Workshop for youth hosted by the Basel Peace Office, Youth Future Project and Ban All Nukes Generation

Inspiring examples of the use of sports to build peace and reconciliation, and overcome conflicts (especially amongst youth) in schools, local communities and civil/armed conflicts.

• Friday 24 May
• 6pm-7:30pm
• Kollegiengebäude, Room 001, University of Basel, Petersgraben
• followed by reception and refreshments

“Sport has a unique and irreplaceable capacity to unite people, going far beyond ethnic, religious or social differences. I am convinced that sport can be at the long-term service of peace” HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco

Introduction
This workshop will train youth leaders and activists in the use of sport, cooperative games and simulated exercises to build a culture and practice of peace.

Sports can be an important vehicle to help us reach across political divides, civil conflicts and ethnic/religious differences to reinforce our common humanity and build the conditions for a peaceful and nuclear-weapons-free world. Sports are particularly effective for youth who may grow up in an environment of hate and intolerance to those on the other side of civil conflicts – but they often share a passion for the same sports and admire the same sports stars. Thus, playing sports together – and bringing sports stars to meet them to promote peace – can have a transformative impact on them.

Cooperative games help reinforce ideas of win-win approaches to conflicts. They also are empowering for participants and egalitarian – as everyone wins together. They use fun and interactive experience to build collegiality and connection between youth of different backgrounds.

Simulated games provide opportunities where youth can explore different options in conflicts to find effective strategies and approaches. They empower youth to be pro-active in conflict situations – rather than reactive or inactive.

• Wilson Kipketer (Denmark)
  World record holder, 800 and 1000 meters (indoors), Spokesperson, Paix par le Sport (Peace and Sport)
• Roland Pavloski (University of Basel)
  Basketball Coach, Former coach of Star Wings
• Alyn Ware (New Zealand)
  Member, Peace and Sport New York marathon team, Right Livelihood Award 2009
• Maren Kroeger (Geneva)
  UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace
• Henk Van Nieuwenhove (Belgium) (to be confirmed)
  Flanders Peace Field project (the 1914 Soccer Truce)
• Carola Szemerey (Germany)
  Youth Future Project e.V.

Workshop for youth trainers and presenters (registration required)
The workshop will be followed by an intern training-seminary for youth leaders on May 25-26:

The aim is to train youth involved in peace and disarmament work to build skills for running youth workshops, building youth actions/networks/outreach, doing presentations and in advocacy. The workshop would be for Youth Future Project, Ban All Nukes Generation, Basel Peace Office interns and other youth leaders.

The workshop will have sessions on conflict resolution, cooperation games and simulation games. It would include planning and preparation for youth trainers/speakers to provide presentations and workshops for gymnasiums, youth conferences and other youth networks/forums/events. The workshop would draw on the skills and resources of the Youth Future Project leadership team, Mark Young (founder of Rational Games) and Alyn Ware, a peace educator and peace games trainer from New Zealand – soon to be based in the Basel Peace Office.

Download Flyer: Basel Sports and Peace seminar May 24 latest
For more information contact:
chris@pnnd.org, +41 788 707 219

Workshop for youth hosted by the Basel Peace Office, Youth Future Project and Ban All Nukes Generation

Inspiring examples of the use of sports to build peace and reconciliation, and overcome conflicts (especially amongst youth) in schools, local communities and civil/armed conflicts.

• Friday 24 May
• 6pm-7:30pm
• Kollegiengebäude, Room 001, University of Basel, Petersgraben
• followed by reception and refreshments

“Sport has a unique and irreplaceable capacity to unite people, going far beyond ethnic, religious or social differences. I am convinced that sport can be at the long-term service of peace” HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco

Introduction
This workshop will train youth leaders and activists in the use of sport, cooperative games and simulated exercises to build a culture and practice of peace.

Sports can be an important vehicle to help us reach across political divides, civil conflicts and ethnic/religious differences to reinforce our common humanity and build the conditions for a peaceful and nuclear-weapons-free world. Sports are particularly effective for youth who may grow up in an environment of hate and intolerance to those on the other side of civil conflicts – but they often share a passion for the same sports and admire the same sports stars. Thus, playing sports together – and bringing sports stars to meet them to promote peace – can have a transformative impact on them.

Cooperative games help reinforce ideas of win-win approaches to conflicts. They also are empowering for participants and egalitarian – as everyone wins together. They use fun and interactive experience to build collegiality and connection between youth of different backgrounds.

Simulated games provide opportunities where youth can explore different options in conflicts to find effective strategies and approaches. They empower youth to be pro-active in conflict situations – rather than reactive or inactive.

