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Editorial
YMCAs and the environment
President Message
The World has been lent to us
Environment
Ecumenical Water Network: The Water Crisis
Gambia: Back to the land
Hong Kong: Green ambassadors
Lebanon: Safe waste disposal
Seattle, USA: young people driving change
Ghana: Agroforestry
Movements around the world
Argentina partners with UNICEF
YMCA Europe’s General Assembly
Colombia youth work applauded
Tsunami response in Indonesia
France: YMCA marks World Refugee Day
Y’s Men International
Information Technology
Web usability : All you need to know about it
World Alliance
Ecumenical movement works for trade justice
YMCA action on children’s rights
MDG (Millennium Development Goals) need young people
YWCA International Women’s Summit
Implementing the Global Operation Plan
Secretary General
Journey in Mission: Restoring nature; the story of Chiangmai YMCA
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| Jenny Fretheim, Editor of YMCA World |
It’s become fashionable to talk about the environment these days. It seems that politicians, the media and even big businesses have finally woken up to the fact that continuing to ignore climate change is no longer an option.
The devastating effects of climate change are well documented, including shortages of food and water, destruction of livelihoods and the environment, loss of species and increased deaths from floods, storms, heat waves and droughts. And as is so often the case, it’s the poorest who are hardest hit.
But it’s not all bad news. Since we know what causes climate change – human beings – we have it in our power to stop, and even reverse it. YMCAs, as associations working at local level, are ideally placed to influence the local choices, practices and policies that collectively contribute to environmental destruction. And many YMCAs are already doing just this.
For over 12 years Ghana YMCA has been successfully supporting local farmers to grow trees, stopping deforestation and generating income for the farmers . Young people from the YMCAs of Hong Kong are transforming student attitudes to the environment . The YMCA of Seattle, USA, advises the City Council in its environmental policies. And there are many more examples.
Protecting the environment is in everybody’s interests. As an ecumenical Movement the YMCA is compelled to act, both because we have committed to work in solidarity with the poor, and it is the poor who suffer most from global warming, and because we have a particular responsibility to care for the whole of creation.
Talk about the environment is usually associated with negative words like “destruction” “death” and “loss”. But this same environment is made by our creator God, who gave us a world of abundance, beauty and life. In the words of Challenge 21, the YMCA’s statement of mission, YMCAs are challenged to “defend God’s creation against all that would destroy it and protect the earth’s resources for coming generations”.
Certainly there are massive challenges involved in defending God’s creation. There is still widespread political resistance to reducing carbon emissions; many big businesses are resisting environmentally friendly policies because they fear it will reduce their profits; many individuals are sceptical, apathetic, ill-informed or ill-equipped. But YMCAs, as community organisations, are ideally placed to address these attitudes and engage hearts and minds in the fight for life.
Almighty God, your wisdom is beyond our understanding.
We praise you for your greatness, imprinted in the earth and the sea and the sky.
Through the web of creation you have given us a share in the gift of life.
You have breathed the breath of life into us.
Show us how to carry your image while in this threatened creation.
May your love and care for creation be ours.
Give us the will and the strength to turn and fight on the side of life.
Amen.
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“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food: and it was so.” (Gen. 1: 27 – 30)
The story of God’s creation of the earth is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bi-ble. Many of us heard it first in Sunday School or in a children’s programme of our lo-cal YMCA. And we have kept in mind how the Lord first created animals and finally a man and a woman.
But the story has one more message: God blessed the man and the woman and He gave them a task – the task to subdue the earth and to have dominion over the whole of na-ture. And He reminded the man and the woman that He had done so because they would have the fruits of the trees, and animals “for meat”.
Today many Christians are questioning the interpretation of this passage of scripture, especially our understanding of the phrase “dominion over nature”. They argue that God did not intend man to dominate the earth’s resources at the expense of the envi-ronment; yet this is exactly what has happened, with devastating results. An alternative understanding is that God cares about the whole of creation and intends humankind to live in harmony with nature.
The environmental crisis is much more serious today than in former generations. Our governments meet to discuss the Kyoto Protocol but we are far from solving the prob-lems. We know a lot about pollution and global warming; we ask ourselves whether or not warm winters and cold summers are a result of our behaviour against nature; we are told that deserts in Africa are growing and we watch with horror pictures of famine in Africa and other regions of the world. But still we do not solve the problems, we only hand them on to the next generation. This earth is God’s creation; it is our re-sponsibility to protect it.
Some of our National YMCA Movements do not want to keep silent any more; they have discovered that sustainability is not a political dream. Protecting the environment is indeed part of our responsibilities towards our children, and, moreover, it is a bibli-cal task which our Lord laid in our hands together with His blessings for life.
In our local YMCAs and National Movements we can do a lot of things:
> We can give good examples through programmes which protect the environment.
> We can educate young people to develop a deeper awareness of and respect for nature.
> We can raise our voices and remind our governments and economic leaders of their responsibilities.
Once again I remember the motto of our last World Council – “Ubuntu – I am because you are”. We are not allowed - and indeed we are not even able - to live isolated from one another. We are responsible for our neighbours, for our societies, for our world. This world has been lent to us, this world has been entrusted to us by our Lord – we have to hand it on to our children.
I am impressed by the good examples of YMCAs which are already committed to en-vironmental sustainability, and I want to encourage all of us to join them.
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Ms. Maike Gorsboth works for the Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) which promotes community-based solutions to the water crisis. EWN advocates for water as a gift of God and a human right.
Water is a precondition for life. While a few life-forms can exist without air, water is absolutely essential for the sustainability of all life. That is why scientists get so excited about searching for water on other planets, and what makes our “blue” planet so special.
But water is not as abundant on earth as it might first appear. Less than 1% of the planet’s water resources are freshwater that we can actually access and use for human consumption; the rest is mostly salt water or freshwater that is locked in ice caps and glaciers.
