“All the News
That‘s Fit to Print“
No 2
WYC kicks off in Istanbul
By Fatih Muslu from Turkey
The largest youth forum to date with over
1000 young delegates called WorldYouth
Congress (WYC) began on Saturday the
31st of July.
The WYC is supported by the Ministry
of State, e-Youth Association, Peace
Child International and Istanbul Metro-
politan Municipality Youth Council. It
started at theYildiz Technical University
Davutpasa Campus with the participa-
tion of Ministers of State Faruk Nafız
Özak and Egemen Bağış,Istanbul Metro-
politan Municipality Deputy Secretary
General Sabri Dereli, District Governor
of Esenler Nazım Madenoğlu, Yıldız
Technical University President Dr.İsmail
Yüksek and Esenler Mayor,Tevfik Göksu.
The WYC will be held until August
13th in Istanbul, the 2010 European
Capitals of Culture, with the participa-
tion of around 1400 youths from 147
countries
Minister Özak expressed his honor
to host the 5th World Youth Congress,
stressing that “İmece“ (Joint Action) is
the main theme of the Congress.
‘The practice of İmece, which has
existed for centuries in the Turkish
Culture, contains the concepts that are
globally emphasized and encouraged
Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Free copy
Five Continents,
One Room
like cooperation, volunteerism and
togetherness,” he said.
Addressing the importance of İmece
A CULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA
in this Congress’ organization, he said:
“We have carried out and continue to
display one of the most beautiful exa- Faruk Nazıf Özak, Minister of billion people share - all in one
mples of İmece in the preparation and State for Youth and Sport, and room. A World Exhibition allo-
execution of this Congress. If the World Ismail Yuksek, President of the wed all participating delegates
we are living is to become more livable, Yildiz Technical University, were and NGOs to present their coun-
peaceful, developed and fair, it is to say in attendance yesterday as the tries, cultures and organizations.
this can come true with today‘s Youth.” cultures from all over the world In addition to our special high
The Minister was filled with zeal were on display in Istanbul. profile guests, over 500 visitors
and pride to dance Horon hand to Imagine being able to access were enthralled by the youth and
hand with the World Youth.Participants the many diverse cultures that 7 all they had to display.
enjoyed nostalgic moments with pre-
sentations from the four former host
countries and were then delighted with
lively performances of various Turkish
Folk dancers with the message of İmece
and the importance of World Youth in
making a difference being constantly
reiterated.
While getting ready to assess various
topics with more than 400 workshops
in the first week the WYC will carry out
sustainable action programs together
with locals during the second week in
26 cities around Turkey at 50 different
points as they are guided by theme of
İmece.
2 No 2, Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Lobbying 101:
An Afternoon with Felix Dodds
By Kartik Das from Singapore

AS NEARLY HALF THE CONGRESS ATTEMPTS TO GET INTO THE asleep elsewhere but Dodds‘ humo- To find ways to make waves
FIRST WORKSHOP ON UN EMPLOYMENT, A SMALLER GROUP rous anecdotes of a portly formidale around the world we need to look
ENTERS A ROOM ASKING “IS THIS HOW TO LOBBY AT INTERNA- woman forcing out an Egyptian within ourselves for ideas and
TIONAL EVENTS?“, TO WHICH FELIX DODDS OF STAKEHOLDER Minister from the toilet with a large inspiration. Dodds gave us a few
FORUM CASUALLY REPLIES “I HOPE SO.” stick, to how sometimes, as unfortu- practical tips on how to translate
nate as it may be some people just our concepts into reality.
won‘t like you because you look He essentially reminded us that
Having folded up his sleeves to buy them a cup of coffee and esta- funny, had everyone enjoying the if we take ourselves and our aims
try to avoid perspiring further, he blish a personal relationship. session. seriously, the people in power will
emphasizes that:“The best successes You‘d be surprised how demea- If you had wandered in half- have little choice but to listen.
are in the coffee bar.“ nours can change when you both way through you might have been More than 1000 have gathered
Dodds reminds us that everyone realize that you support the same shocked when he went on about in Istanbul and in the words of
is more likely to listen to what you football team.Taking the effort to get BINGOs, BONGOs, MONGOs and Kofi Annan “In today‘s world, we
have to say when they‘re relaxed to know someone makes all the dif- GONGOs but through the funny all depend on each other“- but the
and away from their fomal settings. ference, but when you‘re following sounding acronyms everyone came challenge remains, are you ready to
So, for youth who just don‘t seem to him into the toilet, you know you‘ve to really understand the comple- engage the billions of others who
be able to get some high ranking gone too far! xities of the NGO system without aren‘t here?
civil servant to listen to your idea, People might have been falling being overloaded with information.

