Youths have a key role to play as promoters of change in society, Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker told 350 youth delegates from all over the world, including Malta, at the seventh Unesco Youth Forum held recently in Paris.
The four-day forum’s first plenary session dealt with driving change.
The youth speakers included Andres Villena, a young economist, columnist, blogger and activist of the 15M movement (indignados) of Spain, and Gigi Ibrahim, a young journalist and social activist from Egypt.
Whitaker, who is also a Unesco Goodwill Ambassador, delivered the keynote speech at the plenary session dedicated to how youth drive change. The session discussed the benefits of social and political inclusion of youth, and considered the mechanisms and processes to engage youth as decision-makers and key shareholders in their communities.
He also spoke about the role of social entrepreneurship, social networking and new media in fostering democracy inclusion and participation of youth in public life.
The forum’s first workshop, dealing with conflict resolution and reconciliation, was addressed by Unesco director-general Irina Bokova as well as by Forest Whitaker, the and Unesco goodwill ambassador, who also launched the website placeofpeace.com.
The plenary sessions also covered ways to counter youth exclusion, vulnerability and violence, and the skills and opportunities to support the constructive participation of youth in the economic life of their communities.
The forum was concluded with a cultural event sponsored by the Goi Peace Foundation, featuring the violinist Kenji Williams, whose performance was accompanied by satellite images of Earth, together with young social entrepreneurs and the winners of the 2010 international essay contest organised by Unesco and the Goi Peace Foundation. Albert Rutter, chairman of Unesco Club (Malta), took part in the forum as an observer. Mr Rutter had the opportunity to meet Ms Bokova and to speak to her about the activities of the Unesco Club (Malta), which he set up in 1969.
Prior to the youth forum, a delegation from the club, led by Mr Rutter, took part in the convocation of the executive committee of the European Federation of Unesco Clubs, which was held in Turin.