Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Volume 5, Issue #2, July 2001

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Youth Educating Youth Against Racism

(By Christine Parsons & Ian Foucher, Project Officers, Anti-Racism Education)
While the Youth Forums Against Racism have travelled to Edmonton, Ottawa, Québec, and Halifax, the spirit behind them has come from all across the country - from Summerside to Kugluktuk, Prince George to Montréal. Over a hundred young people between the ages of 14 and 26 participated in the four regional forums conducted throughout May, June, and July by UNA-Canada's anti-racism education team.

The Youth Forums Against Racism initiative was launched in April 2001 with funding from the Multiculturalism Branch of Canadian Heritage. Its primary purpose is to create a space where youth can come together to decide how best to deliver the anti-racism message to their peers. The project was designed with the belief that young people themselves are best positioned to develop an anti-racism education model that will be effective, attractive, and meaningful to youth, especially if its youth developers are from a multiplicity of backgrounds and regions and represent Canada's ethnic and cultural diversity.

Preparations are now focusing on August 3-5, when eight representatives from the regional forums will come together to consolidate results and recommendations from the regional gatherings and finalize the form, scope, and content of their youth-driven, youth-focused model for addressing racism. National forum delegates will also discuss how their model will be promoted and distributed to anti-racism educators, youth and community groups, and schools across Canada.

The rationale for the Youth Forums stems from the awareness of the existence of racism at all levels of society and throughout the world, and intends to mark a contribution to one of the five key themes of the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR): "a grassroots, consensus-built measure of prevention and education aimed at the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the national, regional and international level" [Theme 3].

The Canadian Secretariat for WCAR has just awarded the Youth Forums team funds to travel to Durban, South Africa to participate in WCAR and its parallel forums, in particular the Youth Summit, at which we will share the process UNA-Canada has used to facilitate the development of a 'for youth, by youth' anti-racism education model. The Youth Forums experience will also be highlighted through an exhibition stand and an open seminar (pending confirmation) at the NGO Forum.

2001 is an important year for anti-racism. In addition to being the year of the World Conference, it is also the UN International Year of Mobilization Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and falls during the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1994-2003). UNA-Canada's project builds upon this global momentum to combat racism - to create a strong society, in Canada and around the world, based on equality, justice, and dignity. Youth engagement and leadership in anti-racism education is essential to creating such a world (check out www.unac.org/yfar ).