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Showing posts from September, 2011

The Passionate Walk- Moving the Planet!

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Have you ever woken up any one morning to wow the masses along Nairobi (or any other capital city) streets in a significant splash of style, culture and a powerful message calling for change? Forget the usual propaganda of political change but the unique global voice of environmental change; for people to wake up and MOVE? A voice that is gaining popularity and strength across countries, across generations and definitely across races and gender. A voice so serene yet so powerful. A voice that is diverse yet unifying in its message. Advocating for justice in the climate change crisis. Calling for action. Pushing for environmental rights. Awakening the sleeping lest they swiftly perish in the enjoyment of their sleep. Indeed it is time to wake up and take action. It is time for citizens of the globe to MOVE FOR THE PLANET! MOVING THE PLANET was a spectacular show of courage, bravery, energy, enjoyment and frustration. Yes, frustration, the youth are frustrated and indeed fed-up of peo

AYICC Fraternity mourns the passing of Prof. Wangari Maathai

' 'To the young people I say, you are a gift to your communities and indeed the world.You are our hope and our future.''Prof Wangari Maathai. It is with great sadness that we at the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) and the Kenya Youth Climate network (KYCN) have learnt about the passing of our heroine Prof. Wangari Maathai. Prof Maathai was for us and many other young people a symbol of fortitude, courage, humility and leadership.It is her strength that we often refer to in our environmental pursuits, it is her footsteps that we follow, her wealth of knowledge that we draw from. We in the youth movement recognize that we enjoy the space we enjoy today because of her, Uhuru Park & Karura forest are a symbol of her steadfastness in Environmental conservation,an example she set for us,one we must abide by. Working with the GBM has been a great pleasure and we were hoping to see her at the Interfaith Rally in Durban during the COP 17 climate talks late

African Youth urge the 14th Conference of African Ministers of Environment to focus on Climate Justice in view of COP 17 in Durban and Rio +2O.

Mali: Bamako 15 September 2011 – For Immediate Release African Youth welcome the hosting of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) in Bamako, Mali from the 12 to 16 September 2011. This 14th session which aims at consolidating the African common position within the climate negotiations at COP 17 as well as the Rio + 20 gives impetus to the African youth to get their permanent observer status at AMCEN . The African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) is a Pan-African movement of young people and organizations which aims at addressing issues of climate change, environment and sustainable development. AYICC was formed in Nairobi in 2006 during the UNFCCC COP 12 as a platform for youth advocacy on climate change issues. Its goal is to bring together the synergies of youth to participate in various forums and debates in order to find solutions to climate change issues. In fulfilling this, AYICC is represented at AMCEN by youth organizations and NGOs fro

AN APOSTLE OF HER LAND

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Mme Masuku is about 80 years old, she walks with a slight limp but is as alert, even more alert than most people. She has an aura of authority around her and she relishes in this. She is clear in her speech, passionate and totally in control. ‘We have been here before’ she intonates in her clear voice at the Climate Change and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Conference in Johannesburg. When she is so immersed in the greatness of mother Africa she goes off in her local tongue; which better expresses what she is talking about then she switches back to English so we can all understand. She is an extraordinary ordinary person; Mme Masuku is a black African woman, through and through and that’s what makes her unique. She inspires and counsels in words only she can utter. Mme Masuku speaks of olden days when man and nature co-existed harmoniously, when life was orderly and predictable. Lessons from the moon and the stars, messages from insects and animals, medicine from trees and food and

International Youth Camp in Rwanda: Climate Change Classes

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It is a fact that climate change is real and that it affects the humanity in different ways. What would happen if we reverse the activities that have led to climate change? This is one of the questions that was asked by dele gates participating in a 5 day youth camp organized by the International Youth Fellowship at St Andre’ College from 15-19 August 2011 in Kigali Rwanda. The youth camp attracted about 1000 youth from different countries, with the majority of them being Rwandans from higher learning institutions and secondary schools. To keep the campers entertained, theatre groups from Nairobi, Kenya were on site with youth frie ndly skits, plays, poems and other on stage items. The climate change session was presented by Dr. Landry Ndriko Mayigane, AYICC Regional Coordinator for East Africa, who talked about the effects of climate change. He spoke about the environment, how it was in the past, how it is now, and how it may look like in the future if we do not change our acti

AYICC at the African Urban Youth Assembly Abuja, Nigeria, 26-28 July 2011

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The World Urban Youth Assembly has become the leading global platform for youth to deliberate on urban issues. At the World Urban Forum in Vancouver , youth requested the establishment of a special fund to support youth-led initiatives in pursuance of the Habitat Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals. At the 21st Session of the Governing Council in 2007, Governments passed Resolution 21/6 that established the Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-Led Development. The Fund targets young people most in need of assistance and in particular the vulnerable youth in urban slums. At the World Urban Forum in Nanjing , youth strongly emphasized that they wished to both be recognized for their work and expertise in local and international development, and to be included in policy development. Resolution 22/4, which was passed by Governments at the 22nd Session of the Governing Council, encourages governments to give priority and support to youth-led development initiatives and invites multi