Scholarship for Peace Boat US Program

*This is not a WAGGGS program, but thought I would pass along in case it is of interest

PEACE EDUCATION AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN LATIN AMERICA (SUMMER 2017) 

June 20 – July 3, 2017

This program is geared toward university students, and welcomes advanced high school students, graduate students, and life-long learners, participating individually or in groups. Peace Boat US will also offer two full scholarships to join the program. Please see below for details.

Traveling to Panama, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, participants will learn about meaningful development experiences and peacebuilding in the Latin America region. Beginning in Panama, participants will visit the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) office, exchange with with indigenous communities, and learn from youth working for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Embarking onboard the Peace Boat in the port city of Cristobal, participants will pass through the Panama Canal and participate in lectures, cultural exchanges, and presentations on peace and sustainability issues while at sea. Arriving in Nicaragua, participants will learn about climate action and visit mangrove forests along the coast. After sailing to El Salvador, participants will disembark and join various educational activities including an exchange program at the University of Don Bosco in San Salvador.

Schedule (tentative): 

June 20 – Orientation in New York City at Peace Boat US Office, UN Plaza (or by Skype)
June 21 – Fly to Panama City, hotel check-in, and welcome dinner
June 22 – Visit UN Development Program regional office, session on Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America
June 23 – Visit RET (Resilience, Education and Training) program for refugee youth in Panama
June 24 – Study Program and cultural exchange with local indigenous communities in Panama
June 25 – Embark on Peace Boat in Cristobal, Panama, onboard orientation
June 26 – Panama Canal passage, preparation for lectures and study sessions onboard
June 27 – Onboard lectures and workshops
June 28 – Arrive in Nicaragua, Climate Action study program and mangrove forest visit. Return to ship for departure.
June 29 – Arrive in El Salvador, disembark from Peace Boat, cultural exchange program
June 30 – Visit University of Don Bosco in San Salvador, forum on Peace and Sustainability
July 1-2 – Cultural exchange in El Salvador with local community groups focused on the SDGs
July 3 – Return home

Full Voyage Itinerary 

Details 

Program fee is approximately $2,700 USD per person, and includes all accommodation on land and at sea (shared occupancy), land and sea travel during the program, three meals per day, and port programs. Fee does not include flights between home and Panama City and San Salvador and home, visa expenses, travel insurance, or other personal expenses. Passport valid until at least January 2018 is required. Participants are free to travel before and after program at their own expense.

Contact us for more information about participating. Individual students, student groups, and life-long learners are all welcome!

“Youth for the SDGs” Scholarship 

Click to download PDF flyer In 2015, 193 UN member states came together to define 17 Sustainable Development Goals to shape the global agenda for sustainable development in the next fifteen years and beyond. Achieving these goals will require an unprecedented mobilization of the energy and skills of young people, who play a key role in promoting and advancing the SDGs through entrepreneurship, volunteering, research, education and other endeavors.

Towards this aim, Peace Boat US is offering two full scholarships for young people working to advance the SDGs to join the “Peace Education and SDGs in Latin America” program.

Applicants are encouraged to review the Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals website.

Applicants are also highly encouraged to participate in the UN Ocean Conference to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal #14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development, taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York City from June 5-9, 2017

The scholarship will cover the following: 

• Airfare: NYC-Panama, and El Salvador-NYC (or equivalent price) 
• Accommodation, meals, and travel onboard the Peace Boat and in ports of call for the duration of the program 
• Travel insurance covering June 20 – July 3, 2017 

Costs to be covered by participants: 

• Personal expenses including gifts, souvenirs, toiletries, additional food, etc 
• Travel expenses not directly related to the program 
• Costs related to extending your time in Latin America either before or after the program dates 

Eligibility: 

• Ages 18-30 years old 
• Youth who are currently involved in SDG-related initiatives 
• All nationalities, pending visa confirmation for the included countries 
• Applicants must currently have a passport valid through December 31, 2017 

Qualities we are looking for: 

• Leadership skills 
• Strong speaking and presentation ability ( in English ) 
• Experience volunteering or working in SDG-related initiatives 
• Commitment and plans for continuing SDG-related work in the future 

Application process: 

In 500 words or less, please explain:
1) Brief background of your experience with SDG related initiatives
2) Why you want to join this program
3) How you can use the experience to further your SDG-related work

Statements can be submitted via email to info@peaceboat-us.org
Applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm / 17:00 Eastern Standard Time on April 25, 2017
Selected applicants will be contacted by April 30 to conduct an interview via Skype. Interviews will be conducted no later than May 5.
Scholarship recipients must submit a copy of their passport, one photo, and program application form within one week of receiving notification from Peace Boat US

Scholarship website can be found here: http://www.peaceboat-us.org/programs/latin-america-summer-2017/

Friendship Ambassadors Summer Youth Assembly at the UN

Press Release from the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation:

Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF) invites youth from around the world to apply for this year's Summer Youth Assembly, set to take place from August 9 - 12, 2017 in New York City, USA.

Delegate applications are open to youth between the ages of 16 - 28 who exemplify strong potential or have made an impact as leaders and changemakers in their communities. Interested applicants who are 29 years or older may apply as an Observer.

Delegate Packages: The Delegate Packages are designed to extend the Youth Assembly experience beyond the conference and provide various learning and networking opportunities to delegates, in addition to affordable accommodation and meals during their stay in the United States.

Participants who sign up for the packages enjoy access to additional events and activities, which aim to enrich their experience in both practical and inspiring ways.

 Outstanding Youth Delegate & Youth Assembly Scholarship Opportunity

FAF recognizes that meaningful youth participation in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires empowering young people, especially those who are furthest behind.

