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2010 Confronting Concerns
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2009 Confronting Concerns

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Confronting Concerns

2010 CONFRONTING CONCERNS

Overview | Youth Dialogue Conference

Overview

The Network for Peace through Dialogue conference “Youth: Dialoguing for Peace and Change” took place on Saturday, May 15th. This program engaged over 60 youth in the New York City area to learn and to use skills of dialogue as a means of making peace. Meetings occured with five youth groups to teach specific dialogue skills in one hour workshops. These workshops were facilitated by a team from the Network for Peace through Dialogue. All youth participating in these dialogue workshops will be invited to participate in a spring event. Other New York youth will also be invited. In that event the youth who participated in the workshops will present their methods of making change on issues of their concern incorporating newly learned dialogue skills. This event will also give the youth the opportunity to form collaborative bonds with one another. Thus the spring event will highlight the initiatives of youth to make life better for themselves and for others and to help them share this good news with others. They will have an opportunity to collaborate and to network with other youth doing the same.

Contact Kathleen Kanet at 212-426-5818.

Project Goals | Project Background

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Project Goals

1. Engage New York City youth in a process of learning skills of dialogue as a means of making peace.
2. Connect New York City youth groups to one another.

The Leadership Institute, (several teens of the Network for Peace through Dialogue,) will have learned the skills of planning and helping to carry out a one day conference

The Conference Planning group composed of Network Director, Youth Coordinator, members of the Leadership Institute and members from at least three other youth groups in the NYC area will have gained skills needed to plan a conference and also gain skills in collaboration.

At least five youth organizations will have presented their youth programs at this conference to other youth participants.

100 youth from NYC area will participate in a one day workshop and gain three skills in dialogue practice and will have become enthused and hopeful that change is possible regarding their concerns.

A Network of youth groups involved in social change in NYC will be formed including at least five youth organizations.

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BACKGROUND TO THIS PROJECT

Dialogue is an essential and initial element in the peace making process. This confrontation of the patriarchic system of domination, control and violence as a response to conflict is part of all the programs of Network for Peace through Dialogue. The youth will learn collaboration, communication, listening, ability to cross ethnic boundaries, and will learn to respect the cultures of other groups of people. As there can be no peace without justice, the youth will learn how to change the structures that are of concern to them….violence being the major one.

All of the skills can translate into other parts of their life!

Barbara Jordan says, "“Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment.”. The proposed conference aims to bring youth together to educate themselves and to equip youth with a very important skill that, if used effectively, can amplify their voices in spaces where they have not been traditionally heard.

Youth will be presenting sessions regarding concerns they have for their community which relate to poverty, exclusion and alienation with a hope for positive change. What they have to say is very important both for themselves and for the adults. This kind of activity will enhance their ability to engage in positive political activity. A conference by youth for youth can be very inspirational and will give them the opportunity to meet others with similar hopes and to network to make changes.

The young people involved in planning, as well as the participants of the conference, will be coming from communities that can benefit greatly from their participation in this kind of event. The model of Confronting Concerns has always been to make presentations to intergenerational audiences in the youths' home communities in order to share the learning that has happened and even inspire others to take action to make positive change as well. We hope to continue with this practice and have the youth at the conference make a plan for how they can incorporate what is learned into their own communities. In addition, all proceedings will be carefully collected and made available on the Network website as well as in the Network's newsletter. The Confronting Concerns program has also worked with a Marymount Manhattan College student to produce a short video about our program. With adequate funding, we can also produce a video highlighting what youth learn at the conference and use that to educate others beyond the day of the conference about how to use the techniques of dialogue for positive change.

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Last updated September 1, 2010

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