• Wilson Kipketer (Denmark)
  World record holder, 800 and 1000 meters (indoors), Spokesperson, Paix par le Sport (Peace and Sport)
• Roland Pavloski (University of Basel)
  Basketball Coach, Former coach of Star Wings
• Alyn Ware (New Zealand)
  Member, Peace and Sport New York marathon team, Right Livelihood Award 2009
• Maren Kroeger  (Geneva)
  UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace
• Henk Van Nieuwenhove (Belgium) (to be confirmed)
  Flanders Peace Field project (the 1914 Soccer Truce)
• Carola Szemerey (Germany)
  Youth Future Project e.V.

Workshop for youth trainers and presenters (registration required)
The workshop will be followed by an intern training-seminary for youth leaders on May 25-26:

The aim is to train youth involved in peace and disarmament work to build skills for running youth workshops, building youth actions/networks/outreach, doing presentations and in advocacy. The workshop would be for Youth Future Project, Ban All Nukes Generation, Basel Peace Office interns and other youth leaders.

The workshop will have sessions on conflict resolution, cooperation games and simulation games. It would include planning and preparation for youth trainers/speakers to provide presentations and workshops for gymnasiums, youth conferences and other youth networks/forums/events. The workshop would draw on the skills and resources of the Youth Future Project leadership team, Mark Young (founder of Rational Games) and Alyn Ware, a peace educator and peace games trainer from New Zealand – soon to be based in the Basel Peace Office.

Download Flyer: Basel Sports and Peace seminar May 24 latest
For more information contact:
chris@pnnd.org, +41 788 707 219

Unsere Homepage ist etwas in die Jahre gekommen und nun wurde sie von Grund auf erneuert und auch mit neuen frischen Inhalten gefüllt. Mit der neuen Struktur sind wir nun auch vom Internetauftritt her für die vielen zukünftigen Projekte gewachsen, die in naher Zukunft anstehen und auf die wir uns riesig freuen!

Our homepage got somewhat old and now it has been totally remade as well as filled with new content.
Now with the new structure we are prepared for the many new projects, which will be realized soon and which we are looking forward to.

Seit dem 1. mai ist die Anmeldung für die Youth Future Conference 2013 endlich frei geschaltet. Im Hintergrund hat sich viel getan. Das Organisationsteam, hat sich oft getroffen, es wurden Diskussionen und Debatten geführt, Entscheidungen getroffen, Anträge geschrieben und ach mal gemeinsam entspannt. Doch in den letzten Tagen läuft alles wieder auf Hochtouren, denn der Anmeldeprozess soll ja glatt verlaufen.

Wir sind alle schon sehr gespannt, denn überzeugt sind wir nicht nur selber vom guten Gelingen der Konferenz, sondern auch von deren Qualität. Was für uns spricht, ist, dass wir nicht nur  die Right Livelihood Award Foundation und die DBU (Deutsche Bundes Umweltstiftung) auf unserer Seite haben, sondern auch die Stadt Bonn und viele weitere Partner von unserer Aktion überzeugen konnten.

Wir sind gespannt. Die ersten Preisträgerzusagen gibt es bereits auch schon. Diese werden wir im Laufe der nächsten Wochen bekannt geben.

Wir freuen uns jetzt schon auf den Start der Konferenz im September und vor allem auch auf dich!

Since May 1st this year, the application process for the Youth Future Conference 2013 is open. In the background much has happened. The organizing team has met oftern. There were discussions, debates, decisions were taken, fund raising took place and of course some time we also relax together. But in the last days everything is running on high speed, because the start of the registration process should go smooth.

We are all already very excited, because it´s not only us who are certain about the success of the conference but also about the conference quality. What gives us even more credit that we have not only the Right Livelihood Award Foundation and the DBU (German Environmental Foundation) on our side, but also the City of Bonn and many partners more.

We are excited. The first promises to come from Laureates have also arrived. Which ones have told to come will be published in the upcoming weeks.

We are already looking forward to the conference in September and, of course, are awaiting you!

33rd Right Livelihood Award Ceremony in Stockholm 2012

Klarer Sonnenschein, Berge von Schnee und Eiskalt! Ein bisschen wie man sich Skandinavien im Winter vorstellt, erwartete uns Stockholm am Freitag morgen. Mit eingefrorener Nasenspitze aber bestens gelaunt, stapften wir (Svenja, Jonas und Lorenz) durch die schöne Altstadt „Gamla Stan“ zu unserem ersten Ziel unseres dreitägigen Aufenthaltes: Das RLA Büro. Wir platzten dort mitten hinein, in die letzten Vorbereitungen für die Preisverleihung, welche am Nachmittag stattfinden sollte. Trotzdem fand Birgit Jaeckel die Zeit, uns herzlich zu empfangen und uns die kleinen aber feinen Räumlichkeiten der Right Livelihood Foundation zu zeigen, sowie uns den beiden RLA-Mitarbeitern Steffi und Machteld vorzustellen.

