Peace child international

Peace Child International is a Buntingford, UK based charity (UK Charity Registration number: 1095189) focusing on sustainable development and youth empowerment. [cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4127916.stm
title= Youth congress call to seek peace
publisher=BBC News
accessdate=2007-12-27
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History of the Organisation

Peace Child International began as a musical, based on Bernard Benson's The Peace Book.The Musical itself was composed by David Gordon and written by David Woollcombe. It intended to resolve conflict between the USA and the USSR. Since its original use the musical has been used in conflict resolution efforts in Azerbaijan/Armenia, Central America, Cyprus, the former Yugoslavia, India, Israel and Northern Ireland.

Since 1992 Peace Child has focused mainly on the issue of sustainable development producing a number of books on the subject with UN agencies.

About Peace Child International

Peace Child International empowers young people to take responsibility for peace, human rights and the environment through education, leadership development and direct participation in the events that shape our world community.

This it does through producing publications, musicals, conferences and encouraging its affiliate youth groups throughout the world. Peace Child gets its name from a tradition In Papua New Guinea, when warring tribes of head-hunters made peace, they each exchanged a child. The children would grow up with the others' tribe and if in the future, conflict threatened between the tribes again, those children would be sent to negotiate. Such a child was called a "Peace Child." This legend represents the important role we believe young people can play in changing the world.

PCI is an educational charity registered in the United Kingdom. With a network of more than 500 youth eco-groups in 120 countries around the world, it works closely with the United Nations and its agencies to empower young people to write, design, and illustrate children's editions of important United Nations reports. Its most successful production to date was a children's edition of "Agenda 21, Rescue Mission: Planet Earth," which has sold more than 320,000 copies around the world in 18 languages.

Youth Involvement

The charity is concerned with youth empowerment and attempts to bring about sustainable development using youth. Peace Child International also runs Gap Year programmes for people ages 18-25 in Peru and India, and the organisation hopes to include Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone soon.

The Ambassador programme is a way in which young people, generally aged 10 to 18 are able to be involved with the charity. Individuals become Peace Child Ambassadors for change, and are charged with educating other young people in various ways. The most notable of these is by teaching and presenting in their own schools and others, encouraging other young people to get involved with sustainable development.

World Youth Congress Series

Since the cancellation of the UN's World Youth Forum series, Peace Child International has decided to set up its own series of, currently, 2-yearly congresses specifically to promote the role that young people can play in the field of sustainable development and the achievement of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

Hawaii The World Youth Congress in Hawaii 1999 searched for Youth soulutions for the new Millennium.

Morocco The second WYC in Morocco focused on the role that young people could play in implementing the Millennium Development Goals.

Scotland The Scottish congress held in August 2005 explored young peopleís motivations to volunteer.

Quebéc

The World Youth Congress in Quebéc 2008 will focus on examples of good youth led action projects and examine what youth have done in the field.

References

elected bibliography

*"Woollcombe, David: YOUTH-LED DEVELOPMENT (Schumacher Briefing No. 14)" (2007, ISBN 9781903998984)
*"Peace Child International: Stand Up for Your Rights" (2001, ISBN 1854345737)
*"Peace Child International: Stand Up, Speak Out: A Book about Human Rights" (2001, ISBN 0613944097)
*"Unesco, Peace Child International: Rescue Mission--planet Earth: A Children's Edition of Agenda 21" (1994, ISBN 1856971759)
*"Findlay, Merrill; Gordon, David; Woollcombe, David; Benson, Bernard S.: Peace Child: A Study Guide for Schools" (1988, ISBN 0731609301)
*"UNEP: Is the Future Yours?: UNEP/UNESCO Research Project on Youth and Development" (2001, ISBN 9280720112)
*"Peace Child International: Be the Change" (2000, ISBN 0896104176)

External links

*http://www.peacechild.org/
*http://www.peacechildindia.org/
*http://www.hertsdirect.org/comdirectory/comvol/campre2y/cpenv3y/12932951