The precious little global water resources that are accessible and useable are distributed extremely unevenly. Some countries such as Egypt or Ethiopia have very little while others like Canada or Germany receive abundant rainfall and have sufficient surface water and groundwater reserves. Other countries such as India even have too much rainfall during certain times of the year but suffer from drought-like conditions during the rest.
We “eat” more water than we drink
The immense growth of our world’s population is putting more and more pressure on available water resources and ecosystems. More people are using more water, and not only to drink. Most water is used for the production of food and goods. We “eat” much more water than we drink.
In some developing countries as much as 9 out of 10 litres of water are used for the production of food. Rivers are being diverted and groundwater is being lifted to still the ever-growing thirst of agricultural and industrial development. Libya has already started to use up fossil groundwater which will need thousands of years to regenerate. The United States is exhausting their groundwater at four times the rate that it is naturally replaced. And to make matters worse, industrial and human waste, pesticides and fertilisers turn water from a life-giving gift into a life-threatening danger.
The water crisis is becoming an ever more important part of the larger ecological crisis threatening the whole of creation. And demand continues to rise. More than one billion people are still without satisfactory access to clean drinking water.
Do we have to choose between human development and sustaining the wholeness of creation? Is the current water crisis really an inevitable consequence of human development?
Development at the expense of the poor
Those whose needs are most desperate are not the ones benefiting most from development activities. The Ogallala Reservoir in the United States is being emptied at a hundred times its rate of regeneration for the sake of a few thousand farmers growing animal feed. Large-scale dams such as those being built in China, India, and Turkey provide water and energy, but usually not to the small and poor peasants and neighbouring communities who are often not even connected to the power grid.
In many African countries, gold and copper are being mined. The diversion of rivers and the use of harmful chemical substances lead to soil erosion, habitat loss, and the contamination of water supplies. People living close to the mines often suffer from diseases caused by contaminated drinking water. Of course, the mining industry creates jobs, and revenues for the state, but the lion’s share of the generated wealth goes to owners, investors, traders, etc.
Agriculture: the biggest consumer of water
Agriculture is by far the largest consumer of water in the world; the majority of the world’s food is produced on irrigated lands. But most of the water used in irrigation never reaches the plant it was intended for. Often more than half of it is wasted because of leaky pipes and the use of inefficient technologies.
Another disconcerting trend is that large agricultural corporations are buying the land of small peasants who cannot afford the technology, the energy, pesticides, and the water needed to compete in the world markets. Instead of producing food for the local and regional markets, “cash crops” such as coffee, sugarcane, and cotton are being grown in large monocultures. Feed grain is planted, and watered, in order to satisfy the demand for meat in the more well-off countries while people still suffer hunger in the very same countries that export these crops.
Water, and nature more generally, is being exploited and wasted for the sake of profit, while poverty and hunger prevail. At the same time, the poorest and most vulnerable are the first to suffer from the resulting environmental damage.
It is from this perspective that it becomes clear why human development cannot be considered without environmental sustainability, why we have to oppose leaders who pretend that we are facing an either/or decision. Rather, our efforts to eradicate poverty will be futile if we do not ensure a sustainable use of the gifts that nature is providing us with.
Ecologically sound human development
It is possible to promote human development in an ecologically sound and sustainable way, for example by promoting water-saving, life-giving agriculture, and by focusing on the provision of a basic supply of drinking water for the poor. This means challenging those who talk of development, but only mean profit and wealth.
We also have to change the prevailing understanding of nature as a resource that we can dominate and exploit. We need to realise that we are part of creation. We depend on it not only because a collapsed environment will do us physical harm, but also to be spiritually whole.
For those of us blessed with prosperity, how can we live up to our values and beliefs by changing our own lifestyles which fuel the production of more meat, more energy, more of everything at the expense of nature?
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The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Agriculture plays a significant role in the Gambia’s economy and is a source of livelihood for over 75% of the country’s population.
The absence of an alternative strong economic activity continues to impact negatively on the economy whenever the country experiences poor weather conditions. Low levels of technology, poor cropping patterns and an inadequate supply of seeds and fertiliser reinforce this. These unfavourable economic conditions coupled with a lack of sufficient education and skills have resulted in a high rate of unemployment among young people.
It is against this backdrop that the Gambia YMCA, with support from Catholic Relief Services, embarked on a valued programme to preserve the environment and at the same time create a sustainable source of income for the young people and women of the area.
The Gambia YMCA is currently engaged in the cultivation of a youth farm measuring 250 m. by 200 m. at its YMCA Kabakel Branch, just thirty minutes drive from the capital city. The activities at this farm are characterised by the cultivation of crop, vegetable and fruit seedlings for the community of Kabakel. The land is used mainly for integrated agriculture, enterprise development and natural resource management as part of The Gambia YMCA’s community development initiative.
In sustaining the environment through productive farming exercises the YMCA grows trees and food crops in partnership with the community. The YMCA’s Kabakel branch mobilises over three hundred young people every weekend to work on the farm.
In partnership with the Gambia Office of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the YMCA has been able to meet the ever-growing productive and sustainable needs of this particular community, especially in the areas of farming and crop production, while at the same time generating income for the National Council. The support from CRS is for one year while the Gambia YMCA strategises how to make the programme sustainable.
This joint initiative is a clear indication that partnership plays a crucial role in programme planning, development and implementation.
Joseph Peacock
Programme Secretary, Gambia YMCA
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| Young YMCA leaders inspired a school's renewable energy and solar model car challenge. Students have now become advocates for sustainable lifestyles. |
More than a decade before former USA Vice President Al Gore produced a movie advising the world of the “Inconvenient Truth” and global warming became the hottest new issue for global media, the youth of Hong Kong YMCAs were dedicating efforts to challenge and transform the minds and habits of young people concerning environmental issues.
