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Youth Programs in Brazil
Related to country: Brazil

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

The next few blogs were posted by me during my participation on the official Canadian state visit to Brazil, July 6-12, with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean.

I am writing to you on my flight from Salvador to Sao Paulo with a strong sense of gratitude. This is my first visit to Brazil and after only a few days I feel incredibly connected to a vibrant culture and people. I have been most inspired by the various youth programs that we have been exposed to. Given the disparities between the wealthy and impoverished, it is particularly important to reach out to those who are most vulnerable in order to ensure that they have access to opportunities. The Afro-Brazilians are most disadvantaged in Salvador due to the historical issues of slavery and forms of social exclusion that continue to have a negative impact today.

Most of the projects that we visited in Salvador had a special focus on reaching Afro-Brazilian youth through a variety of methods. At Olodum School we enjoyed a lively performance where students showcased their drumming and dancing talents! The school is open to children and youth from at risk communities as a means of developing their talents, confidence, leadership skills and connection to African heritage. It brought such joy to my soul to experience the rhythm of the music combined with the bright eyes and smiles of the student performers! The Olodum school is part of the internationally recognized group of Olodum percussionists who recently travelled Toronto performing at the Harbourfront Centre during Carnivalissima. I love the idea of linking a professional group of artists with up and coming talent.

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We visited another project called GAPA-BA (Bahia’s AIDS Support and Prevention Group) where we enjoyed a theatre production and Hip Hop show with teenage performers from vulnerable communities who are involved in the program. The underlying message of the performances is focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and health education. This peer-to-peer model is quite effective as it allows the students directly involved to become positive influencers in the broader community.

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Another inspiring youth engagement project that we visited was the Association of Young Painters of Naïve Art. This community organization involves youth in after-school training and activities involving graphic design, painting, sewing and baking with the aim of fostering employability and entrepreneurship skills. The group has worked with 1,200 youth since launching in 1999. What stood out for me in our visit was the inviting dynamic of the space and the sense of ownership and involvement the youth had in this environment.

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July 15, 2007 | 11:53 PM Comments  3 comments

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Imagine having lunch with your Head of State!
Related to country: Brazil

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

On the last day of our State Visit to Brazil a special lunch was organized for us to celebrate our time together. michael casey photos 326
As we all started to find our seats in the restaurant, Ambassador Guillermo E. Rishchynski allowed me to take his seat and sit next to Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean. I was so delighted to be able to share a meal together at this table and had a chance to ask a few questions about leadership and handling situations of high pressure. I am inspired by how well our Governor General is able to connect with people who have such a diverse range of life experiences and interests. When meeting new people, she has an ability to listen, reflect and respond with a sense of compassion, humility and strength which is something I admire.

July 13, 2007 | 12:35 AM Comments  2 comments

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Youth as a Priority in Brazil
Related to country: Brazil

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

As part of our State Visit to Brazil a meeting was arranged with the members of the Canadian Delegation focused on Youth Engagement and the Secretaria Nacional de Juventude (National Youth Secretariat) of Brazil. I found this meeting to be incredibly interesting and relevant to the work of TakingITGlobal.

In 2006, TakingITGlobal conducted a study on National Youth Councils from 22 countries with a focus on understanding their creation, evolution, purpose and governance. The following is a list of the countries included in the study along with a link to the report here

Armenia: National Youth Council of Armenia (NYCA)
Belgium - Flemish: Vlaamse Jeugdraad (VJ)
Belgium - French: Le Conseil de la Jeunesse d’expression française (CJEF)
Germany: Deutscher Bundesjugendring (DBJR)
Greece: National Council of Hellenic Youth Organisations (ESYN)
Ireland: National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI)
Latvia: Latvijas Jaunatnes padome (LJP)
Lithuania: Lithuania Youth Council (LiJOT)
Nigeria: National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN)
Portugal: Conselho Nacional de Juventude (CNJ)
Russia: National Youth Council of Russia (NYCR)
Slovakia: Rada mládeže Slovenska (RMS)
Slovenia: Mladinski svet Slovenije (MSS)
Sweden: Landsrådet för Sveriges ungdomsorganisationer (LSU)
Switzerland: Conseil Suisse Activités de Jeunesse - Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Jugendverbände (CSAJ-SAJV)
The Netherlands: Nationale Jeugdraad (NJ)
Uganda: National Association of Youth Organisations in Uganda (NAYOU)

