“All the News

That‘s Fit to Print“

No 4 Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010 Free copy

DREAM OF GREEN AND CLEAN

David Hiss from Netherland

IT JUST DOES NOT FIT. DESPITE TRYING TO MAKE SUSTAINABILITY ATTRACTIVE, OUR REALITY SUGGESTS THAT WE ARE DOING
OTHERWISE. DURING THE CONGRESS, 3000 PLASTIC CUPS ARE USED EVERY DAY AND THAT IS JUST AT THE CAFETERIA. THAT IS
PRETTY SHOCKING NUMBER FOR A CONGRESS THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY.

The plastic comes in many forms.
There are water bottles everywhere.
The cups are made of plastic, and
so are the plates, knifes, and forks.
These plastics are ready to be dis-
carded as soon as they have served
their purpose.
You almost get the impression
that this congress on it is own will
be able to double the Great Pacific
Garbage Patch (GPGP). Slightly
smaller than the surface area of
the United States, the resides on the
sunny surface of the sea - an island
of plastic that will remain there long
after we live.
The plastic usage is not the only
area in which this congress dis-
plays unsustainable activity. Those
involved with the topic of Climate
Change will know that the some of
the biggest contributors to rising
global temperatures are meat and
factory farming.While to make this
summit meat-free is (at least in the
current situation) very difficult,
holding a BBQ party for more than
1000 people is even more unsustai-
nable. In BBQs people tend to eat at
least twice the amount of meat that
they would consume normally. Not
to mention the clouds of CO2 that
are blown directly into our already
polluted atmosphere.
YOUTH CAN CONTROL THE
SITUATION
We should not forget one thing:
this situation is a familiar one to a
lot of delegates: The choice to live
ecologically is not favored by the
system we live in. We are provided
with an unsustainable world (espe-
cially in the western countries)
and we are now provided with an
unsustainable congress. The only
solution seems to be what we are
trying here anyway: Youth takes
control of the situation!
Let‘s ignore these plastic water-
cups and reuse our bottles. There
are sufficient avenues to refill them
all over campus. Let‘s wash the pla-
stic cutlery we get at breakfast and
just reuse them the next day.
In case we have to throw some-
thing away, make sure it ends up in
the recycling bins that are available.
For those who are not vegetarian,
eat some vegetarian food once
in a while because it does have
an impact. So let‘s turn what is a
catastrophe for the environment
into a shining example for youth all
over the world in the battle against
climate change.
If we can do it here, the rest of
the planet will just be another chal-
lenge that we will welcome!
2 No 4, Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010

ACTIVIST OF THE DAY

By Kartik Das from Singapore

TCT ASKS: ARE YOUTH TAKEN SERIOUSLY BACK HOME?

WE HAVE GATHERED IN ISTANBUL TO RALLY A CAUSE FOR CHANGE AND HAVE HAD HUNDREDS OF YOUTH CONDUCT WORKSHOPS
AND DISPLAY SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS THAT HAVE IMPRESSED MANY. HOWEVER, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ALL HEAD HOME I
WONDER WILL WE BE ACCORDED THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AND SPACE TO MANOUVRE OR IS THIS ARENA IN TURKEY JUST A
FANTASY?

“At the National Level, there has been a great then meet weekly to see how youth policy can
effort to increase money spent on youth as be developed and how government policies
a reaction to the economic crisis and that is can be clearly understood by the general youth
great. However, on a provincial level such as population”.
my hometown in Saxony, there is a tendency to
save as much as possible with regards to Youth Sebastian Cadenas, Argentina
Expenditure.It is not possible to spend too much Entrepreneur
on the youth – we are the present investment
for the future”.

Someone who’s impressed you: Eva-Maria Stange “There is plenty of emphasis placed on youth
especially in regions like Quebec and New
Brunswick. Canada World Youth and CIDA have
both ensured through their programs that youth
are never left out in the cold and that there is a
plethora of avenues for youth engagement both
locally and abroad”.