One vehicle the young people used to nurture a healthy attitude towards the environment was the Grass Roots and Green Sprouts newsletters. Every school in Hong Kong is on the circulation list. Today, with a view to having less trees cut and to engage more youth, the Council of YMCAs of Hong Kong “Green Ambassadors” maintain a web site to provide information and interesting testimonies. The site also provides games and other interactive ideas to engage young people in the movement to respect the environment.
From the start the programme has been driven by the energy and passion of the young Green Ambassadors with part time mentoring and support given by professional YMCA staff. The programme has expanded over the years and the young people are continually improving the activities and effectiveness of the environmental message.
The programme has inspired creative environmental projects such as the Hong Kong Inter-School Renewable Energy and Solar Model Car Challenge. This project drew participation of over 400 teams from 115 secondary schools. The programme demanded in-depth research and inspired team cooperation and critical thinking. The results were amazing and the concept and challenge of using renewable energy is better understood and the project significantly contributed to advocating sustainable technology and lifestyle.
Another example of an activity to promote the appreciation of the environment and green lifestyle was a presentation by a famous adventurer, Dr. Rebecca Lee. She and two of her expedition team members inspired an audience of over 100 students from 15 schools by sharing their experience of an 11-day adventure at the South Pole. Dialogue on global warming and other environmental issues had a greater urgency in its tone as the evidence of change came to life.
The Green Ambassadors plan to build on the successful programmes of the recent past and search for new ways to advocate for a sustainable future. There will be more on renewable energy and other environmental issues and the Natural Resources Handbook published in late 2007 will provide lots of creative ideas for awareness and action.
Honouring and preserving the integrity of God’s creation, our precious environment, for future generations is a mammoth task. The Hong Kong YMCAs are supporting this “Grass Roots” movement and hoping to make a contribution – one person, one family, one school and one organisation at a time.
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| Household waste used to be a real problem but now it is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way, thanks to YMCA Lebanon |
The disposal of household waste used to be a real problem in rural areas of Lebanon as it led to environmental degradation. But 4 years ago the YMCA came up with a solution that disposes the waste in an environmentally friendly way. The project has had amazing results.
The new method is known as dynamic composting. Rotating drums with ventilation holes are used to speed up the natural decomposition of organic waste which makes up around 62% of ordinary household waste. The new process takes just 3 days instead of 2-3 months and the waste can be used as fertiliser. The inorganic parts of the waste are recycled.
“The dynamic composting process is natural, non toxic and odourless, requires low maintenance and can be easily managed by the local community,” said Joseph Kassab, Solid Waste Manager at Lebanon YMCA. Before this the streets were overflowing with rubbish and residents reported strong, unpleasant smells.
At first the YMCA had difficulty convincing the authorities that the scheme would work. But they finally obtained the licences and the first two 5 ton drums were installed in Mais al-Jabal, successfully processing waste for around 20,000 households. The programme has now been extended to communities throughout Lebanon.
The YMCA of Lebanon has also pioneered environmentally friendly treatment of waste water and sewage and runs campaigns in schools to raise awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability.
Ghassan Sayah, General Secretary YMCA of Lebanon
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| The YMCA Earth Service Corps allows young people to take part in activities which help ensure environmental sustainability |
Abby races down the street to catch a bus to school. She arrives too late and is left standing in a cloud of diesel exhaust as the bus pulls away. She wonders how inhaling the exhaust of buses and other traffic is harmful to her health. What can she do?
Fortunately, Abby is president of the YMCA Earth Service Corps club at Ballard High School in Seattle. At their next club meeting, Abby and other members discuss what they can do to address the issues of air quality and traffic congestion. Their club is student-run but receives support from a teacher-advisor and a YMCA volunteer who join their meetings. Club members decide to organise a “bike to school day” and raise money to install covered bicycle racks at the school. It turns out that sixty five percent of the school’s students and teachers enthusiastically participate in the bike to school day. In the following weeks, club members notice a huge increase in the number of bikes parked at the school each day.
We at the YMCA of Greater Seattle believe we need to step up to our own environmental responsibilities, locally and globally.
Local organisations such as YMCAs can do this in a variety of ways. One way is to have our current members directly work for environmental sustainability. This occurs in programmes such as Get Engaged where young people are directly impacting the policies of local government. Or this happens when YMCAs embrace sustainable practices such as green building, paper reduction efforts and actively promoting public transportation for staff and volunteers.
Young people speak out for the environment
Another way YMCAs can promote change in favour of the environment is to develop leadership programmes which teach reflective practices and sustainable principles. We can teach young people how to speak out in favour of environmentally responsible values. We can do this through programmes like the YMCA Earth Service Corps and in partnerships with our local education systems.
The YMCA Earth Service Corps (YESC) programme was developed in Seattle in 1989 by a group of high school students and teachers. They wanted to raise awareness about the environment and provide opportunities for young people to come together and work on environmental projects. This small community-driven idea grew into the fastest growing YMCA teen programme in the United States. It has since spread to over 35 states and numerous countries abroad including Zimbabwe, Brazil, Costa Rica, Thailand, and Mexico. YESC is a model which “empowers young people to become effective, responsible global citizens by providing opportunities for leadership, environmental education, action and cross-cultural awareness.”
Through YESC, the YMCA of Greater Seattle offers several other ways - both hands-on and through political advocacy - for young people to take part in activities which help ensure environmental sustainability.
For example, fifteen years ago Garfield High School’s environmental programme was started by a group of students wishing to raise awareness about environmental issues. With support from the YMCA, Garfield successfully developed a school-wide recycling programme, becoming a model for other schools to follow.
Another example is the Bainbridge High School Earth Service Corps Water Quality Project. Members of the club first got involved in water quality issues by researching storm drain patterns on the island. In the process club members became local experts on these issues. One club member notes, “It is strange to think that our Earth Service Corps project is basically the extent of storm drain filtration efforts on an island of more than 20,000 people.”
