More Youth Conferences

From the YouthLinkExpress newsletter, which is am absolutely fantastic resource for events and opportunities for youth development:

Civicus Youth Assembly
Date:June 16-18, 2008
Location:Glasgow, Scotland
Building on the success of last year’s CIVICUS Youth Assembly the 2008 event will offer an opportunity to meet and work with other young women and men who are really making changes to things that matter. The Youth Assembly will offer young delegates a program and a space to develop and commit to action internationally. Applicants aged 18-25 are encouraged to apply! For more information, click here.

World Youth Volunteer Conference
Date: March 31-April 2, 2008
Location: Panama City, Panama
Organized by the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), the World Youth Conference will select 100 outstanding young volunteers from around the world to participate in collaboration with the IAVE World Volunteer Conference. This year’s theme, ‘Volunteering for Human Development: More Solidarity, Less Poverty’ will focus on several issues related to Latin American poverty. Register before February 29th! For more information, click here.

Unite for Sight Fifth Annual International Health & Development Conference
Date: April 12-13, 2008
Location: New Haven, USA
Individuals interested in international health, public health, international development, microfinance, health policy, and public service are encouraged to attend the International Health and Development Conference. Keynote speakers include Susan Blumenthal, Jeffrey Sachs, Jim Yong Kim, and Sonia Ehrlich Sachs. Register today! For more information, click here.

3rd Global Youth Conference on Democracy & Political Participation
Date: February 20-22, 2008
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
How do we develop a culture of participatory governance amongst the citizens and civil society to build grassroots participation and accountability in governance? The 3rd Global Youth Conference will provide for focal discussion on the critical issues of enhancing greater demand for voice and accountability for better public policy and practice. For more information, click here or send an email.

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VoteEd – Educating Malaysian Voters

Election season is soon to hit Malaysia, and this time around things are bound to get interesting. With the recent rallies by HINDRAF and BERSIH, as well as other political and social events related to human rights, democracy, and national unity, young Malaysians have noticed the need to be more politically aware and that they need to exercise their right to vote and choose.

However, most of these young Malaysians are not experienced with voting. Many have only just been eligible to vote. Many others have not bothered to vote in the past because they feel that their votes do not count. Due to various laws and regulations, as well as the state of media here, there isn’t any clear unbiased way to find out who each consistuency’s representatives are and what each party stands for and is willing to provide.

This is where VoteED comes into play.

VoteED was originally started by writer and activist Michelle Gunaselan, as well as a few other friends, to combat apathy amongst young Malaysians towards voting issues. Their activities center around educating young Malaysians on their rights as voters and on their choices for voting, encouraging young Malaysians to register to vote, and holding discussions and debates about voting, politics, and democracy in Malaysia.

Currently they have a vibrant Facebook group, where they are collecting information about what people want to know about voting. The questions are quite interesting – ranging from whether it’s wise to vote for a party you don’t necessarily like if your local representative is doing a good job, to what avenues and channels you have to air your grievances and concerns about the country. This information will be the basis of a Voter Education Party, to be held in early January.

Join their group and get informed about your options for voting. You have the right to vote (unlike me – I can’t vote in Malaysia despite being here all my life because I’m not a citizen) so make use of it!