HOW TO LOBBY
EFFECTIVELY:
A TO DO LIST
By Cécile Guezennec

1 - Know your objectives:

you need a clear purpose
and a rapid response
mechanism.

2 - Know your country‘s and

the UN officials: a photo
booklet may be the perfect
tool.

3 - Plan your action : when

to lobby on a national, regi-
onal and global level.

4 - Be practical : bring the

right plug, find the UN
phone directory....

5 - Buid a long-term trust

relationship with your offi-
cials : you can become an
informer, an intermediary...

6 - Do not spend all your

time with other NGOs!
No 2, Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010 3

IMPRINT

General Media Coordinator

Cemil Yücel

Editors in Chief
Robert Schmidt, Germany
Natalia Bonila, Puerto Rico

Editor Assistant
Gülserem Ölçüm, Germany

Layout
Dumitru Iovu, Moldova

Proof Readers
Kartik M. Das, Singapore
Martine Boyer, Canada

Photo Editor
Liza Smith, South Africa

Photographers
Faisal Akber, Bangladesh
Yeuheniya Leonava, Belarus
Daniela Adela Ionita, Romania
Li-Liam Ahls Kog Hou, Sweden
Andrea Arzaba, Mexico
Gülserem Ölçüm, Germany

Facilitators
Dumitru Iovu, Moldova
Emre Çalışkan, Turkey
Fatih Muslu, Turkey
Mühtan Sağlam, Turkey

For more articles and media go to:

www.virtualwyc.net

All articles do not necessarily repre-

sent the opinions of the magazine.

COMMENTARY
THE BIG DEAL

MOST OF THEM have their eyes closed

REPORTERS
WANTED
By Ellie Harvey from Australia

STANDING IN A LINE OF FIVE PEOPLE WITH THEIR HANDS ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE PERSON Are you a journalist
or just a participant?
IN FRONT, THEY DON‘T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE GOING. THEY HOPE THAT BASED SOLELY ON
THE SQUEEZE OF EITHER SHOULDER OR TWO TAPS ON THE BACK THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE SOME Do you have a voice?

DIRECTION, THAT THEY MIGHT NOT WALK INTO A TREE. THEY ARE JUST ONE OF SEVERAL ‚TRAINS‘ Do you have a story to tell?
OF PEOPLE STUMBLING AROUND IN THE GRASS OUTSIDE THE EXHIBITION CENTRE ALL TRYING TO Or you just want to say
PICK UP THE ELUSIVE LEAVES TO COLLECT POINTS. how you feel to everyone?