Club members now regularly attend City Council meetings and have been appointed to leadership roles on the city-wide Watershed Council. They have also written grants to their City, local foundations and received funds from the YMCA to support their efforts to reduce water pollution. These students demonstrate the capability of youth leaders to move from direct service projects into advocacy roles.
Teenagers making a difference
The Seattle area YESC programme believes that students are empowered when they are given opportunities to learn and carry out service together. Each year YESC organises an Environmental Symposium, a youth conference which brings teens throughout the Pacific Northwest together to learn about local and global environmental issues and share ideas on how to play a positive role in creating a more sustainable future.
In February 2007 YESC held a Symposium at the University of Washington, entitled “Emission Mission: Human Impact on Climate Change”, which focused on the current climate change crisis and what teens can do to make a positive difference.
In 2009, the YMCA Earth Service Corps programme will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The Seattle YESC is exploring the idea of working with other YMCAs to organise a National, or possibly International Environmental Summit. If your YMCA is currently involved in YESC programming, or would be interested in being a part of a larger planning team for this event, please contact the Seattle YESC office at: yesc(at)seattleymca.org.
http://www.facingthefuture.org/
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The Ghana YMCA discovered that there had been a rapid increase in deforestation, resulting in a threat to sustained agricultural production and wood supply in many areas of the country. They subsequently decided to embark on a project aimed at curbing environmental degradation and improving the economic life of the people.
The objectives of the project were: to organise an educational campaign to sensitise the people of the selected area on the dangers of deforestation and the need to plant trees to protect the environment; to set up a central nursery with a variety of seedlings for distribution to communities; to promote and encourage tree-growing as a way of life; to support the communities in their efforts, through material and technical assistance; and to establish at least 96 hectares of woodland in the communities and plant 240 fruit trees.
Educational campaign for farmers
The YMCA realised the important role that peasant farmers in the rural areas play in the economy of Ghana, and decided to help raise the output of these farmers, whilst at the same time conserving the soil and protecting the ecology of the communities.
The project involved an intensive 3-year educational campaign, covering 15 communities in the East Akim District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. The aim was to get people to adopt agroforestry and tree-planting for other purposes as a way of life, and to reverse the environmental degradation occurring in the area.
In 1995, the first year of the project, the focus was on five communities comprising at least 15 farmers each. Each community was encouraged and assisted to establish two hectares of community woodland. In addition, the farmers were provided with seedlings of fruit and other trees.
In the following year participants from 5 more communities were recruited into the project, to establish two hectares each, as well as undertaking tree planting on their farms. Farmers were expected to crop on one plot for three years under the agroforestry scheme before they moved on to another plot to be planted with trees. This approach was to help control shifting cultivation and also ensure that the trees planted were well established and taken care of.
In the third year five more communities were enrolled in the project, and in the fourth and fifth years the involvement of the 15 communities was consolidated. More interested farmers were enrolled and establishment of woodland continued. Each community was assisted to grow their own seedlings and also to obtain seedlings either for woodland or agroforestry at their own expense. They were also trained how to build firebelts around their farms, and how to maintain the trees on their farms.
Award for YMCA
In 1999 the Ghana YMCA won the Head-of-State Award for being the best tree grower in the East Akim District and by the end of the project in the year 2000 a total of 300 farmers had cultivated 650 hectares of tree farms. Now most of the trees are mature for logging.
The Ghana YMCA is now helping the farmers to find a market for their wood by negotiating on their behalf with timber merchants and registered tree buyers for quotations, to be approved by the Ghana Forestry Commission. In this way the farmers will reap the benefit of their hard work.
Samuel Anim
General Secretary
National Council of Ghana YMCA
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| Religious and community leaders joined the YMCA of Argentina in a special service to celebrate its 105 anniversary. |
On 27th June 2007 the YMCA of Argentina signed an agreement with UNICEF Argentina to promote the rights of children, especially the most vulnerable.
Although the two organisations have enjoyed a good working relationship in the past, the agreement will give new momentum to the partnership between the YMCA and UNICEF in Argentina. The two have committed to working together to develop joint activities in the areas of research, capacity-building and raising awareness of the rights of children and adolescents.
Central to their agreement is a shared commitment from UNICEF and the YMCA to involve children and young people themselves in developing policies and activities relating to their rights.
Joint projects for the YMCA and UNICEF in Argentina will include capacity-building for teachers and community leaders on the issue of children’s rights, producing training materials, and organising workshops involving young people to discuss the issues affecting them.
The Argentine agreement comes a year after the World Alliance of YMCAs signed an agreement with UNICEF at world level, prioritising joint action to combat HIV and AIDS, to promote basic education and gender equality and to work for the protection of children.
In other news, the YMCA of Argentina is celebrating its 105th anniversary this year. Religious leaders from several faiths joined YMCA members and political and social leaders for an ecumenical ceremony on 7th May to mark this important step in the YMCA’s history. The YMCA of Argentina affirmed its Christian identity and highlighted its commitment to serving people of all faiths and of none.
Norberto Rodríguez
National General Secretary
YMCA Argentina
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| Youth delegates at YMCA Europe's General Assembly, Ukraine |
The annual General Assembly of YMCA Europe (formerly European Alliance of YMCAs), took place in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, from 16th – 20th May. Over 160 people from 30 countries attended to explore the theme “In my Father's house are many rooms", from John 14:2. This theme helped us to explore the richness of diversity in the world, as well as in the YMCA.
With the help of three keynote speakers, we gained a better understanding of two major topics: one was the environment, and the other was inter-faith dialogue.
