(Statement from the Regional Follow-up Deliberation

on Youth Issues and Actions,

30th August- 4th September 2001, Tozanso, Japan)
(Pics)

"For where there is no vision, The people will perish" (Prov. 29:18)

This "Regional Follow-up Deliberation on Youth Issues and Actions" was held on 30 August - 4 September 2001 at Tozanso, Japan, hosted by the National Council of YMCAs of Japan. We were collectively inspired by the picturesque surroundings of Tozanso with its majestic Mt. Fuji always in view to encourage us in our search for meaning in life and our endeavours to grow in Spirituality.

We, 52 young people from 12 countries in this region, came together in a quest for a deeper understanding of our social realities and our responsibilities as young people in the YMCA. Gathered here under the theme "YMCA - Youth Movement in Building Civil Society", we learned about each other's situations and studied in-depth the issues around us. We realized that we have a vital role to play in our YMCAs and our societies. Following challenging inputs from resource persons and ourselves, we participated in stimulating sharing sessions not only to identify issues of concerns that we face in today's globalised world, but also to formulate action plans with a view to making YMCAs to be more responsive to youth issues and actions.

At the Regional Consultation of YMCAs involved in student work, held in Seoul, Korea in 1997, young participants formulated the "Vision 21" as a guideline for the future thrusts and priorities of the Student and Youth work of the YMCAs in the region. At the Youth Forum held in conjunction with the 15th General Assembly in Manila in September 1999, participants discussed in depth the issues affecting them and expressed that young people in the YMCA have a vital role to play in addressing these issues. The Statement of the Forum "One in Spirit, One in Action" expressed the need to strengthen our own cultural identities to be able to minimize the ill effects which globalization brings. We also set up priority concerns and issues to be addressed. As a result, we formed "Asia YMCA YouthNet" to continue our sharing and interaction about our common concerns in cyberspace. This gathering was a follow-up of the two youth events to ensure the continuity of our thrusts, to renew our commitment and to create new action plans.

At the onset of the 3rd millennium, our region - Asia and the Pacific, is experiencing widening contradictions : in some parts of the region, young people are engulfed by consumerism and constantly driven to materialistic pursuits at whatever costs forgoing values and norms, while in other parts, young people are languishing due to lack of resources, education, employment, reproductive health care, safe environment, etc. The intensified economic globalisation in many instances is causing untold misery to a vast number of people including social disintegration, polarisation and rapid decline in sustainability. Many young people are also facing religious fundamentalism, ethnic conflicts and civil wars leading to increased militarisation, corruption of state apparatus, destruction of public morale, etc.

In the wake of growth-oriented development and globalisation in the past few decades, we have come to realise that there is an urgent need in the collective quest for alternative development paradigms which are life-affirming, eco-friendly and holistic.

MAIN COMMON ISSUES IDENTIFIED

We collectively agreed upon several main issues prevalent in our region, which need our attention and action :

- Education

Privatization of schools/universities, triggered by globalization, increases the inequalities of education in terms of opportunities and quality, which contribute to widening the gap between the rich and the poor. We also see the need to change the present education system focussing more on holistic and cross-disciplinary systems than on specification.

- Consumerism

Globalization has brought us a life surrounded by mass-production and mass-consumption. We are driven under enormous pressure, into a very consumptive lifestyle stimulated by transnational corporations as well as commercial mass media. In contrast, we witness at the same time the stark poverty widespread in our region and the world.

- Cultural Identities

As globalization intensifies in our region, we see our own cultures giving way to a consumeristic mono-culture. There is an urgent need to re-visit, appreciate and participate in the evolution of, our own cultures which are, in nature, community-oriented, non-materialistic, eco-friendly and holistic in their worldview. We also need to develop our capacity of cultural perceptibility towards creative interaction between cultures, while being critical in discerning life-giving potentials of cultures.

- Unemployment

We witness many young people of today facing difficulties in getting jobs due mainly to the lack of appropriate education and re-structuring of many local and transnational corporations amidst intensifying competition.

- Reproductive health

Young people are often not aware of reproductive health, which leads to decline of their health and HIV/AIDS infection. They often receive misleading information or lack access to appropriate information about reproductive health.

- Risk Taking Behavior

Many young people are exposed to risk-taking behaviors (e.g. youth crime, experiencing with designer drugs, etc.) due to heavy pressures in their life stemming from highly competitive educational, employment and social environment.