If Yes, then become our

It is fair to be confused - we all
were at first - but soon the pieces fell
into place. It was part of the Leader-
ship and Communication workshop
yesterday run by Simona Popa from
Romania,in which we learned much
about having vision, direction, coo-
peration and flexibility in our lives.
With only minimal instructions, at
first we should find a way to com-
municate as a human train, we later
found out we would all be blind
while the leader stood at the back.
We could not talk. But that was the
part of the point - the rules changed.
The message being: sometimes in
life you have to be flexible.
So far this conference has not
been without its frustrations, just as
in the first few moments of blindly
walking along in the train we were
filled with uncertainty and perhaps
skepticism.
Taking a wrong step hurts. But,
just as the last person in the train
had their eyes open, there is always
a larger idea guiding the train‘s
journey and a concrete idea of its
purpose.
It is being on board that counts.
SPECIAL REPORTER
The leader could not steer the
train without each ‘wagon’ commu-
Send your materials to:
nicating effectively and participa-
wyc2010@youthpress.org
ting wholeheartedly. In a short time,
strong bonds were formed and we or better
were entirely dependent on each bring them to:
other for our own safety and the house C on the map
Library
train‘s overall direction . 1st floor
Similarly, at this conference the
people are the driving force. Plese make sure your articles
All of us and the relationships are signed with your
Name, Surname and Country
we form will propel us forward and
determine the success we could and we will make sure
to find space for them in
have here at the 5th World Youth The Congress Times
Congress for the next two weeks.
4 No 2, Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010

DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND DIFFE-

RENT CONTINENTS ALL AGREE ON THIS:
WATER IS A FUNDAMENTAL RESOURCE
FOR US, FOR OUR PLANET, FOR OUR
LIFE. THE QUÉBEC DELEGATION‘S
WORKSHOP THINKS ABOUT WATER IN
THE WORLD: PROBLEMS AND NEW WAYS
ON HOW TO SOLVE THEM. A GROUP OF
DELEGATES FROM EUROPE, AMERICA
AND AFRICA WERE
PART OF THIS ACTIVE DISCUSSION.

Water, how are you?

By Elena Roda from Italy

Ana from Mexico instinctively
responded with the word “choice“
when asked about her thoughts on
water. “When there is some water
around you, you have the choice to
be happy or sad at the same time.
You can find water in the sea or in
the mountains, wherever you want“,
she said. While Carol from Brazil
chose ‘silence’: “When I go to the
seaside I like diving and listening
to the silence under the water“.
Besides these philosophical
concepts, water has become a
primary concern in our modern
context. Different countries have
different water problems.
In Europe and the United States
people don‘t really think about
water difficulties in African or
Asian countries. There is a ten-
dency for these regions to use
proportionally larger amount of
water and as Angelo from Italy
mentioned, there is unfortunate
lack of understanding about this
issue.
But the young people that have
come here for the Congress want
to change that.
Mümün from Turkey is convin-
ced that future generations must
have equal opportunities and
sought to emphasize that “it is
fundamental to save water for the
future, for the children“. A similar
response was heard from Ashoka,
a representative from the USA:
“When I take a shower I usually
think of people who can‘t have
access to water“.
Young delegates debated about
the strengths and the weaknesses
of their countries in front of “Persé-
ides“ video camera.“In Brazil there
is a lot of water in the North but
not in other parts of the country“,
Carol said.“There is a lack of legis-
lation even if there are projects to
make the water more accessible,“
although “one of the major pro-
blems is that some people who
live in the suburbs usually have
access to water that has not been
treated“, she continued.
The pollution problem is central
in the USA:“The water is often con-
taminated by chemical stuff such
as Atrazene that is very dangerous
for our life,“ Ashoka said,“and, at
the same time, there is a overcon-
sumption of water in cities like Las
Vegas where, in the middle of the
desert, there are plenty of huge
water fountains!“. How wonderful.
The purification of water is
an African problem as well. In
Senegal for instance, people need
to have access to treated water
because, in many cases, the water
that comes from the tap is highly
contaminated with.
HOW CAN ONE HELP
Pollution and water access are
not the only problems: one of the
major concerns that are derived
from water consumption is the
large amount of plastic bottles that
affect our lives. “It is important to
educate the population about this
problem“, Mümün added.
In Mexico, for instance, many
people usually buy plastic bottles
because the regular flow of water
is polluted but in other coun-
tries like Italy or the USA, people
would usually prefer buying pla-
stic bottles of water because it is
more...fashionable and cool!
Avoiding the waste that is cre-
ated from over-usage of plastic
bottles could be a good start to
help our Planet. In some countries
there is the possibility of filling
bottles from a water cooler or, in
a fortunate case; one has access to
potable water from the tap.
Let‘s begin all together here,
during the Congress: let‘s pick up
a bottle and fill it with water.
No 2, Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010 5

