There is so much I learned from my years in Guyana, but the lesson which had it’s biggest impact on me - my life, my career - was that youth are absolutely vital to creating and sustaining positive change. Today I read an article from Starbroek News (online) that reminded me of this lesson:
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National Children’s Conference
Posted By Staff On November 16, 2008
Stop the violence, children say
It was only three words ? stop the violence ? but when 120 Guyanese youths raised their voices to say enough is enough and “we can’t take it any more” it played like a chorus blasting from the Convention Centre at the Ocean View Hotel where the National Children’s Confer-ence wrapped up after two full days of youth empowerment.
From the soft-spoken to the outspoken the youths assembled to say how tired they are of being neglected, physically abused, sexually molested, forced into early labour and left unprotected, among other things. They spoke directly to President Bharrat Jagdeo.
“Mr President, we need more social workers to investigate what is happening with us across the country, we need harsher penalties for child molesters, we are asking you to drop food prices and please, stop the violence!”
Rueshanna Boyce of St Rose’s High School captured their feelings in a gripping address on the opening day of the conference, which was organized by EveryChild Guyana in collaboration with Unicef and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
“If you love us will you hurt us, will you keep us away from school? Will you abuse us and cause us hurts and pains and will you allow us to be victims of child labour? We are loitering on the streets; we are being physically or sexually abused by a stepfather, grandfather, grandmother and worse our own parents… it is obvious that these very adults who should be protecting us children, instead, protect the family’s image,” Boyce said.
Of major concern to the nation’s youths is their protection. The issue of child protection was a recurring one during the two-day national conference, which drew children from across the country. The children pointed to their parents and teachers as their immediate protectors, but singled out government and their communities as important factors in child protection.
In her address to the conference, Boyce said that children are expected to rise above waking up to violence in the homes, being cuffed, kicked and screamed at, even hearing that they are dunces and good for nothings, and still feel good about themselves. She said that while some put up with it, others leave and live on the streets. But more importantly, she said they are making poor choices.
Where are our mentors? Boyce asked the question as did a host of other children who found the courage to speak up during the conference after initial moments of silence. They unanimously agreed that it is right to first seek out mentors in the home and at school and in their communities.
They are also looking around for role models. The children hope they can find Guyanese with integrity, caring spirits, love in their hearts and intelligence to fill these positions. Their optimism is ripe and according to one child, “we need more role models other than mommy.”
Guyanese youths are also calling on the government to make additional provisions in the budget that will give them greater access to education, health care and social services. As they wrapped up the conference and started to present individual views, they called for a stronger education programme and more schools in the less fortunate areas.
“We need more schools in regions nine and ten and not just that, but also better programmes that will allow children there to have the best education,” one child said while onstage articulating what he and his group of peers wanted to see happen.
Even the police were considered. The children said they hope for a police force that is more responsive to them, and they would also like to see more honest police officers. They called on members of the Guyana Police Force to stop taking bribes and for them to investigate matters more thoroughly before making arrests. Though this evoked laughter among some adults in the room, the children noted that they were being very serious.
The conference was aimed at empowering children across the country to speak out on issues affecting them and to stand up as advocates for child protection. Some of the children Stabroek News spoke with are eager to go back into their villages and speak out on the issues.
Omattie Seaforth, County Director of EveryChild Guyana, had noted that the compelling factor for the children’s conference is the high incidence of violence and abuse that is perpetrated against children in the Guyanese society. She said that the idea behind the conference was that children would leave with a clear understanding of child protection issues and how to safeguard themselves.
Seaforth said she had hoped that the children would bring their dreams, hopes, fears, challenges and enthusiasm to the conference, in the spirit of bringing alive the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand, who spoke at the opening of the conference, re-affirmed her commitment to have legislation in place that protects the nation’s children. She said that children’s rights must be respected, but urged the youths to know what those rights are.
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http://www.stabroeknews.com/news/national-children%E2%80%99s-conference/
(via timesonline.co.uk)
Friends of a motorcycle- loving computer consultant who was kidnapped with his bodyguards as he worked in Iraq’s finance ministry 18 months ago are launching a campaign to increase pressure for the men’s release.
They say Peter Moore, 32, who took a lucrative job in Baghdad to pay off his student loan after years of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) on an allowance of £140 a month, is strong-willed and will not be defeated by his ordeal.
However, they fear he and the other hostages — two Jasons, Alan, a father of two from Scotland, and Alec — have been forgotten because of a virtual news blackout imposed by the government. Their full names have been withheld at the request of the Foreign Office’s advice to the families.
Moore’s friends have set up a website — www.4pete.org - which explains why they are defying the official line that publicity could jeopardise efforts to help the hostages.
“It is to be hoped that if more can be known about Pete and the ideals he represented, then pressure can be brought to bear upon those in a position to negotiate for his and his fellow captives’ release,” the site says.
It claims that the cases of Terry Waite, the Church of England envoy freed in Beirut in 1991 after four years in captivity, and Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist who was held in Gaza for four months last year, suggest that sustained campaigns can produce results.