According to the Bible, God has created the universe, and we have all been given the responsibility to help preserve creation and to serve one another, irrespective of colour, faith or cultural differences. We may live in different "rooms", but we are all affected by global issues, and by environmental damage. We therefore started with the theme: “Environment and Global Issues”. We endeavoured to provoke new thoughts and to challenge individuals and YMCAs to commit to change. Our first speaker illustrated the impact mankind is having on the environment. The second speaker focused on the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 and the impact it had then and continues to have on the environment and the daily lives of millions of people.
On the second day we embarked on a spiritual journey to investigate the diversity in religions and to observe how we react to this diversity. The speaker was Dr. Bart Shaha, Secretary General of the World Alliance, who used his own personal experiences as well as detailed research to show how peoples of different faiths can very comfortably co-exist. (http://www.ymcaeurope.com/attach/living-in-dialogue.pdf)
On the third day, we brought these two global themes to our own YMCA doors by internalising the topics to see how they affected us. In small groups we tested our own reactions to the issues raised, shared our own experiences – or lack of experience – and devised a personal action plan for each individual and their YMCA to take home. The challenge is for everyone to make three changes in the way they live. Examples ranged from using low energy bulbs, to taking a local YMCA group to visit a mosque, to get to know the local Muslim community.
A highlight was to hear about the advanced preparations for the Festival in Prague in August 2008 when we expect to host over 10,000 young people from around the world. (www.ymca2008.com)
Throughout the 5 days, we had daily devotions to reflect the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions that are represented across Europe.
We also found time to sightsee and to learn more about Ukraine and its people and to have a Ukrainian Cultural evening to sample the richness of the local music and food.
There were two meetings prior to the General Assembly: the European National Secretaries Conference where National General Secretaries were able to discuss topics relevant to themselves and within Europe, and a meeting of the leaders of the many European Programme Groups who work to promote a wide range of activities across Europe.
The next General Assembly will be in the European Training Centre in Litomysl, Czech Republic (www.esclitomysl.cz) in May 2008, to which you are all invited!
Peter Posner
President, YMCA Europe
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| Medellin was once the most dangerous citiy in Latin America. Today the human rights of young people are much better protected thanks to the work of the municipality and youth organisation like the YMCAs |
YMCA, the number one youth organisation
The YMCA is highly respected by government institutions in Colombia for its youth work. This was clear from a National Conference reviewing 10 years of youth legislation in Colombia, held in Medellín, from 4th – 6th July.
The conference brought together representatives from all levels of government, NGOs, UN agencies and foreign experts to debate the impact of legislation on young people and to make recommendations for new laws that are to be discussed in Parliament. Delegates witnessed the work of the YMCA first hand and were extremely impressed with what they learnt.
Dramatic drop in murder rate
In the municipality of Medellín, once the most dangerous city in Latin America, impressive progress has been made in protecting the human rights of young people. For example, in 1991 there were a shocking 7,000 murders a year: today the figure has plummeted to less than 10%.
This amazing achievement is partly due to the pro-youth policies of the Municipality of Medellín which invests in empowering young people, for example through a youth parliament, participatory budgets and a massive free music lesson programme. The YMCA’s work with young people in the two poorest and most dangerous districts of the City has also had a significant impact.
YMCA seen as experts
The role of the YMCA Movement worldwide was also recognised, as the World Alliance of YMCAs was invited to share models of youth policy and development from an international perspective. Emile Stricker, Executive Secretary at the World Alliance, also shared how the YMCA is working with young people on a live TV show on youth.
What next ?
Over 50% of Colombia’s population is under 25 years old. This, plus the fact that so many young people are used by the various parties in Colombia’s internal conflict, means that effective pro-youth legislation and protecting the rights of young people is critical.
Delegates produced a Declaration with concrete recommendations for action. These include a call for a national public debate on the social, economic and political situation of young people, and emphasise the need for institutions to engage with young people. The goal is to protect the human rights of Colombian youth.
Emile Stricker
Executive Secretary
World Alliance of YMCAs
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| This playground in Tuwana was built by community groups on land donated by the village and with materials from the YMCA. |
Although the tsunami struck Asia three and half years ago, the long term rehabilitation work continues. After the tsunami hit Nias Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia, the YMCA started a tsunami response programme implemented by Medan YMCA, and local leaders and volunteers in Nias. The local YMCA work is supported by international YMCA partners known as the Partners’ Coordination Group (PCG).
In June the PCG visited West Nias. Below, Yip Kok Choong, Chair of the Group and General Secretary of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, shares his experience of the visit.
Nias Island and its population had been much neglected by the authorities even before the tsunami of December 2004 and the earthquake of March 2005. Education, health care, economic activities, development and employment are poor compared to other main islands of Indonesia. Transportation and communication have been neglected, and many villages could only be reached after hours of trekking on foot.
The influx of International NGOs and the instant planting of local NGOs to support their projects when the international community withdrew from Nias has created huge gaps in salaries among field workers. “Poaching” of “trained” workers is common. For the volunteers and community organisers from Medan (Sumatra) and Nias, these were real challenges as they engaged with the communities with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds (even within Nias Island, especially between the West and the South). The YMCA Tsunami Response Programme Team had to undergo their own “socialisation” process over the past two years as they organised community groups, capacity building for community leaders, youth and women, and community rebuilding and social activities around their current economic activities, mainly agriculture (rubber and cocoa), fishing and pig-farming.
It was an enriching visit to 6 such village communities in the West. We heard the youth, women and adult groups tell us about the changes that had taken place in their lives and in village communities since the YMCA engaged them in a social transformative process, rebuilding hope for the future and life for the present.
We saw model farms, demonstration plots of herbal plants for medication, simple yet successful group cooperative trading stores - selling rice, daily essentials, and medication for pigs - for rebuilding economic life. We met and heard confident youth share about their cooperative efforts in trading and farming, and their ability to do these on their own and often with their own resources before further seed grants or loans were given to help them expand their activities. Women spoke with a sense of pride of changes, of better understanding of health and nutrition, and of responsibility in the process of change.
