If you want to know what we have done in the World Youth Congress, I guess this article would be a good way for you to learn about the programme. This is an international youth gatherings that explore the most effective role that young people can play in sustainable development.
So I participated in the congress, with the outcome that would produce a 20-point youth solution document which can be presented to the Government Delegations as they arrive for the UN Summit. (By the time I wrote this, the outcome has been published in the website: http://wycrio2012.org/20-solucoes-para-um-futuro-sustentavel/?lang=en)
There were several highlights in the congress. The opening ceremony was simple yet meaningful. We have five Hawai´ian singing tradditional chant Ãina, which means land, telling us how to respect and care for the ferns and flowers, conserve the earth and plants for future generations and never taken by the roots. The chant was followed by a sharing of indigenous people in Brazil which narrated the story of Indians in Brazil. Brazilian Indigenous people have contributed vast knowledge which is used today by pharmaceutical corporations, material and cultural development.
A Hawaiian chanting
This man has travelled many places with this flag.
A roundtable on ´What is the most effective role for youth in development?
A performance of Brazilian indigenous people before the congress debateÇ ´This House believes that people will only adopt more sustainable lifestyles when forced to do so by tax and legislation´.
The congress was taken place at Sitio das Pedras, a beautiful compound surrounded by the Atlantic Rainforest that is located at the foot of an enormous rock named ´Macio da Pedra Branca´(white rock Massiif). It was firstly built to be a Benedictine Monetary during the 18th century and a century later the site was then transformed into a Tibetan Buddhist Temple and Monastery.
At the congress site, we talked a lot on sustainability. The organising team also made their very best effort to minimize the environmental impact of the congress. We recieved a mug and a sqeeze bottle to fill up our drinks, we disposed of the food waste that was to be composted and the carbon emissions of all the flights were compensated by a reforestation project in Serra da Misericordia, a mountain right in the middle of the favela that we have visited for our action projects. Besides that, we were provided with delicious vegetarian food that showed that we can actually live on a diet that without meat and thus diminish our ecoogical footprint. Sleeping in the tent actually had saved lots of electricity, although it required a bit of time for us to accommodate with the little space of the tent. Imagine a camping site for 300 people!
Anyhow, it was a great experience to start off with the congress! Coming up next with other exciting contents in the camp!
It´s almost 1.30am at Sao Paulo. Good night everyone!
Very good!
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