Am Nachmittag, begaben wir uns auf den Weg in den schwedischen Reichstag, in dem die Zeremonie stattfinden sollte. Festlich gekleidet wir wir waren, litt vor allem Svenja unter der klirrenden Kälte. Doch wir sollten schon bald durch ein wunderbares Fest entschädigt werden. Die Preisverleihung begann mit einem Chorgesang, welcher alle anwesenden Gäste umringte und die Eröffnungsrede von Jakob von Uexküll einleitete. Vom Balkon aus hatten wir den besten Überblick…

Die Preisträger des Right Livelihood Awards 2012

Der Fokus der vier diesjährigen Preisträger lag vor allem in den weltweiten Bemühungen um Frieden, namentlich den afghanischen Frauenrechten (Dr. Sima Samar), den Kampf gegen den staatlich, aktiv wie passiv, unterstützten Waffenhandel (die britische NGO Campaign Against Arms Trade, CAAT), der jahrzehntelangen Arbeit zu gewaltfreiem Wiederstand und friedlicher Revolution (Gene Sharp) und dem Schutz der türkischen Umwelt und Biodiversität, insbesondere dem Kampf gegen die fortgeschrittene Bodenerosion (Hayrettin Karaca und TEMA, vertreten durch Deniz Ataç und Enkel Kerèm Brera).

Umrahmt von festlicher Musik, ging die Preisverleihung und die Dankesreden der vier Preisträger direkt in ein großes Buffet mit allen Gästen über. Eine großartige Gelegenheit, mit den Preisträgern und weiteren netten Menschen in Kontakt zu kommen und ihnen vom YFP zu erzählen…

Anschließend ging es von der Festivität in die nächste Feierei! Nach der Preisverleihung fanden sich noch die ein oder anderen Gäste, RLA Teammitglieder sowie die beiden CAAT Repräsentanten Anne-Marie und Henry zusammen, um in die Stockholmer Nacht zu zeihen und den Abend bei einem Bier ausklingen zu lassen.

Ein ganz persönliches Highlight für das YFP gab es dann am Samstagvormittag. Zur offiziellen Besiegelung der Partnerschaft zwischen dem YFP und dem Right Livelihood College (RLC) trafen wir Sharan Srinivas und Birgit Jaeckel vom RLA. Mit dabei war Dr. Sima Samar, welche den feierlichen Moment durch ihre Anwesenheit als Zeugin beiwohnte. Die Freundschaft zwischen YFP und RLA ist nun auch auf dem Papier zu finden. Auf eine weiterhin hervorragende Partnerschaft!

Im Anschluss daran durften wir unsere festlichen Kleider ablegen. Der „Urlaubsteil“ unserer kurzen Reise war gekommen. Am Samstag Nachmittag besuchten wir einen  Workshop, in dem Sima Samar unter großem öffentlichen Andrang von ihrer beschwerlichen und oft gefährlichen Arbeit als Ärztin, Frauenrechtlerin und Politikerin in Afghanistan berichtete. Die positive Einstellung gegenüber ihrer Arbeit und war dabei besonders bemerkenswert. Auf die Frage, ob sie sich denn keine Sorgen wegen Drohungen und ihren vielen Feinden mache, welche sie und ihre Arbeit in Afghanistan torpedieren, antwortete sie lediglich:

„The fact that they talk about me means that they recognize me, that I exist.“

Wäre es nicht zu pathetisch könnte man fast sagen, die anfängliche Kälte um die Nasenspitze hat sich dank dieser vielen schönen und inspirierenden Erlebnisse in ermutigende Wärme ums Herz verwandelt.

Auf in ein aktives neues Jahr 2013 um, ja, die Welt ein Stückchen besser zu machen…!

Die YFP-Delegation für Stockholm 2012 schickt frohe Weihnachtsgrüße und bedankt sich bei YFP, RLA und den Preisträgern für dieses Erlebnis.33rd Right Livelihood Award Ceremony in Stockholm 2012

Sunshine, mountains of snow and freezing cold! A little bit as one imagines a Scandinavian winter, Stockholm awaits us a Friday morning. Freezing but in good mood we (Svenja, Jonas and Lorenz) explore the old beautiful inner city „Gamla Stan“ and reach our fist destination: The RLA office. We bust into the last arrangements that are being made for the award ceremony which will take place this afternoon. Nevertheless Birigt Jaeckel found time to welcomes us warmly and to show us around the small but nice rooms of the Right Livelihood Foundation as well to introduce us to the RLA staff Steffi and Machteld.