Someone who’s impressed you: Tamara Lorinz

Vaibhav Mathur, India

Educator & Activist

Robert Schmidt, Germany

Young Journalist

Sophia Horwitz, Canada

“I think in India, politicians have their own
vested interests that do not overlap with posi-
tive youth agenda. Those youth organizations
which do have political affiliations or family
connections tend not to pursue causes aimed
at social and community development.We are
stuck in a vicious cycle but the organizations
who are continuously working had are making
people sit up and take notice.We do not just ask
to be taken seriously, we show that we can be
taken seriously!”
Someone who’s impressed you: Rahul Gandhi
“Political parties change and with that so do
youth positions. But recently in Santa Fe, there
is a new concept with regards to Youth repre-
sentation. Young people are attached to the
various Ministers in government and are well
read in their areas of responsibility.These youth
Activist
“While it is unfortunate, sometimes youth
activism in Africa is looked upon as more of a
joke than anything constructive. It is not easy
to get official support for youth movements
and a political connection is often needed for
strong support”.
Regina Umutoni, South Africa, Activist
Namwiinga Samakayi, Zambia, Activist
Ojajuni Oluwasijiboni, Nigeria, Activist
No 4, Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010 3

JAMES BAYANAI:
“Youth without Computers”
BY FEBI PURNAMASARI - INDONESIA IMPRINT

General Media Coordinator

Cemil Yücel
JAMES BAYANAI CAME TO
ISTANBUL WITH HOPES TO Editors in Chief
Elena Roda, Italy
REPRESENT ZIMBABWE, HIS Lutfi Rakhmawati, Indonesia
COUNTRY, AND HIS PROJECT Layout
AT THE 5TH WORLD YOUTH Dumitru Iovu, Moldova
CONGRESS. Proof Reader
Kartik M. Das, Singapore

Photographers
Faisal Akber, Bangladesh
James expected to build partner- Yeuheniya Leonava, Belarus
Li-Liam Ahlskog Hou, Sweden
ships for his organization“Zimbabwe Andrea Arzaba, Mexico
Youth Development Foundation Trust”
Facilitators
which was founded eight months ago Dumitru Iovu, Moldova
to face the economic problems and Emre Çalışkan, Turkey
Fatih Muslu, Turkey
the deterioration of some sectors
Mühtan Sağlam, Turkey
including education in Zimbabwe.
For more articles and media go to:
The existence of the marginalized www.virtualwyc.net
community, as he argued, was also
strong motivation to start his course
All articles do not necessarily repre-
of action. sent the opinions of the magazine.
James showcases his current pro-
ject,Zuva Rabuda,“Sunrise”,aiming to
empower the marginalized Zimbab-
wean youth where, according to him,
90% of youth people in Zimbabwe are
computer illiterate. THE BIG DEAL
He bemoaned the lack of facilities
available at school libraries in Zimb-
abwe.“Schools should have conven-
tional libraries with computers, so REPORTERS
that they may also work as life skill
centers for Zimbabwean students,”
WANTED
he continued. trying to gain funding from the local thought I could interact with so many
James is planning to build cyber- businessman. people from different backgrounds
resource centers, starting from his and enthusiastic participants of Are you a journalist
or just a participant?
house, Chirumanzu, where it is a “I HOPE I CAN REALLY TAKE NGO’s,” he said.
courtyard. “For this project we have MORE ACTION FOR MY PRO- Referring that his country needs Do you have a voice?

kept in touch with the government.
They would help us but they don’t
have enough resources,” he said. Due
to the limited governmental financial
support, James and his friends are
JECT WHEN I RETURN HOME.”
James expressed his willingness to
have more friends during the WYC.
Regarding the Congress,“I have never
facility extension and education
assistance, “We need support from
other developed countries to incre-
ase Zimbabwe’s quality of life,” he
underlined.
Do you have a story to tell?
Or you just want to say
how you feel to everyone?
If Yes, then become our
SPECIAL REPORTER

