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"The future
of our
hemisphere depends on the next generation. We must engage and
empower
our youth in order to build
a more secure and prosperous hemisphere.”
The
Street Children´s
Project
is funded
and supported by
IDRC
PAN
DFAIT
from Canada
in cooperation with
ChasquiNet
(Ecuador)
and
Renacer
(Colombia)
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NEWS Update
June 4, 2000
AXWORTHY ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR YOUTH IN THE AMERICAS
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced funding
of $XX million for youth projects in the Americas. The projects
include an initiative to connect street children through the Internet,
a virtual clearinghouse for information on substance abuse, a youth
internship program and a sustainable forestry partnership between
Canada and Mexico.
The announcement was made at the Organization of American States
(OAS) General Assembly in Windsor, Ontario, where several of these
projects are being showcased. “The future of our hemisphere depends
on the next generation. We must engage and empower our youth in
order to build a more secure and prosperous hemisphere,” said Minister
Axworthy. Canada will contribute $280,000 to provide street kids
with tools for empowerment, informal education and income generation
through training and Internet resources.
Internet for life
Through the Internet, children will be able to exchange knowledge
and experiences in order to help solve their problems. The project
is being piloted in Ecuador and Columbia, however the aim is to
expand this network throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Funding is being provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade and the International Development Research Centre.
Canada is also supporting a pilot project by the Canadian Centre
on Substance Abuse to create a “virtual clearinghouse” on the Internet
to develop knowledge on youth at risk and drug abuse. This project
will broaden the participation of countries to include several in
the Western Hemisphere such as Argentina, Peru, Columbia, Jamaica
and Barbados.
The first web conference will bring together experts to discuss
youth at risk and drug abuse. The web conference takes place from
May 29 to June 5, coinciding with the OAS General Assembly. “A large
proportion of youth in the Americas are struggling to survive, have
been forced to live on the street, and have turned to prostitution,
theft and drug consumption in the daily battle to stay alive,” said
Mr. Axworthy. “These projects will help disadvantaged youth to overcome
these problems while providing an opportunity for young people to
connect with each other.”
As part of its Youth International Internship Program, the Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade this year is providing
$675,000 in funding for 45 internships in the Americas. These internships
will help Canadian youth to gain international experience, develop
a greater understanding of important hemispheric issues and of Latin
and Caribbean cultures, and apply Canadian expertise in trade and
social issues.
Partners in helping the youth
Canadian partners in this initiative include the Canadian Foundation
for the Americas, Centre Bolivar de Montréal, Corporation Idéaux
Travail, Canadian International Education Centre, Hispanic Development
Council, Canadian Centre on Minority Affairs and the Organization
for Cooperation in Overseas Development.
Canada and Mexico are partnering to in a project to educate children
about sustainable forestry and the habitat needs of the Monarch
Butterfly. This joint project between the Manitoba Model Forest
and the Monarch Butterfly Model Forest in Mexico includes three
components: an interpretive centre at the Monarch Butterfly sanctuary
in Michoacan, Mexico; an Internet exchange between a First Nation
school in the Manitoba Model Forest, a school in Winnipeg and a
school near the Monarch Butterfly reserves in Mexico which allows
students and teachers to share their knowledge with each other;
and a demonstration of the project at the OAS General Assembly.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is contributing
$50,000 towards this initiative. The OAS is the premier political
forum for multilateral dialogue and decision making in the Americas.
Foreign ministers from 34 OAS member states are meeting in Windsor
from June 4 to 6 to discuss the progress of democracy, the observance
of human rights and other issues of importance to the hemisphere.
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