We saw playrooms and playgrounds where in the previous visit there were none. There must have been 100 children packed into a small playroom (house) at one village where 280 children benefit from this new addition to their community, as Selvi a Field Organiser and a village volunteer led them in a rousing singalong. At the base of all these were weekly or monthly Bible Study sessions to strengthen the community spiritually, and to see their transformation in the context of the teachings of the Gospels and the Church. There is strong involvement of the village heads, the religious leaders and cultural (customs) leaders, a “revival” of the Niasan spirit of “banua” (community spirit of oneness, cooperation for the good of the community).
All these we observed and learnt through our interaction with the grassroots, the key actors in the YMCA Tsunami Response Programme journey, accompanying the Niasan people towards a “New Nias”. These were lessons for us in social transformation and commitment: the result of a small team of dedicated and committed local Nias youth, and youth and young adults from Medan, living in difficult conditions, without water or electricity, and travelling long distances rain or shine…..
May the Lord bless and keep us all as we journey together in Mission with the Nias YTRP Team to rebuild hope, lives and communities and their “banua” spirit………
Members of the PCG are the World Alliance of YMCAs, the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, YMCA Japan, Horyzon ( Switzerland), and Y Care International, UK.
Extract from Headlines, Newsletter of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, No. 64 /June 2007
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Every year on 20th June the world honours the courage, resilience and strength of refugees. Six years ago the UN designated World Refugee Day as a time to celebrate the contributions that refugees make to communities as well as to raise global awareness on the plight of refugees and the causes of their exile.
The YMCA’s statement of mission, known as Challenge 21, challenges YMCAs to "commit to work in solidarity with the dispossessed and uprooted". The Robert Monnier YMCA in Toulouse, France is one of many YMCAs working with refugees and this year marked World Refugee Day in the city with a series of events between 14th – 28th June.
In partnership with a French ecumenical NGO working with undocumented immigrants (CIMADE) and another NGO "Migrants Tsiganes" the YMCA organised an exhibition of photos and testimonies of refugees telling their experiences from arrival to the point when decisions are taken on their appeals for asylum. A group of teenage asylum seekers and refugees also held exhibitions to challenge and educate the public.
Other awareness-raising events throughout the week included a theatre production called "Illegal Immigrant", exploring the fate of refugees, and a giant game of snakes and ladders for young people and adults, showing the difficult journey that asylum seekers experience.
The number of refugees worldwide has reached nearly 10 million, 14% more than last year. This is mainly due to the violence in Iraq as well as conflicts in Lebanon, East Timor, Sudan and Sri Lanka.
Global Trends, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 2006
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A solar-powered LED (a bright, low-power light) lighting demonstration started a partnership between our Canadian Y Service Club, indigenous groups in Costa Rica, and the Costa Rica YMCA.
We are planning a training programme for several indigenous people to transfer knowledge and skills relating to solar power installation and expertise in micro-credit development. The idea is that this technology supports indigenous agricultural practice.
The indigenous leaders are very clear about the way they want the project to develop in accordance with their traditional values and practices. Their practice of organic agriculture blends traditional knowledge with modern science. They produce many items including coco, bananas and other fruit, many of which are certified under the ‘Fair Trade’ programme. In their words, they are developing “a traditional agro-ecological production system to support the recovery of the environment”.
Brian Minielly
LUCR Project Director
Owen Sound
Canada
Y Service Club
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Here Claude-Alain Danthe, Webmaster for the World Alliance of YMCAs, reviews two ground-breaking books on making the most of your website.
Do you want to save USD 10,000? This is the minimum that Jakob Nielsen, a world specialist in website usability, charges to analyse your web homepage.
Fortunately Nielsen has shared his best practices in 2 books: “Prioritising Web Usability” and “Homepage Usability”. Together these provide the basic tools for evaluating your website.
Be content oriented, not design oriented
One of Nielsen’s key messages is that people return to a website not because of its design but because of its content. The majority of people don’t surf on the web to see nice artwork but to find information. So don’t lose time with flash animation or splash presentation - or at least allow surfers to skip them.
Be concise and clear
When you write for the web be concise and clear. Avoid lengthy, general introductions and focus on what your website is offering that others are not. Highlight your text with keywords and use plenty of sub-headings. People don’t read the web like a newspaper: rather they scan pages, so you need to grab their attention. The average surfer will not stay more than 30 seconds on your homepage.
Don’t play with colour
Don’t overuse colour effects or background colour. After nearly 600 years of typography nobody has found a better contrast colour for reading than black and white.
Don’t fix the font size
Don’t use a fixed font on your website but allow the user to increase the font size through his/her browser. Remember that a high percentage of the population has sight problems when reading.
Don’t try to be original
This may disappoint you, but surfers have certain habits. In other words surfers will expect to see internal search engines in the top right corner of a website, corporate signatures at the bottom of the page and the logo of your organisation in the top left corner. So don’t try and be creative with these basic functions.
Finally, always explain your abbreviations: even “YMCA” is not understood by everyone.
In “Prioritising Web Usability” you will find advice on how to create a website. In “Homepage Usability” Nielsen does a detailed analysis of 50 famous websites. A must for all webmasters.
Jakob Nielsen'website
Prioritising Web Usability
by Jakob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger, 2006
New Riders Press, Berkeley CA
ISBN-10: 0-321-35031-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-35031-2
Homepage Usability:
50 Websites Deconstructed
by Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir, 2002
New Riders Publishing, Indianapolis
ISBN 0-73571-102-X
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“Challenge 21”, the YMCA’s statement of mission, challenges YMCAs to “work in solidarity with the poor”. Many YMCAs are living out this challenge by working for trade justice in their communities and countries, and the World Alliance of YMCAs aims to support and facilitate this important YMCA work.