I invite you to take part in our annual Friends & RPCVs of Guyana calendar sales drive.
FROG is in its second year as a non-profit and we’re very excited for the challenges and triumphs we will face in the upcoming year. FROG is currently looking to raise funds for development activities in Guyana through the sale of calendars, and we would like to offer one to you! In 2007, we raised close to $1,000 through our calendar sales.
From the money we raised we were able to provide financial assistance to a “Beach Cleanup” day in Georgetown, Guyana. A number of Peace Corps Volunteers and Guyanese volunteered spending the day cleaning up a local beach in the capitol city.
The RPCV International Calendar, produced by fellow returned volunteers from Madison, WI, features the richness and diversity of world cultures through photography, first-hand stories, indigenous designs, country statistics, holidays, celestial events, regional recipes, book reviews and music and film recommendations.
These calendars are on sale for $13.00. Please also include $2.50 for shipping and handling. Proceeds from calendars purchased through FROG are donated to support development projects in Guyana.
To purchase a calendar, simply reply back to me with the following information:
Name
Mailing Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Number of calendars
Form of payment: Check/PayPal
If paying by check please send payment to: 723 12th St. SE #3, Washington, DC 20003.
Make check payable to:
Friends & Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Guyana.
Thanks you!
The Folks of FROG!
(via globalvoicesonline.org)
David de Caires, the founder and editor-in-chief of the independent Guyanese newspaper the Stabroek News, and one of the Caribbean’s strongest advocates for press freedom, died on Saturday 1 November. As the news spread across the Caribbean and the Guyanese diaspora, there was an outpouring of tributes to the man who led the way to the re-establishment of the independent press in 1980s Guyana and thereby contributed to the return of democracy in the following decade. As the Stabroek News reminded its readers in an editorial yesterday, “the newspaper entered into a world where freedom of the press had been denied for ten years, and it played a major part in opening up the society.”
(via peacecorpsonline.typepad.com)
Peace Corps Director Ronald A. Tschetter officially announced his vision for a Peace Corps Foundation during a town hall staff meeting on October 23. The principal purpose of the Peace Corps Foundation would be to advance the Peace Corps’ third goal of inspiring a better understanding of other cultures through returned Volunteers in America.
The Peace Corps Foundation would be a private charitable non-profit corporation. The goal of the Foundation is to increase public awareness within the United States of Peace Corps Volunteer experiences, and the diversity of the countries in which they serve. Groups such as the National Peace Corps Association and the numerous “friends of” groups comprised of Returned Volunteers could greatly benefit from Foundation resources. The Foundation would not be a federal agency; therefore it would not require any appropriated funds from Congress. Instead, funding for the Foundation would be sought from corporations, foundations, and private individuals; grants would be disseminated for specific programs under a governing board’s direction. The activities of the Foundation will be planned in coordination and cooperation with the activities of the Peace Corps.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons to fill the position of Program Manager – Education for an international agency. Position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified. Applications received after October 6, 2008 will not be considered.
See the attached .pdf for more info.
program.pdf
(via peacecorpsonline.typepad.com)
Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter announced today that all Volunteers and trainees serving in the Republic of Georgia are safe, and they have been temporarily relocated to neighboring Armenia. The decision to relocate the Volunteers is due to the ongoing conflict taking place in the South Ossetia region of Georgia and bordering areas. All 36 Peace Corps Volunteers and 49 Peace Corps Volunteer-trainees serving in Georgia are safe. Personnel from Peace Corps/Georgia, as well as Peace Corps/Armenia, are now supporting the Volunteers. The Peace Corps/Georgia office is still open in Tbilisi, and is constantly and carefully monitoring this situation along with Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington. Peace Corps Volunteers do not serve in South Ossetia, the separatist region located in the north of Georgia along its border with Russia.
Asociación Mexicana de Maestros de Inglés, MEXTESOL A.C.
Job Opportunities
México, D.F. a 06 de agosto de 2008
Universidad Tangamanga, Campus Huasteca.
Universidad Tangamanga in San Luis Potosí, México is looking for English
and French teachers for the major known as EDUCACION EN LA ENSEÑANZA DE LENGUAS
EXTRANJERAS.
· The positions are full-time (40 hours a week) and the start date
is August 2008
· Salary starts at 13,000 Pesos per month plus benefits such as
medical insurance.
· The contract is for a least a year, with the chance of renewal.
· The classes are small, of 10 students or less.
The University is located in a small town called “Axtla de Terrazas” in
the Mexican State of San Luis Potosí.
http://axtladeterrazas.com.mx/
http://www.elocal.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/sanluispotosi/municipios/24053a.htm
The region is famous for its natural sceneries, check out the following
websites http://www.vivanatura.org/HuastecaPhotos.html
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/huasteca/
http://www.aventurahuasteca.net/web_ingles/home.htm
http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/la_huasteca&page=1
The University is located about 333 miles from the Texas Border
http://www.mcallen.org/
http://www.sopadre.com/enter.php
Check out our website at:
www.utan.edu.mx
e - mail : utanax@gmail.com
