URI Young Leaders Program

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URI Young Leaders Program

• Taking the Initiative The Role of Youth in
  Global Interfaith Action
• NAIN Connect
• June 26, 2009

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The URI Young Leaders Program (YLP) Objectives
and Mission

• Connect religiously and spiritually diverse
  youth across the world to build relationships of
  understanding and trust

• Empower young people to engage in effective
  interfaith action and peacebuilding in the world

• Increase the numbers of young people active in
  the interfaith movement and amplify the voice of
  youth

• Develop the role of youth in areas of increasing
  responsibility and leadership in the movement

• Publicize and support interfaith activities of
• URI youth and interfaith partners worldwide

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Organizing Methodology of URI Young Leaders
Program (YLP)

• Begin by Creating a Safe Space / Guidelines for
  Dialogue

• Draw out personal calling and build shared
  vision through generative activities such as
  Appreciative Inquiry

• Integrate Spiritual Practices and Sacred Openings

• Create festive atmosphere with inter-cultural
  exchange

• Provide opportunities for service-learning

• Create a space for intergenerational exchange

• Draw out natural leadership gifts and talents of
  the
• youth participants through youth-led workshops
  and
• methodologies such as Open Space Technology

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URI Young Leaders Program (YLP)Recent Highlights

• Convened a gathering of 100 young leaders from
  34 countries in Mayapur, India in November 2008
  for 5-day leadership retreat followed by their
  participation in URI Global Assembly

• Theme Taking the Initiative The Role of Youth
  in Global Interfaith Action

• Youth-led workshops in peacebuilding, education,
  NonViolent Communication and environmental
  activism

• Has resulted in the creation of new and forming
• interfaith Cooperation Circles in Sierra Leone,
  UK,
• Australia, Nepal and multiregional

• Follow-up Action Projects- Youth and Faith for
  Life Malawi, Pen Pals project Iran and
  Israel, Earth Day projects in Pakistan and
  Philippines, solar cookers project,
  international womens dancing troupe

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URI GLOBAL YOUTH IN ACTION!!!
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YOUTH AND FAITH FOR LIFE PROJECT COLLABORATION
BETWEEN U.S. AND MALAWIAN YOUTH
Ian, Prescot and Lucious were the first
individuals I met during the Young Leaders
Program in India. We immediately bonded over
joyful stories of our respective homelands. The
warm welcome they offered me was powerful and it
set the stage for an incredibly inspiring
gathering. All of the participants involved
continually challenged each other to find
solutions and make measurable progress. My
Malawian brothers are currently working very hard
to improve the lives of their community members.
But similar to many not-for-profit groups, their
work would benefit greatly from an infusion of
resources. During the YLP, we designed a youth
elevation project that would add something new to
their repertoire of existing activities. We will
call it Youth and Faith for Life.
We successfully collected 10 laptops to use for
developing the job skills of the Malawian youth.
Training courses will be offered for a
significantly reduced cost as compared to
commercial programs, and the income generated
will funnel directly back into existing
interfaith initiatives. These include interfaith
dialogue, environmental conservation projects,
HIV/AIDS awareness and general life-skills
planning. Zach Levine, USA
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Launch of URI Youth Communications Hub
(http//ga08youth.com)
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Youth Action Plans Communications Hub
GOAL TO AMPLIFY THE VOICE OF YOUTH AND TO
STRENGTHEN CONNECTIVITY OF GLOBAL YOUTH NETWORK

• Monthly themes linked to UN Observance Days and
  URI Action Agenda (i.e. Social Justice, Faith and
  the Environment, Health and Healing, Interfaith
  Service and Cooperation)

• Live Chats (on monthly themes) engaging
  between 10 16 youth each time for discussion
  and reflection

• E-Newsletter URI Voice of Youth (monthly)

• Resources page and Media Gallery photos and
  links to youtube short video clips on young
  leaders program

• Community Calendar - Google

• Strong presence on Facebook to promote events,
  live chats, and discussions and to showcase
  photos and videos

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Youth Action Plans Regional Gatherings
GOAL TO INCREASE YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN THE
INTERFAITH MOVEMENT AND DEVELOP THE ROLE OF YOUTH
IN AREA OF INCREASING RESPONSIBILITY AND
LEADERSHIP

• Southeast Asia and Pacific Regional Assembly
  March 2009
• 25 of delegates were young people highest
  level of youth participation thus far

• North American Regional Assembly May 2009
• Starr Muranko, Michael Ware and Sam Ruben
  represented youth voice, took on new areas of
  leadership for hosting the 2011 Assembly and
  serving as youth rep on the Interim Regional
  Council
• Goal of 25-50 of delegates youth in 2011

• URI Korea Interreligious Youth Camp July 11th
  15th, 2009
• 7 youth from Uganda, Pakistan, Philippines,
  Australia, Nepal and the UK will join this
  interreligious pilgrimage, funded by Korean
  Ministry of Culture

• Other Upcoming Regional Gatherings and Youth
  Meetings
• Indigenous gathering for International Day of
  Peace in Peru September 2009
• European Regional Assembly 2010

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Scenes from Youth Meeting in SEAPac Regional
Assembly, March 2009
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Scenes from Youth Participation in North American
Regional Assembly May 2009
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Youth Action Plans Leadership Development
GOAL TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
TO STEP INTO GREATER LEADERSHIP IN THE URI AND
THE INTERFAITH MOVEMENT WORLDWIDE

• INTERGENERATIONAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
• - 6 month pilot program from May October 2009,
  Connecting 24 young leaders and elders
  cross-regionally from Argentina, Canada, Chile,
  Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, India, Iran, Kenya,
  Malawi, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines,
  Somalia, Spain, UAE, Uganda, USA
• - Bimonthly conference calls for mentors and
  mentorship guidelines, laptop award for pair that
  achieves the most toward their goal

• INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
• - Three Young Leader Interns are working at URI
  global hub over summer 2009
• - Two of the Summer Interns are vetting an
  international internship program, working with
  CCs and Global Council Trustees to develop our
  Global Service Immersion program summer 2010,
  which will connect young leaders with CCs around
  the world to do an 8-week service-learning
  immersion in 5 countries
• - Our other intern is working on developing a
  model of interfaith dialogue at Stanford
  University, and doing outreach to faith
  communities around San Francisco for our local
  Days of Interfaith Youth Service projects

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INTERGENERATIONAL WISDOM MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
I cant believe the miracle that you have
matched me with a young woman in Nairobi!! I just
today contacted Sally Mahe in San Francisco and
Rattan Channa in Kenya because my church wants to
raise funds to help alleviate the famine there
which I only first heard about today! I am so
excited to meet Margaret and begin our new
friendship. May Peace Prevail in Kenya! -
Deborah Moldow, Mentor to Margaret Koli from
Tunza Youth Advisory Council, Kenya
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Young Leaders Steering Committee
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URI YOUTH IN ACTION Local Projects
DIYS Projects 2008-2009
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URI YOUTH IN ACTION Days of Interfaith Youth
Service, San Francisco