Therefore, in addition to recognizing two Outstanding Youth Delegates at the conference, FAF is pleased to introduce a merit-based scholarship opportunity which will be provided to one deserving youth to attend the Youth Assembly at the United Nations in New York.

All three winners will have the unique opportunity to speak on the podium and inspire other young people through their work and commitment to global development and the success of the SDGs. 

These opportunities are only the beginning of the Foundation's growing efforts to make the Youth Assembly an open and inclusive platform for youth coming from various socio-economic backgrounds.

Visit our website to learn more. Please stay in touch and look out for further announcements coming soon! Sincerely, Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, Inc.

Volunteer at the WAGGGS World Conference in INDIA

Are you aged 18 – 30? Do you want to volunteer in Delhi?

WAGGGS has 10 opportunities for young women who would like to join the World Conference Service Team!

As an active member of the Movement, you would need to be able to travel to India and be available from the 16 – 23 September 2017.

You would need to cover your own travel costs and make a contribution towards subsistence and accommodation of £400. You also need to be a confident English speaker as this will be the Service Team’s working language.

You will benefit from working in an international team, working closely with young women of the Bharat Scouts and Guides of India. In addition, you will meet the WAGGGS Global Team and experience what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ of a World Conference.

You would be warmly welcome to attend any developmental opportunities during World Conference for young women.

If this is of interest, please download the application form and return it to woco@wagggs.org by 30 April 2017.

Event Tomorrow: Investing in Every Last Girl

WAGGGS is co-hosting an event tomorrow (March 15, 2017) at 10:30am on investing in girls. The event will highlight necessary steps to ensure fair financing and gender-responsive, equitable investment in girls.

Following a musical performance, there will be an interactive discussion with representatives from Save the Children, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Women Deliver, and Women, Business and the Law, Development Economics, World Bank Group. Please RSVP here.

 We hope you can join us and do feel free to share the event with your colleagues and networks!

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Events

For two weeks, the United Nations holds a major conference on gender issues and successes. While many events are closed to the public unless you apply for a conference pass, non-profits hold hundreds of public events around NYC between March 13 and March 23. The list of events can be found here and the locations given in the document correspond with the following locations:

Girls are not only allowed to attend, they are encouraged to! It's a great opportunity for a girl to learn about organizations working on gender issues, find out about topics being addressed internationally, and for them to raise questions or comments about issues that girls face specifically. It's also a great way to learn about Gold Award topics/ideas! (Girls under 18 should bring a parent/guardian/adult with them!)

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is hosting a parallel event on March 14 at the Armenian Convention Center at 4:30pm, titled Girls' and Women’s Economic Empowerment: Addressing Gender Norms and Stereotypes. Please do attend! It will be led by Girl Scouts/Guides from around the globe!

Again, these events are free and open to the public! Check out the full list of parallel events here.

UN Women's CEDAW for Youth Helps Young People to Explore Women's Rights

Just before Christmas, UN Women launched its new youth-friendly version of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, also known as CEDAW for short (pronounced "see-daw"). CEDAW protects core human rights for women and girls and was signed by the UN General Assembly in 1989. This treaty is recognized by international law as a binding agreement and you can read the treaty in full here. CEDAW has been signed by 191 countries, as highlighted in blue below:

Light blue indicates countries that have signed but not ratified the treaty (only the US and Palau), dark blue indicates countries that have signed and ratified the treaty, orange indicates countries that have not signed the treaty

According to UN Women: 

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international legal instrument that requires countries to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in all areas and promotes women’s and girls’ equal rights.

CEDAW is often described as the international bill of rights for women, and is one of the key international agreements that guides the work of UN Women in achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. CEDAW for Youth is a youth-friendly version of CEDAW, that was authored by a young woman and young man. 

This resource explains why CEDAW is important to youth, describes CEDAW’s impact in advancing gender equality and human rights for women and girls around the world, and summarizes the articles of CEDAW, including the specific forms of discrimination that must be ended and how CEDAW is implemented and monitored.

Using the Youth-Friendly Report

The youth-friendly CEDAW resource is available here and is a great overview of CEDAW. I recommend it for a troop meeting where young people can read it and learn about their rights under international law. After reviewing the youth summary as a group, some activities you can do:

• In small groups, different groups can have a different article that they are meant to "market." How would you explain and promote this right on TV, radio, or in print? Create a full-page ad or TV/radio sketch as a group, and present it to the rest of your troop.
• Have a reflection moment where girls can write down thoughts about international standards for rights for girls. How does it make them feel that 191 countries have signed the treaty? Why is it important to have a treaty? How did this exercise help them to realize their own rights? This exercise can also be an opportunity to use the creative arts, such as poetry: ask girls to translate their thoughts/feelings/reflections into a freeform poem. At the end, girls who volunteer to can present their poem to the troop (do not pressure girls to perform their poems, as they can be deeply personal in nature; if no one volunteers, perhaps a troop leader can volunteer to go first). 
• Pretend that your troop has been asked to draft an "alternative report" to the CEDAW committee on the status of girls rights in your community and country. What are some of the issues you would want to discuss? What are some things that your country is doing well and what are some areas of improvement? What kind of evidence would you use, or how would you strategize to find the evidence you need to prove your point?
• For US Girl Scouts: The United States has not ratified the treaty, meaning that it is not subject to review by the CEDAW treaty body. Do you think the US should? Why do you think the US has still not ratified the treaty? What do you think is the value of being subject to review? If you think ratifying the treaty is a good idea, what would you do to advocate for ratification? Create an advocacy action plan/strategy, such as talking to local representatives, create an ad campaign, write a report that you can publish online, write op-eds for your local paper, etc. As a troop pick at least one idea and do it!

UNICEF also has a youth-friendly CEDAW document which I highly recommend as well. You can check it out here to decide what works best for the age level of your troop.

UN Team Event: A Girl's Journey to Success!