In June this year, Ms. Beate Turck from the YMCA of Germany represented the World Alliance at a consultation to strengthen the ecumenical movement in its work for trade justice. The aims of the consultation, organised by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, were to broaden and deepen the joint work of the ecumenical movement, both in terms of action and theological understanding of trade justice.
Around 40 people from member organisations of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance gathered in Bonn, Germany for three days of sharing information, networking and planning actions related to trade justice campaigning.
One of the outcomes of the consultation was to plan for a Trade Week of Action from 14th – 21st October this year. This is an opportunity for YMCAs, churches and other groups all over the world to speak out and call for trade justice. Although many groups, including the YMCA, are working all year round on trade justice, the Week of Action is a time to act in solidarity with millions of others around the globe.
The week was chosen because it incorporates globally significant events, such as World Food Day on 16 October and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and a Stand Up Against Poverty Day on 17 October.
A free resource guide with facts about trade justice, Biblical reflections, a liturgy, campaigning advice and much more has been produced in 4 languages by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance.
To find out more about trade justice or to download the resource guide in PDF visit the World Alliance website.
To order free hard copies of the resource guide visit:
http://www.e-alliance.ch/newsletters /
http://www.e-alliance.ch/twa_order.jsp
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In May the World Alliance of YMCAs joined a coalition of international NGOs
which work together to advance children’s rights.
The NGO Group for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child advocates for the rights of children through raising awareness about the Convention and promoting its full implementation.
“Through the World Alliance joining this NGO coalition we hope it will be easier for National YMCA Movements to get their voices heard at the UN on the urgent issue of children’s rights,” says Secretary General of the World Alliance, Dr. Bart Shaha. Other members of the coalition include Save the Children Alliance, World Vision International and Defence of Children International.
Working to promote the survival, protection and development of children and young people has long been a priority for the world YMCA Movement. This commitment to children’s rights was reaffirmed by the World Council of YMCAs last year in South Africa when a Resolution entitled “Working with Vulnerable Children and Youth” was unanimously passed.
Several National Movements, including the YMCAs of Spain, Costa Rica and Colombia, already belong to national networks of NGOs working for children’s rights. The NGO Group supports the creation and the work of National Coalitions and has a liaison unit to assist those who want to submit reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Visit the site of the NGOs Group for CRC to download a practical tool for NGOs wanting to join or form national child rights coalitions, and to access other advocacy resources on the rights of the child.
YMCA and YWCA Week of Prayer 2007 to focus on children
“Children First” is the theme of this year’s World YMCA and YWCA Week of Prayer and World Fellowship which will be celebrated from 11th – 17th November. The theme was suggested as part of the YMCA World Council Resolution on Vulnerable Children.
A Week of Prayer booklet is available with 6 days of Bible study and prayer, each focusing on a different aspect of the needs of children, and a suggested order of service is provided for day 7. To order copies contact ruth(at)ymca.int
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As part of its World Council, the World YWCA held the first ever International Women’s Summit on HIV and AIDS from 4th – 7th July in Nairobi, Kenya. More than 1800 women participated including representatives of UNAIDS, the World Health Organisation and youth organisations from around the world. Together participants shared their concerns and commitments to work to eradicate the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
It was a powerful experience to be part of a huge gathering of people from around the world all with a common concern – to mobilise efforts in their regions, their countries and communities to reduce the infection rates of HIV and work for the rights of people living with the virus. The message was clear: women with different cultural and religious perspectives are willing to come together to address the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
The YMCA shared its experiences on the prevention of HIV, and in particular the role of men, through two workshops. YMCA Ecuador, represented by Edison Cordero, led a workshop on changing risky behaviour in young people. YMCA Kenya, represented by Alice Njagi and Ian Njagi, ran a workshop on intensifying prevention, treatment, and care for girls and women, with a focus on educating men. The World Alliance of YMCAs was represented by Carlos Sanvee and Ladys Amaya.
When Edison Cordero, one of the few men attending the Summit, got up in plenary and spoke of the importance of engaging men in addressing the urgent challenge of HIV and AIDS, he received a burst of applause. The YMCA has a key role to play in educating boys and men on how they can reduce the level of infection. This is critical in the work to eradicate the disease.
The Women’s Summit was held in conjunction with the World YWCA’s World Council, whose Opening Ceremony was attended by the President of the World Alliance of YMCAs, Martin Meißner, from Germany, who brought greetings on behalf of the World Alliance. Under the theme “Changing Lives, Changing Communities” Council members passed resolutions, enjoyed workshops, worship and fellowship, and appointed their new world President, Ms Susan Brennan, 37, from Australia, and a new General Secretary, Ms Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, from Zimbabwe.
To find out more about the >>> YMCA’s work on HIV and AIDS
Did you know?
The number of people living with HIV has risen from around 8 million in 1990 to nearly 40 million today.
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| MDG Goals |
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can only be achieved if governments, the private sector and civil society work closely with young people. This was the message that the World Alliance of YMCAs, together with other international youth organisations, gave to the United Nations Economic and Social Council in July.
The Council, known as ECOSOC, was meeting in Geneva for a mid-term review of the MDGs which aim to eradicate extreme poverty by the year 2015. Although there has been some progress in meeting the 8 MDGs the gap in inequality is widening both within and between countries. “There are enough resources to achieve the MDGs but rich countries are spending far more on war than on development,” said Director General of the UN office in Geneva, Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze.
In a statement during the Council meeting, youth organisations challenged UN member states to involve young people at all levels of the decision-making processes. “We know from experience that for development policies to be truly sustainable we need to involve the people most directly affected by those policies,” they argued. Since more than 50% of the world’s population is under the age of 24 and young people are disproportionately affected by poverty, governments cannot afford to ignore young people.
Read the recommendations of youth organisations to the UN
You can download below the toolkit of the “YMCA and the Millennium Development Goals” in pdf format.