Send your materials to:

wyc2010@youthpress.org

LET’S CLICK!
Several Pictures, Blogs, Videos and Radio or better
Podcasts are already available on the
Virtual Congress platform. bring them to:
house C on the map
Library
If you can manage to find an Internet connectıon open. Find us in the Jumanji something building, 1st floor
somewhere, the team of the Virtual Congress would (you might know it as C) in room number D214 on
be happy if you could upload your photos, videos, the ground floor where we have several computers Plese make sure your articles
PowerPoints or Outcomes of your Workshops or that are connected to the Internet. are signed with your
whatever that is related to our Congress. Moreover Name, Surname and Country
we would be thrilled if you could write a little blog So get started and check out and we will make sure
post yourself or comment on the posts of others. the Virtual Congress @ www.virtualwyc.net to find space for them in
If you can’t manage to find Internet our doors are or write to us @ virtual@unitedgames.org The Congress Times
4 No 4, Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010

Sing, Have Fun, Go Mad

Lutfi Rakhmawati from Indonesia

No matter how beautiful Bosporus is,

or how great the congress is, undou-
btedly, waiting (in vain) is frustrating
to everyone. And to find a solution
about this is suddenly extremely
vital thing.
Despite all the great plans written
on the handbook, most of the sche-
dules are more than 30 minutes late:
the welcoming party, the opening
ceremony,the cultural performance,
the boat trip, the workshop and the
meal time.
How frustrating! Luckily, the dele-
gates find a simple but fun way to
solve the most boring activity in the
world: waiting.And the simple way is
singing. Here and there, on the boat
or inside the bus, songs are heard
everywhere. Outside its function
as time killer, song also uniquely
introduces the culture of a nation.
On the way to Bosporus, a group English, Spanish, and Indonesian people on the boat.What about the together. Plus, we can introduce
of delegates in bus 14 sang some language in the song. Yes we can safety? And the tour started too late our culture and entertain others by
songs. Surely, its main function is change, pademos cambiar, ya kita at the night. So I felt a little bit tired,” singing out traditional song here,”
to regain the passion, because the bisa. she said. he added.
boat trip is more than one hour late “We want to make a simple, easy With more or less similar feeling, The boat trip itself was a little
from schedule. Black Eyed Peace’s to hear and sing, yet inspiring song. Noufal El Hammouni from Morocco longer than most of participant
“I Got a Feeling”, followed by some So we made this song. Hopefully and his friends, choose to sing along thought. Again, to sing a song is the
Rihanna’s song had successfully this simple song can cheer us all,” the boat trip. Moroccan guys enthu- simple and entertaining activity.
cheer up the evening. he said. siastically sang their traditional song Some African guys walk through
WYC Türkiye 2010’s Young Artists Although the scenery of Bosporus from their country. Other delegates, the room and asked people to sing
welcomed the participant with the at the night was spectacular, some although they don’t get the langu- newly popular African song, Waka-
song “Yes We Can Change”. Raja people looked boring or tired. Dao age, happily hear them singing and Waka. Every time, music is always
Fahlevi, one of the young artists, Thi Bich Hong from Vietnam wor- clapping their hands. helpful to cheer up everyone.When
explained that the song was crea- ried about the boat safety.“There are “The trip itself is great because all you get bored, just sing a song. So
ted only in two hours. There’s little about one thousand, maybe more, people from different culture come far, it works a lot! Happy congress…

Seen and Overheard @ WYC

ASTIK SINHA By India

Be ready to party. Room no. Z18
is currently unofficial Embassy of
Sudan! Its Ambassad or Mr Nizar
hosted a small midnight party for
Arab delegates during embassy’s
opening ceremony. Delegates were
seen singing the Sudanese anthem
and sharing moments of joy. Next
party is to be tonight, everyone is
invited! P.S. – Do not forget to inform
the Mr. Ambassador.
Beware of the Entrepreneur Dele-
gate in a black suite, black tie, black
shirt and black trousers! Last was
seen to be picked near the cafeteria!
Be careful not to fall down.A female
delegate was seen dropping her tray on
the way to leave the cafeteria.However,
unlucky, the sound of the tray received
all claps of enthusiastic delegates. We
bet she wished she were invisible!
Be ready to dance. Indian and
Pakistani delegates seen breaking
into a spontaneous Punjabi Bhangra
dance every time someone plays
music! Join in the celebrations stop-
ping to think about politics.
Time to wake up. Midnight sports
games have begun between the
hostels! Girls are yet to be spotted
joining in!
Time to post your message. Hurry,
go to the exhibition building (C at
the map) and write your message
for WYC Book!
Spotted two delegates post mid-
night jumping out of their windows in
nothing more than their boxer shorts!
Our advice: Do not copy!
No 4, Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010 5