- Gender Equity

We see that there still exists great gender disparity and gender injustice in our region. With the process of globalisation, we also witness that the vulnerability of women in the family, in job opportunities and in social status, is increasing.

- Environment and Sustainability

The severe exploitation of nature and excessive consumption of resources by the greedy, is causing environmental destruction beyond its carrying capacity at the global level, thus posing to humanity the fundamental question of "sustainability".

- Family Relationship

Healthy family bonds, central in our cultures, is becoming weakened and divorce rates are increasing rapidly in our region. The values of family relationships are severely challenged by modern trends and negative impacts of globalisation.

OUR VISION:

We are envisioning a YMCA which is youth driven; gender just; ensuring equal opportunities for all; seeking holistic human development; reaching out to the masses of the peoples and playing significant roles in social transformation. We also envisage a YMCA which is democratic, accountable and transparent in nature, where we can participate relevantly in the evolution of cultures, while keeping our own identities.

SPECIFIC GOALS TOWARDS 2003 GENERAL ASSEMBLY, VIA WORLD COUNCIL JULY 2002

1. To take practical actions on the identified issues at national/local levels based on national/local priorities.

2. To engage in establishing/strengthening Student YMCAs in universities and colleges.

3. To urge YMCAs in the region to increase participation of women and youth in the decision-making processes of the YMCAs at all levels (one third).

4. To work actively towards the formation of Youth Committees at every national/local YMCAs.

5. To establish/strengthen networks with like-minded NGOs and ecumenical partners (e.g. Ecumenical Asia/Pacific Student and Youth Network).

RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS:

Local/National levels:

i. Conduct programmes including workshops, seminars, surveys, etc. on specific issues identified and actively participate in social advocacy and policy-making processes e.g. monitoring, signature campaign, public hearing, etc.

ii. Provide opportunities for leadership development and values-formation for young people.

iii. Encourage young people to be involved in participatory action research in social development and community building.

iv. Create awareness among young people about consumerism promoted by mass media and to appreciate local products.

v. Support young people to take initiatives and build networks in leading alternative lifestyle movements e.g. green consumerism, co-op movement promoting consumption of organic products.

vi. Encourage exchange programmes for young people (volunteer and staff) between national/local YMCAs focussing on youth issues and actions.

vii. Organise Youth Cultural Festivals to encourage youth to re-visit and appreciate their own cultures.

viii.Conduct regular Youth Assemblies at national level so as to promote continuous youth action at national/local levels.

ix. Involve young people and women in all the Committees of the national/local YMCAs (one third).

x. Motivate young people to freely express and share their thoughts and ideas.

xi. Provide young people with relevant information about YMCA (e.g. websites, e-mail groups, magazine, etc.).

xii. Provide adequate spaces/facilities in the YMCA for young people to gather and interact with each other (e.g. YMCA internet cafe~ N~ N~ N~ h,, meeting rooms, youth shelters, etc.).

xiii.Conduct research on like-minded NGOs that are working on social issues in an effort to build/strengthen civil society

 

Regional/global levels:

a. Support and coordinate actions taken by national/local YMCAs in an effort to

create region-wide impacts.

b. Formulate policies urging and encouraging national/local YMCAs to involve maximum number of youth in their governance and programme implementation.

c. Organise long-term Youth Leadership Formation programmes at regional level.

d. Organise exchange/exposure programmes for youth within the region and between Areas.

e. Re-vitalise "Asia/Pacific YouthNet" and publish from time to time a Youth Newsletter covering youth issues and concerns.

f. Set as a priority in funding allocations to support issue-oriented youth action programmes.

g. Share information and encourage/mobilise young people to participate in the advocacy for justice and peace, and reconciliation on pressing regional/global issues such as the civil war in Sri Lanka, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, etc.

Our Commitment

We commit ourselves to respond to the crucial issues amidst the ill-effects of globalization and the prevailing conditions of injustice which youth are challenged with. We also commit ourselves to building/extending Civil Society where people can freely interact, care for each other, and organise themselves to protect their rights, and seek their collective aspirations to be realised. We understand Civil Society as a viable encountering social space - a public sphere through which we can strike a healthy balance between the state, market and civil society towards realising the common good.

We firmly believe that with God's guidance, we will be able to implement our vision and achieve our goals.