State-driven National Youth Councils or Commissions
Costa Rica: Consejo Nacional de Política Pública de la Persona Joven (Conseja de la Persona Joven/CPJ)
The Philippines: National Youth Commission (NYC)
Zambia: The National Youth Development Council (NYDC)

Other youth umbrella structures
Turkey: Local Agenda 21 National Youth Parliament (LA21 NYP)
Ukraine: Ukrainian Union of Youth Organizations (USMO)

Canada does not have a National Youth Council yet a sense of interest and momentum has been growing over recent years. During our meeting in Brazil we learned that there was an extensive 3 year process involving research and consultations that led to the National Youth Policy, National Youth Secretariat and National Youth Council that is linked directly to the office of the President and connects with various ministries. There are many priorities identified in the national youth policy including ending illiteracy, employment generation, capacity building, health promotion, arts and culture, environmental issues, leisure and recreation, Information and Communication Technologies, human rights, rural youth, enlarging the citizenship space. Youth-Friendly materials have been produced in order to more broadly disseminate information about the national youth policy that was launched in 2006. The National Youth Council is a consultative group that has representation from government ministries and civil society. Brazil has 50.5 Million youth between the ages of 15-29 with 9 million who are unemployed and 4.5 million who are unemployed and out of school with no primary education. In effort to foster a fully inclusive democracy and socially fair country, there is a particular focus on trying to provide opportunities for these youth who are most disadvantaged. In thinking about inclusion it is important to recognize various dimensions ranging from social inclusion, professional inclusion, educational inclusion, digital inclusion and cultural inclusion.
Brazil has 5360 municipalities of which 10% have youth agencies or local structures that are in place to help implement the youth policy. These youth agencies are primarily based in the larger cities. The aim of the National Youth Secretariat is to ensure that the theme and priority of youth is consolidated as a state policy and lasts beyond any administrative changes.

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I was fascinated with what we learned from our Brazilian colleagues during the meeting and have many questions that remain in my own mind such as:
• What factors contributed to youth becoming a major priority for Brazil?
• What emphasize does youth-led development have in the National Youth Policy?
• What is the current level of awareness of the National Youth Policy and National Youth Council?
• How seriously does the government take input from youth?
• How do they balance priorities of inclusion?
• How are issues of generational conflict addressed, especially when existing power structures are challenged?
• The need for promoting leadership capacity among vulnerable youth is clear. What best practices have emerged in this area?
• What effects has the history of dictatorship had on youth engagement strategies – recognizing that youth were once seen as a threat to those in power.
• What budgets are in place to support the implementation of the National Youth Policy?
• In what ways are the youth organizations and networks in Brazil (both formal and informal structures) connected to each other and to the National Youth Council?
• In what ways does the National Youth Policy reflect the UN World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) ? Was the WPAY referenced during the development of the policy?
• How do existing youth networks and youth organizations relate to and benefit from the National Youth Council? Do people feel that it is inclusive and representative?
• What mechanisms are in place to ensure effective renewal and transition among the members of the Youth Council?
• In some cases, the opinions and attitudes of youth can be easily influenced or manipulated to reflect the agenda of existing powers. What mechanisms are in place to ensure autonomy, independent thinking and free flowing expression among participants?
• What mechanisms are in place to ensure that action emerges from the National Youth Policy?
• What decision-making scope does the National Youth Council hold?