Do It Yourself Meditation
By Lutfi Rakhmawati from Indonesia

LOKA SAMASHTA SUKHINO BHAVANTU - REPEAT IT 7 TIMES. MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY, PEACEFUL, AND HEALTHY. VIPUL ABHAY
SHAHA FROM INDIA SHARED THIS WITH US AT A MEDITATION AND NATURE WALK. “WHEN WE SAY IT, MEAN IT, AND BELIEVE IT, THE
SPELL WILL RADIATE TO ALL”, HE SUGGESTED.

Apparently, there is nothing in Vipassana is derived from two

common between the creation of
peace and the process of personal
meditation. But, hopefully, medita-
tion creates peace inside us. One
can share peace when one is at
peace.
Vipul believes that meditation
is a great help when it comes to
controlling his emotions. For these
few days, he is attending the con-
gress and having great time with
the diverse youth from all over the
world but in his everyday life, he
deals with group of nine-year old
children.
“Obviously, it is not easy, it is hard
to get their attention. I must be
smart to manage my emotion.When
this is well managed, I can get their
attention. If I get that, it is easier to
teach them,” he said.
He introduced us to Vipassana,
a meditation method from India.
words,“Vi”, which means specialty,
and “Passana” which means to
observe. When we engage in Vipas-
sana, we observe the feeling inside
us.
Vipul thinks that human beings
do not need a manual for morality.
Morality is deep down in our heart.
What we have to do is observe our
feelings: “In the field of morality,
your heart knows what is wrong and
what is right,” he concluded.
For that reason, meditation deser-
ves to be learnt deeper. Meditate
and gain inner peace. Know your
feelings, listen to your heart.Always
remember, good feelings like peace
radiate.
Let’s spread out the word, to your
loved ones, to nature, to the people
you meet, to the world.
Loka samastha sukhino bha-
vantu.

BORED AND HUNGRY? WAITING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE BORING

By Andrea Arzaba from Mexico

It is time for breakfast, lunch or
dinner. You feel hungry and your
stomach starts to growl. You try
to hurry to the cafeteria, thinking
about the delicious food you are
about to enjoy. But then you realize
that there is a huge line of people
right in front of you, feeling exactly
the same way you did.
Well, we have good news for you.
After significantly researching the
subject and a few laughs, we would
like to present you with some tips
on what to do in order pass the time
in a fun way:
1. SOCIALIZE - This is the best
way to pass the time and get to
know new people.Who knows, you
might be standing next to a future
best friend!
2. GET ORGANIZED - Use this
time to think about the activities
you want to do, read your good old
Congress handbook! This way, you
won’t lose precious time trying to
decide where to go!
3. READ THE NEWSPAPER - Keep
yourself informed and get a better
idea of what the young journalists
are up to!
4. PLAY A GAME - Make fools of
yourselves by dancing or singing
and you might even get to practice
your leadership skills.
5. GIVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR A
MASSAGE - Show off your hidden
skills by giving your friend a rela-
xing shoulder massage and if
you are lucky enough the person
behind you do the same for you!
6. TAKE A PICTURE - (Or Video)
of the huge line in front of you (and
the one behind you). You will not
want to forget this moment when
you get back home.
7. LISTEN TO MUSIC - If it is in
your iPod, sing and dance, at least
you will entertain people around
you. They will definitely appre-
ciate it!
8 . R E M E M B E R - Wh i l e yo u
observe the line try to remember
the names of people you have met
in the past. Randomly start shouting
out the names of people who pass
you by if you recognize them!
6 No 4, Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010

