Events » Global Youth Employment Summit (YES) - [4-7 October 2004]

YES MEXICO - ITS HERE!

Global Youth Employment Summit (YES) to be hosted by Mexican Government in 2004

The Federal Government of Mexico and the YES Campaign announce the Youth Employment Summit (YES), to be held in Veracruz, Mexico, October 4-7, 2004. The Institute of Youth, Mexico's government agency responsible for youth, will work in partnership with the US-based YES Campaign HQ to invite 1,000 youth development practitioners, government officials, business leaders, youth leaders and NGOs to Veracruz.

Major issues on the agenda are slated to include entrepreneurship, renewable energy, HIV/AIDS and youth participation in civic affairs. Mr. Cristian Castaño, Director of the Institute of Youth, says Mexico welcomes the opportunity to play a leadership role in examining the world's best practices in youth development issues relating to employment.

He says: "The YES Campaign has vigorously put youth employment on the agenda, and the Mexican Government supports the campaign's efforts. YES 2004 will be a tremendously exciting opportunity for senior leaders to meet the next generation of dynamic youth, the people who will lead our grandchildren into the future. The people who will gather in Mexico next year represent an opportunity for the various strands of thinking in development economics to come together in a rare inter-generational atmosphere of exchange and learning."

The YES Campaign, launched in Egypt in 2002, works with government, business and civil groups in many countries to alert leaders to the global crisis in youth employment. It is estimated by the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) that one billion youth will enter the labour market by 2012. The YES Campaign contends that conventional policies for education and investment are dangerously insufficient to prepare for the arrival of a generation of young people the International Labour Organisation (ILO) calls a "demographic bonus".

Poonam Ahluwalia, the naturalized US citizen from India who leads the YES Campaign, puts the case for a fresh approach to youth livelihood creation.

"Rural youth are moving to the cities where there are few and poorly paid informal sector jobs for urban migrants. We need to try and reverse this by investing in rural communities. Likewise, graduates of schools and universities are languishing without decent work for years after graduation. We can ease the transition to work with targeted mentoring and entrepreneurship programs," says Poonam.

A partnership between youth and senior leaders is central to the YES Campaign. According to Esteban Gonzalez, YES Campaign co-chair, the organizers will promote YES 2004 to Ministries of Youth, Labour and Social Affairs, seeking their participation.

"We invite all interested parties to join us in Mexico. Opportunities exist for employment in sectors such as renewable energy and health, where civil society, business and governmental institutions can find fertile ground for partnership. The YES Campaign seeks to expand our thinking on these issues," he says.

To carry the goals of the YES Campaign into the offices of leaders in every country, YES encouraged the formation of national networks in 2001-2. YES Country Networks now operate in more than 60 countries, chalking up impressive achievements in public policy reform and project implementation. Members of YES Networks will be among country delegations in 2004.

The event is billed as "a unique meeting of generations to shine a light on a largely ignored global crisis", according to YES Global Country Networks Coordinator, Kenroy Roach.

He adds: "Creating a space where young leaders can make a case for reform and personal initiative before a global audience doesn't happen everyday. YES Mexico is going to be special and we're energised to make it work."

Meanwhile, Youth Employment Network Malawi is already facilitating a YES MEXICO Fundraising programme, which started from May, according to the country Coordinator, Kondwani Munthali.

For more information on how to get involved in the fundraising activities, you can visit the YES Malawi website or contact the coordinator on the following phone numbers: 09957331, 09 510 032, 09 213 070.
YES Mexico 2004,
http://www.yesweb.org/mexico
Online Registration: http://www.yesweb.org/mexico/register.html
Dates: October 4-7, 2003
USA Contact: YES Office
Tel. +1 617 618 2724
Email: info@yesweb.org

Or contact:
Kenroy Roach
Global YES Country Networks Coordinator
YES Campaign, Education Development Centre
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA
Tel: 617.618.2682
http://www.yesweb.org

Meanwhile, Youth Employment Network Malawi is already facilitating a YES MEXICO Fundraising programme, which started from May, according to the country Coordinator, Kondwani Munthali. For more information on how to get involved in the fundraising activities, you can visit the YES Malawi website.

Monday, March 1, 2004

GLOBAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT 4-7 OCTOBER 2004

Youth Employment Network Malawi is pleased to inform you and extend an invitation to the Global Youth Employment Summit to be held in Mexico from the 4th to the 7th of October this year.

YES campaign launched in Alexandria, Egypt, in September 2002 has grown from an initiative to a result oriented drive in more than sixty established country networks, of which Malawi stands out as one of the few that is able to drive towards policy reforms and increased youth participation in various sectors.

The Mexican summit will be a follow up to the Egyptian Summit, at which Malawi was represented by the then Minister of Youth Honorable Marry Kaphwereza Banda, and Honarable mama Alice Suman who led a 12-man delegation to the summit.

Malawi this year would like to increase its participation and diverse its representation, as apart from formal review of the Youth Employment Campaign, young business leaders, Senior Government officials, International Organisations both in social service and macro or micro-credit financing take part in the event, opening up opportunities to any interested group to establish vital partnerships.

Along side the conference, is also an innovative trade fair where youth entrepreneurs and general businesses display their creations as part of encouraging and innovating youth to take up creative roles in providing formal and informal employment.

YES Malawi though it has made strides in establishing itself as a consulting and leading voice in campaigning for a wider opportunities towards employment creation for youth, resources have been limiting coupled with policy, cultural and natural perceptions that society has towards the youth.

Therefore we undertake this opportunity, to invite the widest possible participation to the Mexico event by the Malawi Government, Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Small Scale businesses, the United Nations Systems in Malawi and any other stakeholders that are interested in making a difference to youth livelihood.

Malawi is expected to send a minimum of ten participants to the Mexico summit and in our composition we request high-level Government participation especially from the Ministries of Youth, Gender, Labour, HIV/Aids, Economic Planning, Local Government, Commerce and Industry and Poverty Alleviation.

We ask for a special support towards a common fund that YES-Malawi will open to facilitate the presentation and actual participation at the conference.

An average air ticket is estimated to cost USD 1,600.00 to Mexico return and an average package of USD 500 a stipend for participants.

YES- Malawi expects that at least Government; parastatal and donor participants will support themselves to the summit and contribute towards the final budget for the youth representatives and local media to travel to the summit.

YES Malawi will also engage local and International youth service and employment agencies to support our participation to the summit.

YES will negotiate with airlines for twenty-tickets at a discounted rate and also bargain for free accommodation and participation at the Summit for our national delegates.

We therefore submit this formal invitation and appeal for your support towards the process of achieving maximum participation at the Youth Employment Summit, Mexico.

For more details on the process to MEXICO 2004, please contact:

The National Coordinator is available also 24 hours on 09 957 331 or Miss Jane Kopa key members of the network on 09510032 or Mr. Luscious Kanyumba at Andiamo Youth Cooperative on 01 545281.

We will soon be engaging in national mobilization drive and we will visit individual offices for support.

Wee look forward to your participation and support at the YES 2004 Summit.

Together we can.

Yours in Youth Development,
KondwaniBell Munthali
COUNTRY COORDINATOR
YES MALAWI