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| 42,000 young people joined the World Scout Jamboree in the UK. |
Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs, Dr. Bart Shaha, was a guest at the 21st World Scout Jamboree held in the UK. Bringing together 42,000 young people from virtually every country in the world where the scouts exist, the Jamboree was an educational event to promote peace and understanding among young people.
In his talk at the Jamboree’s global development village, Dr. Shaha applauded the scouts for their courage, commitment and creativity in addressing global issues. The Jamboree highlighted the work of scouts on four global issues of today: the environment, health, peace and human rights - issues which YMCAs are also actively addressing. Dr. Shaha also congratulated the scouts on their centenary celebrations.
The World Alliance of YMCAs and the World Organisation of the Scout Movement work closely together at international level and are both members of a group of six of the biggest youth organisations in the world.
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| Several international networks share YMCA knowledge on youth leadership and youth issues. |
The Global Operating Plan (GOP) for movement strengthening is now in its second phase, 2006 – 2010.
Under the GOP a strong YMCA movement is defined as one which has clarity of mission, is socially relevant and institutionally viable.
Two of the five key strategies for implementing the Global Operating Plan for movement strengthening are the Country Focus Strategy and the Knowledge Focus Strategy.
Implementing the Country Focus Strategy
Each YMCA Area Organisation is responsible for assessing National Movements in their area in terms of movement strengthening.
In 2002 the Africa Alliance of YMCAs began an audit of all National Movements which is still continuing. The Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs gives National Movements an organisational scan for them to do a self-assessment. This will be completed by September 2007. YMCA Europe carries out an annual census of all National Movements in Europe. In Latin America and the Caribbean all National Movements have been assessed and placed in 6 categories according to the strength of the movement.
As a result of these assessments, Areas have selected certain National Movements and 2 Area Organisations to receive particular support as part of the Country Focus Strategy.
As well as assessing all National Movements, some Areas have begun additional initiatives to complement the Country Focus Strategy. For example, YMCA Europe has set up a YMCA Europe Resource Team to assist National Movements to do self-assessments. The Asia and Pacific Alliance has set up a Movement Strengthening Committee focusing on the 3 “pillars” of movement strengthening (mission clarity, institutional viability, and social relevance). The Africa Alliance is implementing its own strengthening process and is expanding the approach to other countries outside the Country Focus Strategy.
Implementing the Knowledge Focus Strategy
In June 2007 the World Alliance launched a system to map areas of knowledge and expertise within the world YMCA Movement. The aim is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and to support networking in the YMCA family in order to strengthen the Movement. Anyone can access this knowledge by visiting a knowledge database on the World Alliance’s website called “Just Share It”; All YMCAs are invited to share their knowledge with the world family through the database.
The knowledge strategy builds on the international networks of YMCA professionals already in place. These bring together YMCA professionals and volunteers to share good practice and plan YMCA responses to particular issues. A need for some new networks has been identified on issues such as a culture of peace, disaster and mitigation management, global citizenship, and financial development.
For more information on how to get involved with the Global Operating Plan for movement strengthening contact your Area Secretary or the World Alliance.
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In 1995 the World Alliance of YMCAs held an international meeting focussing on sustainable development in Seoul, Korea. YMCAs already having programmes on the environment and those interested to initiate new activities participated. Today many YMCAs have given special focus to the issue of the environment and sustainable development. Here, let me share one such impressive programme that I visited some years ago in Chiangmai YMCA, Thailand that was started in 1993.
In terms of its mission, the Chiangmai YMCA aims to “contribute to the building of a peaceful and just society and help protect the natural resources of Thailand”.
To address the massive problem of the environment, especially as the water in the rivers was polluted, the YMCA began the Community Forest Programme. The goal was to assist in re-establishing the community forests. It was a participatory programme to raise awareness amongst the villagers and grass roots communities not only about their rights, but also their responsibilities regarding the use, preservation and restriction of their local forest and watershed areas.
Local people were made aware of the pollution and they began programmes to take care of the forest in their own areas. They worked together with the villagers and community leaders, teachers and students, Buddhist monks and government officers. The YMCA’s role was as a facilitator to create an enabling environment for the programme to succeed.
The programme used an innovative “step-by-step method”. The first step was to raise people’s interest in discussing the problems by holding meetings with various groups at district and community levels. They approached the cause and effects of deforestation and identified the communities’ needs. Then they carried out activities to increase other villagers’ awareness of the problem, through nature camps, seminars, exhibitions, campaigns, competitions and tree planting, along with tree ceremonies.
The YMCA Northern Development Foundation provided training in sustainable forest management, which was complemented by group development and technicians to enable the villagers to achieve more self-confidence to act on their own.
Study tours, training events, and forest fire prevention practices were held. Finally a Committee for Community Forest was formed and more trees were planted. Then they began to network more widely to co-ordinate activities and lead policy-making about the Community Forest. Over different phases, around 50,000 people participated in the process.
What were the results?
Soon water resources improved, illegal logging was reduced, new forests grew and environmental education and respect for nature increased.
At the political level there was greater exercise of democracy in decision-making processes. There emerged joint management of forests, participation in government meetings and the Development of the Community Forest Act. Through this Act the people ensure their legal rights in the management of their natural resources with responsibility. Organic farming methods were introduced and the sale of natural products increased.
Ms. Patcharin Avipan, a senior staff of Chiangmai YMCA, who gave leadership to the programme, made this comment:
“This process contributes to civil society strengthening in Thailand and to the development of leaders of Community Groups who become actors for social organisation and change, leading towards people-centred development, the sustainable use of natural resources and a just society.”
Patcharin took me, together with other YMCA volunteers and staff, on a long visit through the forest to the source of the water at the top of the mountain. What a refreshing and joyful sight it was to see clean, fresh water gushing out of the sources and flowing down into the rivers. The rivers that were drying up or being severely polluted now have a variety of fish, and the vegetation and other natural resources that grow there give nourishment to the local communities.
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