Under Shahrez Khan’s leadership, The Faith in Europe project is moving towards an amazing climax with the Editorial Meeting this month, coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the European Union’s Treaty of Rome. The Franco-American double-act of Ben and Julien are off on a Euro adventure to Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria this week. The aim of the trip – like the whole project - is to explore people’s beliefs and opinions on European identity, culture and our long-term hopes for the European Union. We are also hoping to be able to collect some important material for the magazine we’re putting together.

The deadline for contributions for the Faith in Europe magazine is March 16. If you are interested in coming to England to help us produce this magazine, the deadline for applications is March 7th. The talented youth selected will win a free trip to Buntingford, and work on the magazine throughout the editorial meeting which will take place from March 15 to 31.
If you have any questions, visit the website http://www.faithineurope.eu
or email:
faith@peacechild.org

The Water Project is nearly finished!  From Feb 6th to 18, we hosted four
amazing editors (Hi Andrea, Connor, Patricia and Anika!) and put the book
together!  It was a crazy couple of weeks as we researched, wrote, edited,
and graphically designed.  The days were long, the coffee supplies dwindled,
but we pressed forward and managed to present the UNDP representatives with
a comprehensive draft at the end of the first week.  The second week of the
meeting, we focused on revising our draft and fine tuning our work.
Currently, the editors have gone home for a well deserved rest, and Ben,
Daniel and Claire are putting the final touches on the booklet.  We're still
in touch with the UNDP and we're hoping to get the English version of the
booklet to the printers within the next two weeks!

Thank you to everyone who submitted work, offered comments via the website,
and who has been involved with the project in any way.  Everyone at Peace
Child and at UNDP is excited about the booklet, and we'll let you know the
minute it rolls off the presses.

In the meantime, check out the website:
http://www.peacechild.org/water

It’s deadline time again for our Youth-led Development Action Programme - Be the Change! We shall have at least a dozen  small Scale Grants ($500-$1,000) for Youth-led development Projects – community improvement projects designed and implemented by young people under age 25.  Each call, your projects are getting better – more imaginative, more ambitious!  We have found that the best projects are income-generating and thus economically as well as environmentally sustainable. But only you can know which projects are most needed by the youth – and others! – in your community.
So please, if you are under 25 years old and have a project idea, get your application prepared and submit it to the relevant Peace Child International Desk Officer:
AFRICA: africa@peacechild.org
ASIA: asia@peacechild.org
EUROPE: europe@peacechild.org
LATIN AMERICA: latina@peacechild.org
NORTH AMERICA: n_america@peacechild.org
SMALL ISLAND STATES: sis@peacechild.org
UNITED KINGDOM: uk@peacechild.org

All our regional desk officers are trained and ready to answer your questions and advise you on how to make your application the best it can possibly be: but, in order to take advantage of their advice, get your application to them by March 15th. After that, there may not be time to review and comment on your proposal so that you can get the revised version back to us by the Final Deadline: March 31st. We look forward to hearing from you! You can also submit your proposal by mail or fax:
Peace Child International, BTC! Programme
The White House – Buntingford, Herts.
United Kingdom, SG9 9AH
Fax: Int + (44) 176 327 4460
Tel: Int + (44) 176 327 4459

From February 10-16 Julien, Preetam and Tanya experienced the very first Peace Child – Yaka exchange in France. They had a wonderful week in Rouen with our partners from Yaka, where they sampled lots of delicious croissants and shared ideas about sustainability workshops. They were lucky to arrive the night of a party which was being held to raise funds for Peace Child India, a very jolly event with dancing, massaging and lovely curry!

The aim of exchange was that we would observe each others workshops over the week and then think about how we could work together on a project in the future. It was a very valuable experience for both teams, and we are now planning to create a common workshop together which will be delivered in France and England. We also hope to create a link between some schools in France and the UK so that they can share ideas about sustainability and other projects they develop.

For more information on the World Youth Congress visit http://www.wyc2008.qc.ca/media/ for the newsletter. Or email our lovely Quebecker, Olivier, at wyc@peacechild.org with any questions you may have. Applications should be available soon, so make sure to visit the website for updates and other interesting information about Quebec 2008.

Keep in mind that for this congress, we are requiring every delegate to have proved their eligibility by having undertaken a brilliant action project!!   (So – why not apply for a Be the Change Action Project by 31st March to gain eligibility that way! – see first article!)

United Games Austria and Peace Child International will be hosting an all-European Youth Congress from August 5-12th in Mürzzuschlag, Austria. About 60 highly motivated youth from all over Europe are expected to participate in the congress and share their knowledge and experience in carrying out projects on sustainable development, human rights, art and culture.
This congress is part of the greater World Youth Congress series, focussing on European issues that were generally not given priority in international congresses. This youth led congress will not only address these concerns, but will also look at Europe’s role in global issues.

The European Youth Congress will give emphasis to the practical experience and realization of ideas, compiling a list of projects accomplished as an outcome of the congress. Delegates will be part of the “Action Festivals”, and their projects will be linked to others worldwide. Representatives of the best projects will be invited to attend and showcase their projects at the World Youth Congress in Quebec, Canada in August 2008.
For more information, or to apply visit:
http://www.eyc2007.eu

Peace Child collaborates with UNIDO and the UN Youth Employment Network at a high-level ministerial meeting on Youth Employment in Accra, Ghana
The United Nations and the African Union (AU) held a high level consultative meeting on the issue of productive work for youth in West Africa with emphasis on the Mano River Union (MRU). David and Alpha, our African Desk Officer from Guinea, were invited to participate in the meeting in Accra, 19-20 February, to present a proposal document entitled “Plan for Action” under a new initiative called the Mano River Union Youth Employment Forum(MRU-YEF). The Plan seeks to create jobs through investments in youth-led business start-ups, social enterprises (schools, health centres etc.) and labour-intensive public works. The goal is to create a cohort of tax-paying youth, employed in decent work, to support sustained economic growth. The Plan was prepared in collaboration with young people from the Mano River Union and from Côte d’Ivoire and presented by Alpha with other youth from across the region. The document was well-received by most of the participants, drawing their attention to the necessity of investing in youth employment in order to achieve a secure and lasting peace in this region.

David was the rapporteur of the meeting and was also invited as speaker on the session 4 panel on “Framework for a multi-stakeholder programme.” At the end of the meeting, a communiqué recommended the implementation of a youth led programme based on the “Plan for Action” in the MRU secretariat. The communiqué called for the setting up of a Technical Working Group to finalise a programme to present at the African  Union Summit also in Accra in July. [If you would like any more information on this, or see the MRU-YEF Plan for Action, write to Alpha Africa@peacechild.org]
This trip also enabled David to visit the Rescue Mission group in Ghana set up by Ebenezer Malcolm. The Organisation promotes HIV-AIDS awareness programmes and IT skills, within the context of promoting youth-led development. They are interested in hosting an intern programme – for any European or North American interested in spending time in one of the safest, most prosperous of African countries.