Youth -Catalyst
for Combating Climate Change
By Faisal Akber from Bangladesh

THE GLACIERS OF MOUNT EVEREST

ARE MELTING AT A RATE OF FIVE
TO TEN METERS A YEAR. SO THE
SEA COAST OF BANGLADESH AND
THE COASTAL AREAS OF ASIA HAVE
ALREADY DISAPPEARED UNDER
WATER. DEVASTATING CYCLONES
LIKE SIDR, AILA AND NARGIS HAVE
ENDANGERED THE LIVELIHOOD OF
SOUTH ASIA AS WELL.

“How you measure the impact and climate change. Similarly youth also Change Summit failed to intro- Sarah Cameroon, a speaker from
losses of these countries? It is not have to play the role of catalyst for duce an integrated policy for all the UK, stated that we now are
one kind of injustice!“  These were change with their collaborations countries due to an inconsiderate living in a crisis situation and that
the words of Jeeban Panthi, a spea- with government and NGOs.“ mindset of developed nations.And changes would be paramount for
ker from Nepal, as he spoke about    Vulam from Vietnam said that also there is no absolute plan for a our survival.
the Post-Copenhagen Challenge the 2009 Copenhagen Climate balanced environment.
during a round table discussion
organized by Eugenia Capalbo.
Panthi discussed interesting and
uncomfortable facts to the parti-
cipants.
“Ten years ago one laughed at
the idea of having to buy drinking
water but now we do just that. Simi-
larly after ten years we might have
to carry personal oxygen cylinders,
though now it seems like a laughing
matter“, noted a delegate from
Bangladesh.
Joao Scarpelini, from Peace
Child International, pointed out
that “melting glaciers will cause a
rise in the sea level and Mother
Earth is loosing her cool. So we
need to understand that especially
at an individual level we play
an important role in combating
climate change like saving water,
using public transport, switching
off our vehicles at the traffic signals
and raising awareness with colla-
boration.“
Felix Dodds highlighted that
the “Copenhagen Climate Change
summit was a catastrophe. The
role of the government and non-
government sectors is to combat
6 No 2, Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Adopting the World