Why Being Aware of

Stereotypes is Important
Cecile Guezennec from France

“Where are you from?”is probably
the easiest ice-breaking line here on
the congress. But all of us then try
to guess where people come from
based only on physical appearance.
These stereotypes were the topic of
Wednesday’s workshop“French and
glamour: Challenging stereotypes in
community improvement projects”
by French delegate Emilie Etienne.
The workshop was held in three
languages, with the English session
on Monday 2nd of August,French on
Tuesday and Spanish on Thursday.
On the workshop,the participants
first had to guess where the others
came from. The way we walked, the
clothes we wore, how sweaty we
looked, were just some of the many
clues. But beware of too perfect an
accent: we had a hard time guessing
that Maryna Kumede was from Ukra-
ine because of her fluent French!
The aim of the workshop was
to make us aware. How we see
ourselves and how people see us
are probably two different things.
We all know we have stereotypes
about others, but we know who
we are and do not expect others
to have stereotypes about us. This
can be a problem when working on
your project abroad. Emilie Etienne
told us how she was considered
a young woman when working in
Latin America while she was though
to be wealthy white person in Africa.
Being aware of these stereotypes is
the first step if you want to interact
efficiently with your partners in a
foreign country.
Then we compared stereotypes
about our countries. Did you know
that no bear walks freely in the
streets of Ukraine, that Turkish
people do not eat with their hands
but with a fork, that the houses in
Quebec are not made of snow, that
partying in Burundi or Burkina Faso
always involves drinking beer?
The workshop led us to discuss
topics such as gender stereotypes,
equality between men and women,
and the weight of religion. We left
this workshop a little more open-
minded. This is also how this con-
gress could be viewed: a means
to admire beautiful traditional
costumes, sure, but also a way to get
to know people we usually do not
have the chance to meet. So when
your“Where do you come from?”has
been answered, keep talking!

CAN YOU GUESS WHERE THEY COME FROM?

1 2 3 4

7 - Emilie Etienne (France)

6 - Alexandra Volodına (Russia)
5 - Abderrazak Azizi (Morocco)
4 - Desire Kabore (Burkina Faso)
3 - Mümün Bulut (Turkey)
2 - Maryna Kumede (Ukraine)
1 - Gabriele Leblanc (Quebec)

5 6 7
No 4, Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010 7

TALKING ABOUT WOMEN.

HOW MANY DIFFERENT WORLDS!
By Elena Roda from Italy

POWER, CREATIVITY, PERSEVERANCE, RESPECT, FREEDOM AND BEAUTY. DIFFERENT WORDS TO DEFINE THE ONE ENTITY: A
WOMAN. SOME DELEGATES WERE ASKED TO THINK ABOUT WOMEN IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY, THE GENDER PROBLEMS, THE DIFFI-
CULTIES AND THE STRENGTHS, SO AS TO UNDERSTAND THE MANY DIFFERING SCENARIOS WE FACE TODAY.

