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| 'You'll never walk alone' |
The
tdh SEA youth network is a group of children and young people from 7 project
countries of terre des hommes in Southeast Asia (i.e. Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). This network was formed
during the Regional Children and Youth Partners'
Meeting last 17-20 January 2012 in Nakon Nayok, Thailand. Its purpose then was
simply to share information about child rights issues in the 7 countries and
work together to address these common issues in the region.
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| solidarity night during the RCYPM in 2012 |
The RCYPM in Thailand was not the first time for tdh-Germany in
Southeast Asia to provide a venue for children partner dialogue. In Southeast Asia, children and youth have also been involved in the
national and regional partners’ meetings. In 2006, children and youth were
resource speakers during the National Partners’ Meeting (NPM) in Indonesia. In
the same year in the Philippines, a children and youth meeting was held
parallel to the National Partners’ Meeting in July of the same year, and most
recently, during the meeting last August 2011. At the regional level, children
and youth representatives were invited as thematic resource speakers during the
Regional Partners’ Meeting (RPM) in 2007 in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. And in Mae
Sot, Thailand in 2009, 13 children and youth joined the adults in the RPM after
a separate 3-day regional workshop on child participation.
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| Participants in RCYPM 2012 pose with their banners to be sent to Rio+20 |
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| Yells of excitement after the river rafting in Nakon Nayok in 2012 |
Two years after the first RCYPM, children and youth have
continued their participation in National Partners’ Meetings. The tdh SEA Youth
Network also elected two young people to represent them in the 8th
Regional Partners’ Meeting in Tagaytay, Philippines. Through this participation,
the young people were able to gain commitment and support from the adults
representing different NGO’s in the region.
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| Participants of the RCYPM 2013 in Bogor |
The 2nd
RCYPM (in 2012), which was held in Bogor, Indonesia reinforced the young
people’s commitment to the SEA Youth Network. They also expanded their
objectives to include: sharing of information for joint action;
capacity-building; learning from children and adults; and, cultural exchange.
Two common issues for advocacy and campaign were also identified: education and
ecology.
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| Workshop on campaign, leadership and communication |
Aside from national and regional participation, the tdh SEA
Youth Network was able to choose representatives to the Rio+20 in Brazil in
2012 and the Delegates’ Conference in 2013 in Germany.
This year, the tdh SEA Youth Network sent representatives to
the following events:
1.
International Youth Conference for the Right to
Water in Germany (March 2014)
2.
ASEAN People’s Forum in Myanmar (March 2014)
3.
CRC Asia Regional Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia
(August 2014)
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| Exposure at the Peaceful Botanical Garden in Pann Pyo Let Forest Centre in Myanmar |
In August of this year, the 3rd Regional Children and
Youth Partners' Meeting was held in Bago Region, Myanmar. This was attended by
21 children and young people. Through this meeting, the young people continued
to learn about each others work in the different countries, as well as the
different issues in the countries. To be able to successfully do their joint
actions, the young people learned about communication, campaign and leadership.
Just recently, the members of the tdh SEA Youth network participated in the worldwide activity of the Global Action Month to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The SEA Youth Network, together with the different youth groups around the world continue to demand that children be protected against all forms of abuse and their rights to survival, participation and development be upheld.