By Yeuheniya Leonava from Belarus

A thousand young people have found

new families in Istanbul. Don‘t worry
participant, it absolutely doesn‘t
mean that you have to forget your
original ones who are waiting for
you back home  - it just means that
you are extremely lucky and you have
a chance to have a new one, so why
not to use it?
All of the participants of the 5th
World Youth Congress have been
divided into groups which have been
termed “AILE“s. Don‘t forget, we are
in Turkey, where the notion of family
is one of the most important aspects
in life and every Turk can say that he
has millions of brothers and sisters.
As Turkish people regard themselves
as extremely connected, maybe we
should take this example from them.
Don‘t you think?
The  Congress program starts
every morning with a 9 a.m. mee-
ting with other family members
which can sometimes take really SWEET BACLAVA
crazy forms - what would you say
about shouting together, meditating, My family‘s name is Baklava and
playing different games and teasing the folks are really great there. My Tur-
other families?  It‘s probably not kish “mother‘s“ name is Pirce Altinok
how you usually conduct  yourself and she is trying her best to make our
with your normal families, but we life here easier and more fun! I was very
are here to experience new things. curious to find out why Turkish guys
Right? So enjoy it! decided to become volunteers here,
But what are these families called? what motivated them and I decided
The organizers and volunteers have to ask Pirce about that,I think it would
shown a high level of creativity in be really interesting for you to read
giving the names to the families; her answers!
some of which are really attractive   take on a position of responsibility and for few hours a day.
and even tasty! Everyone would TCT: PIRCE, HOW IMPORTANT ARE gain experience in the organization of  
like to be a member of the Kebap FAMILY CONNECTIONS IN TURKEY? such an event. TCT: YOUR WISH FOR ALL OF THE
family, or how about sweet Baklava Pirce: Family connections are very   PARTICIPANTS OF THE EVENT:
or perhaps even Efes? important, it is the key in the culture TCT: DOYOU BELIEVE THAT A FAMILY  
The only thing more diverse than of the society, and there is a lot of soli- NAME CAN INFLUENCE THE MEM- P: My wish for everyone, first of all -
the names of  the families are the darity within the family. Internal thing BERS OF THE GROUP? IF YES, THEN have fun, because this event is mostly
people they are made up of, which is the respect for your father, mother, IN WHICH WAY? like a festival, it is about music, cul-
leads me to ask, what globalization is. brothers and sisters. The family also P: Yes, I hope that my group, which is ture, dancing. But this is finely balan-
I think now you can give a definite includes the grandparents and very Baklava, is ‘gonna’ be a sweet group. ced with establishing connections
answer - globalization is my Con- few of them stay in special centers However, the people there are older between different nations, cultures
gress family! It absolutely doesn‘t in Turkey. Normally they live with the than me but I believe we will become and creating awareness about what is
matter where you come from, what family and and well taken care of all one of the best ones! going on in the world.
colour your skin is, what language the time.    
you speak, whether you wear a   TCT:WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO GAIN I would like to join Pirces‘s wishes
headscarf or not.Everyone is unique TCT: WHAT MADE YOU BECOME A FROM THE PARTICIPATION IN THE and I hope you guys enjoy this event
here but at the same time we are LEADER OF THE FAMILY? CONGRESS? as much as possible as, believe me,
absolutely equal. This is one of the P:Well,I wanted to participate in some P: First I am trying to understand what you will never forget this time! But
goals of this event - to spread this kind of social development activity is really important for people, I also don‘t worry. Devam edecek  - to be
equality all over the World. Let‘s try and I heard about the Youth Congress, want to gain some experience on how continued.
together! therefore I decided to apply to have to be a leader even if it might only be
No 2, Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010 7

Being a journalist at the WYC

By Nikola Skondric

   As an event, the 5th World Youth
Congress involves the exchange of
thoughts, ideas and experiences
through formal channels like work-
shops, panel discussions and of
course the informal socializing.
   This year, Istanbul becomes the
host city for the WYC 2010; a fitting
choice as it is a place where the East
and the West meet to create a home
for many different cultures.
   Being a Young Journalist at the
WYC is a responsibility-charged and
fulfilling job. As we are both journa-
lists and participants at the Congress,
we are truly in a position to address
all the issues that are important to
the other delegates.
We are also in a position to display
the amazing spirit of this Congress to
the World,the sense of togetherness,
solidarity and cooperation,  with the
latter being emphasized through the
theme of the event in Turkish -Imece.
We are here to document the mee-
ting of cultures and the exchange of
ideas,thoughts and experiences.We
are able to inform the rest of the
world of the discussions held here,
about the most important issues
from development, ecology, inter-
national relations, management to
arts and culture.
We are also privileged to report
about the collective mood and spirit
of the youth, especially with regards
to the organizational problems and
the overwhelming enthusiasm that
has been present in the Congress
so far. Moreover, we are witnessing
many friendships that are being
made during these 14 days, and
these will continue and flourish
even after the event has finished.
We are truly voice of the people.
And we will do our best to per-
form this honorable duty as best
as we can.

THE VIRTUAL CONGRESS IS GETTING STARTED!

Several Pictures, Blogs, Videos and Radio Podcasts are already available on the platform.

If you can manage to find an Internet connectıon somewhere, the team of the Virtual Congress would be happy if you could upload your
photos, videos, PowerPoints or Outcomes of your Workshops or whatever that is related to our Congress. Moreover we would be thrilled if
you could write a little blog post yourself or comment on the posts of others.

If you can’t manage to find Internet our doors are open. Find us in the Jumanji something building, (you might know it as C) in room
number D214 on the ground floor where we have several computers that are connected to the Internet.