Imagine the surprise when you walk

into a workshop about gender equa-
lity and find more men than women!
Gender equality undoubtedly invol-
ves both men and women, but every
time we think about equality,our mind
inevitably turns to consider problems
for women because more often than
not, women are more disadvantaged
than men. Even if it could be time to
overcome differences, in most coun-
tries women live facing many of dif-
ficulties: violence, lack of education,
genital mutilations.
“Discrimination must not exist
in 2010”, Abdelhadi from Morocco
argues, “The woman is my mother,
my sister, she could be my wife”. We
need a change in education and
laws for women, that is the only way
to combat an unequal system. “We
need to sensitize the population in
gender equality” he said.
What about other countries with
differing religions, traditions and
cultures? We asked some delegates problems.Without any knowledge or tion about technology, how to use to live in an equal environment for
for their thoughts and feelings. skills, they are often abused by their computers and other technological women who come from different
Siti from Indonesia works for her chief. They are victims of different devices”, Siti added. society contexts”, she argued.
government in the field of women kinds of violence and this situation Aida from Algeria works on women Randa comes from the USA but
empowerment.“A lot of Indonesian creates some problems in Indonesia’s empowerment issues as well.“I work she has Syrian origins.“In the USA I
women go abroad to work but, relationships with other countries. for the Algerian Business Women am free to decide how to dress: I have
in many cases, they do not know Siti is involved with education and Association trying to help women to not ever had problems in dressing
anything about the labour system in training programs for these women. face their biggest problems: find a job, my scarf. Anyway there is still a lack
these countries ,” she said. “We help them with foreign lan- create their own business and access of communication in this field,” she
This ignorance creates a lot of guages, we give them some informa- the education system”. added.
One of the much discussed issues “A high number of people do not
concerning gender equality is the really know the difference between
participation of women in politics religion, culture and tradition. One
and in high level working positions.“I person is different to another one but
come from a country where the Pre- we live all together,in the same world.
sident is a woman and where, for the We need to come together.”
first time, the rector of the National Randa guarantees that in her
University of Cordoba is a woman”, country, women have the same pos-
Micaela from Argentina said.“Anyway sibilities of men.“Anyway, as in many
many problems for women still exist. other countries, in the USA women
We have to face many kinds of vio- have a short period of maternity.
lence against women, the difference Unfortunately, companies that care
in men and women’s salaries and for worker’s children are very rare,”
in the difference in possibilities to she said.
be educated, to find a good job and
8 No 4, Istanbul, Thursday, August 5, 2010
Imece and the MDGs
Accomplishment
Every nation dreams of a better
change. Change, however, is pretty
expensive if we fail to act. The world
11 ways to make most out of WYC
1.Meet people from countries other than
your own (if you‘re the only person from
your country then this is kind of obvious).
For the rest, you can meet people from
your own country back home!
2. Make sure you get the contact
information of everyone you meet
- Facebook, Email or even Skype!
Don‘t forget where you met them (at
workshop, during lunch-time)
3.Attend sessions that you will not be
able to access on the internet or back
in your own university
By Ajayi-Smith Olukayode from Nigeria
today is not the same as it was in the
last century. Today, our actions and
especially our inaction have almost
By Abhishek Thakore
4. Actively participate in discussions
- do not be scared of bringing up
uncomfortable topics or asking con-
troversial questions. We are here to
share and critically think about the
change we can make.
5. Always tell people what you
admire about their country and
your connection to their country - it
creates common ground! (A famous
football player or a type of food
always works!)
6. Wear your badge at all times and
an immediate effect on our lives and
our environment.
An old people once said the men
who made impact in the world years
ago were those who tore the world
apart.The men who make an impact
in our world today are those who
attempt to unite the world. Young
people have the potential to be
the latter.
In fact, there are a million young
people around the world doing
tremendous work. There are young
people who volunteer to ensure
young girls get an education in
countries where young females are
marginalized; Those who volunteer
to help improve maternal health-
care to ensure a reduction in the
maternal mortality and child mor-
tality rate. These young people are
making a difference.
Young people are energetic, curi-
ous, and passionate about causes
they truly believe in. Most impor-
tantly, young people listen to each
other, thus making them an indis-
pensable resource.
flash it up each time you tell your
name - it helps if the person has not
heard your name correctly or gets it
wrong the first time.
7. If you came to the WYC as a group,
attend different sessions and meet
together at night to share your expe-
riences
8.Actively interact with the organizers
and ask them if they need help,appre-
ciating their work and sharing your
problems goes a long way. (Constant
cribbing isn‘t fun)
I believe that the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) can
and will only be achieved if we
actively involve more young persons
in the National and local implemen-
tation plans.With less than six years
to the deadline for achieving the
MDGs, I am more than certain that
the involvement of young people
can surely make a difference.
However, young people should
not wait for anyone to get them
involved. They must take their
responsibility. We make up the
sustainability machine of our coun-
tries and we must begin to present
ourselves for service.
The 5th World Youth Congress
is creating possibilities to this end.
With over one thousand young
people, the next few years is sure to
take us to the promise land; Canaan.
Our synergy can work wonders as
young people if we act together in
our service. Therefore I say, Imece!
“Be the change you want to see in
the world”- Mahatma Gandhi.
9.Take leadership in making your Aile
more fun for everyone - support your
leader in thinking up of new „family“
activities! (Baklava should have a
baklava tasting!)
10. Think about your plans after the
congress and try to find partners for
your future projects - it is easier to do
this during the congress in person
rather than online on Facebook.
11. Read “The Congress Times” every
day to know what is happening - con-
tribute to it if you can!