to understand global realities and social responsibilities and motivates the people to develop mindset as citizens of the world with human and ethical values. It promotes the collective community social responsibilities and actions towards justice, peace and sustainability of life by citizens as change agents.

Framework for Global Citizenship Education Curriculum

We realized the need to have a common curriculum framework to encourage all national movements to develop their own curriculum for Global Citizenship education.

01 The Focus /Thrust Areas for Global Citizenship education programme include

Human Rights
Environmental Interdependence
Multicultural Coexistence
Media Literacy and Information Technology
Health and Related issues
Peace and Cooperation
Economic Justice and Development
Spirituality and Global Ethics
Globality and Globalisation
Good Governance

02. Each National Council shall develop its own curriculum for the education program taking into account the Local context.

03. The target groups for the education program will be Youth volunteers from the YMCA/ Universities/ Schools.

04. The approach of implementation shall include

Advocacy
Resource mobilization
Leadership development
Local Actions

Global Citizenship Actions – Our calling

Our call is to build broader guidelines for action as Global citizens for one world family to focus on building social responsibility, fostering justice to uphold human right and promoting ecological sustainability for peaceful coexistence and mutual interest to build better lives better communities and a better world.

Our commitment:

All stakeholders Local, National, Regional and International, takes ownership of implementing the 16th World Council 2006 resolution on Global Citizenship.
Prepare relevant curriculum action plans based on the out come of the Manila
Commitment, the Tozanzo Hiroba Consensus and the Tokyo Statement
Build capacities to achieve the expectations of the resolution and to prioritize youth as major stakeholder.
Challenge, motivate and share knowledge to engage youth as the major stake holder in Global Citizenship and Globality

Recommendations to World Alliance

In order to move ahead towards actualizing our commitment, we invite the

The World Alliance of YMCAs

To intensify the promotion of Global Citizenship programme among all the national movements
To develop a process guide to assist the National YMCAs interventions on Global Citizenship.
To set up a task force to develop training Manual on Global Citizenship and make available to local /national movements
To arrange a training workshop on Global citizenship for volunteers and staff at World level
To identify and disseminate good practices of the Global Citizenship actions within/ outside the YMCA
To mobilise resources for assisting the implementation of Global Citizenship programmes of the national movements
To initiate network/ collaborations

Recommendations to the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs

To assist / capacitate the national level implementation of Global Citizenship programmes
To monitor training programmes of the national movements
To integrate Global Citizenship education in the curriculum in the proposed post advanced study.
To share information / good practices among the national movements and to the World Alliance
To network with other organizations for joint initiatives
To mobilize resources within the region for the implementation of the programmes at regional level

Recommendations to National Movements

To enable the national movements to understand and appreciate the conceptual framework of Global Citizenship and integrate the concept into existing actions and/ or initiating new areas of action, we recommend each national movement

To initiate a coordinating system (eg. Department of Global Citizenship) at national level for the implementation of Global Citizenship programmes
To develop National Level Curriculum for Global Citizenship education with active engagement of the youth.
To mainstream Global Citizenship education into existing programmes of YMCAs for volunteers/ staff.
To advocate/ lobby for the inclusion of Global Citizenship education in the curriculum of learning institutions outside the YMCA.
To organize National level follow up Forum / workshops on Global Citizenship
To organize National level Students / Youth Gathering on Global Citizenship
To initiate National level training institute on Global Citizenship

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