In the afternoon we went to the Swedish parliament in which the ceremony takes place all the years. Elegant as we were dressed the cold made us suffer, but especially Svenja. Though the cold was outweighed by a wonderful celebration. The ceremony began with a choir which was places around all attending guests and lead over to the introduction speech of Jakob von Uexküll. From the balcony we had the best overview …

The Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award 2012

The focus of this year four Laureates laid in the commitment to peace, in particular the Afghanistan women rights (Dr. Sima Samar), the struggle against governmental, active as well as passive, supported trade of arms (the British NGO Campaign Against Arms Trade, CAAT), the decades of work for nonviolent resistance and peaceful revolution (Gene Sharp) and the protection of Turkish environment and biodiversity, especially the fight against the advanced soil erosion (Hayrettin Karaca and TEMA, represented by Deniz Ataç and grandchild Kerèm Brera).

Framed by festive music, the award ceremony and the acceptance speeches of the four Laureates was leaded over directly to a big Buffet with all guests. A perfect possibility to get in contact with more interesting people and to tell them about YFP…

Afterwards we just kept on celebration. After the award ceremony some guests, RLA staff as well as both CAAT representatives Anne-Marie and Henry found their way together into the Stockholm night to have one or two last beers.

A personal highlight for the YFP was Saturday morning. For the official signing of the partnership between the YFP and the Right Livelihood College (RLC) we met Sharan Srinivas and Birigt Jaeckel, staff from the RLA. Also as a witness attending was Dr. Sima Samar. The friendship between the YFP and the RLA can also be found in paper now. To a still excellent partnership!

For the rest of our stay we could take off our ceremony cloths, because the „holiday part“ of our trip began. Saturday afternoon we participated in workshop which was well attended by the public in which Sima Samar told about her hard and often dangerous work as a doctor, women rights actor and politician in Afghanistan. The positive attitude towards her work was especially notable. To the question if she would not worry because of several threats and of her enemies, she just replied:

 „The fact that they talk about me means that they recognize me, that I exist.“

If it would not be to pathetic one could almost say the initial cold was transformed thanks to this many nice and inspiring experiences to a encouraging warmness around the heart.

To a active new Year 2013 to, well, make the world a little bit better … !

The YFP delegation to Stockholm 2012 wishes a Merry Christmas and says thank you YFP, RLA and the Laureates for this experience.

“Advent” heißt eigentlich, dass man auf die Ankunft der Erlösung wartet. Die jungen VisionärInnen, die sich am ersten Adventwochenende in Hannover zusammenfanden, haben vom Warten genug. Sie wollen selbst aktiv etwas zur Gestaltung der Gesellschaft beitragen. Deswegen hatten sie im August auf der VIA-Konferenz eigene Projekte entwickelt, die es nun mit Wegproviant zu feed-backen galt. Am Freitag Abend starteten wir mit einer Inspirationsübersicht  aus Utopien, RLA-Preisträgern und konkreten Lebensexperimenten, die das ein oder andere Aha-und auch Oh nein!-Erlebnis hervorrief.  . „Unika“, „Knowhere“ und „Fütopia“ haben wir dann unsere eigenen Utopien genannt, die wir am Samstag Vormittag entwickelt haben. In „Fütopia“ werden Kinder in einem open space ausgebildet, „Knowhere“ verteilt das Stimmrecht auf zwei Schultern: Nur als sein „Wählerpaar“ kann der Einzelne seine Stimme abgeben, und schließlich in „Unika“ lernt jeder grundlegende Handwerks- und Überlebensfähigkeiten, bevor er eine Spezialisierung erfährt.“Advent” means basically that one waits for the arrival of the savior. During the weekend of the first „Advent“ the young visionaries who got together had enough of waiting. They wanted to be active themselves and contribute to the forming of society. Therefore they had developed their own project during the VIA-conference in August. During this weekend six of  those projects were coached.    Continue reading →

Vom 12. -18. August fand in Mannheim die Visionaries in Action  Konferenz statt. Die in Kooperation mit dem Heidelberger Schülerfriedensbüro organisierte Veranstaltung war nach der Youth Future Conference 2010 die zweite Jugendkonferenz des YFP. Gemeinsam mit Preisträgern des „Alternativen Nobelpreises“ und Repräsentanten von Friedensnobelpreisträgern erarbeiteten rund 80 Teilnehmer Initiativen für eine nachhaltigere Zukunft.

From the 12th to the 18th the „Visionaries in Action Conference“ took place in Mannheim, Germany. The Conference was organized in cooperation with the Student Peace Bureau Heidelberg and was for the YFP the second big youth conference. Together with Laureates of the „Alternative Nobel Prize“ and representatives of Laureates of the Peace Nobe Prize about 80 participants worked on initiatives for a more sustainable future. Continue reading →