So get started and check out the Virtual Congress @ www.virtualwyc.net or write to us @ virtual@unitedgames.org
8 No 2, Istanbul, Tuesday, August 3, 2010

“We expect Boully: It is the first time I have atten-

ded an international conference of

but don‘t act!“ this level so I am very excited about

the people I will meet. I am curious
about the networking possibilities
and about the friendships and pos-
THE STUDENTS UNION OF THE UNIVERSITY CHEIKH ANTA DIOP sible international projects that will
DAKAR SEE THEMSELVES AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN POLITICIANS arise from this. I hope I am going to
AND STUDENTS. BOULLY GALISSA, 29, IS THE LEADER OF THIS learn more about youth-led develop-
GROUP IN SENEGAL. HE HAS EMBODIES THE SPIRIT OF GROUND ment and that this will lead me to be
UP YOUTH LEADERSHIP. a better leader of the Student’s Union.

By Gülseren Ölcüm from Germany TCT: WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION

SO FAR FROM THE CONGRESS?

In the interview with The Congress
Times he explains how they were
willing to go as far as a hunger strike
- such was their steadfast belief in
their vision.
THE CONGRESS TIMES: BOULLY,
WHY ARE YOU AT THE 5TH WORLD
YOUTH CONGRESS?
Boully: I came here as a young
leader of the Student’s Union of the
University Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar
(UCAD) from Senegal. More than
25.000 students are represented by
this Students Union.
TCT: WHAT ARE THE MAIN ISSUES
THAT THE STUDENT’S UNION IS
FACING AND WHAT KIND OF INFLU-
ENCE DOES IT HAVE?
Boully: The Union helps the stu-
dents with several kinds of issues.
It is basically their voice. Since the
Union is protected by the constitu-
tion, it has a lot of influence with
the government and can be seen
as the bridge between politics and
the student body. However,the Union
was closed two years ago and since
then, we have been working on
re-opening it. We even went on a
four day hunger strike to express
our outrage and disappointment
about the closure. In April 2010 we
achieved the recognition of our
Union and we will once again have
elections in November.
TCT: WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF
THE 5TH WORLD YOUTH CONGRESS?
Boully: So far I have met many
amazing people and have had plenty
of discussions which have made me
more realistic about what to expect.
In Senegal, for example, we always
complain about our problems. We
keep talking about what is going
wrong and what we need.We always
expect, especially from the govern-
ment, but don’t act! I realize that the
time has come to be active and make
a change. If you don’t believe in your
country and in yourself, nothing is
going to change!

What are your expectations

for the Wold Youth Congress 2010?
By Andrea Arzaba from Mexico

“I hope that I can with people from more concrete ideas about what Selin Akbay, Turkey
gain more skills all over the world. I want to do with my life. I have 26 years old
related to my role I also hope to learn already met so many interesting Family leader
(as a young jour- new ideas from people who are doing amazing
nalist) and I want the workshops things.” “I organize cultural festivals in
to expand my net- and gain a deeper my hometown. We create a space
work to include understanding of Friederike Pöschl, Germany for people to develop themselves
people from all around the world. Istanbul.” 22 years old and talk about what is important
Another ver y important thing Activist to them. I would like to experience
would be to work together in order Edvin Pacara, Albania what it would be like to work with
to become a part of the change 27 years old What I found people from other countries during
as we offer solutions to world’s Activist necessar y is to this Congress. Another thing I
biggest problems.” understand other would like to do is stay in touch
cultures and to with them, to be a part of a network
Febi Purnamarasi, Indonesia “My first expecta- help foreign people after the Congress.”
19 years old tion is to make new assimilate to Istan-
Young Journalist contacts that I can bul as I am a family Andres Fernando
connect to youth leader. I attended this Congress as Martínez, Ecuador
in Germany so as a volunteer and I would like to 21 years old
“Well, I am an environmenta- to involve more facilitate things for everyone. My Activist
list. My biggest expectations are people in a bid to most important expectation is to
making new friendships, forming develop more projects in my home make new friendships that will
new networks, and collaborating town. For myself, I would like to get create lasting memories.”