Events

Peace Revolution 2012 Fellowship program in Thailand

noreply@blogger.com (Yipe) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:39:00 +0000

Peace Revolution is now accepting applications for the 2011 Fellowship in Thailand aimed at providing the youth with an opportunity to learn more about how to deepen their own Inner Peace and integrate it into their professional life and to meet with young Peace Rebels from around the world.

The Fellowship is open to all young peace activists who believe that INNER PEACE + OUTER PEACE = SUSTAINABLE WORLD PEACE.

February Fellowship will be held from 22^nd February – 7^th March 2012. The fellowship program consists of 10 days of Inner Peace Retreat with focus on Meditation, Peace, and Buddhist Studies besides 3 days of Workshop and Dialogue.

Fellowship Provisions

full or partial sponsoring of airfare,
free accommodation,
free catering,
free local transportation,
free meditation retreat fee.

Eligibility

Be 18-30 years old at the time of submitting the application;
Have completed 42 days of the online self-development program;
Have completed at least 1 Special Ops;
Have good proficiency in written and spoken English language;
Be optimistic, open-minded, show leadership potential, and have a genuine interest in peace.

Selection and Application Process

Candidates should apply and begin the self-development program before November 15^th 2011.
Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will be scheduled for a phone or skype video interview after 30 days of the self-development program has been completed.
Candidates have to finish a 42-day online self-development program with at least 1 special ops to be fully eligible to receive the fellowship as agreed.

Last date for submission of applications for the February program is November 15^th 2011

For more information, visit http://www.peacerevolution.net/docs/en/peace-revolution-fellowship-for-youth

Find more fellowships by visiting http://www.yipekenya.org/News.htm

International Water Association’s call for abstracts for presentations at the Water Convention 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Yipe) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:29:00 +0000

International Water Association is now seeking abstracts for the Water Convention 2012 to be held during the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2012 from July 1^st to 5^th 2012 at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. Prospective authors can submit abstracts for either oral or poster presentations.

Water Convention 2012 aims at bringing together the researchers, industry leaders, and practitioners to share and exchange thoughts on sustainability. This will be done through topics such as water technology solutions, planning and management of water resources, utility practices, and water quality and protection of public health.

Themed “Water Solutions for Liveable and Sustainable Cities”, SIWW 2012 will be organized in conjunction with the 3rd World Cities Summit and the inaugural CleanEnviro Summit Singapore

About Water Convention 2012 and Themes

In line with the overall theme of SIWW 2012, “Water Solutions for Liveable and Sustainable Cities”, the Water Convention will provide a platform for water professionals to share experiences and explore, in particular case studies and practical applications that showcase technological solutions and/or management strategies which improves the efficiency and effectiveness of water and wastewater systems, as well as examine issues related to urban water planning and water quality and health specifically in the East Asia, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East regions. Water Convention 2012 will continue its focus on a wide range of topics along the four main themes:

Delivering Water from Source to Tap
Effective and Efficient Wastewater Management
Planning for Sustainable Water Solutions
Water Quality & Health

In addition to the technical sessions, the Water Convention will also feature the “Hot Issues” Workshops, which made a highly successful debut in 2011. The Workshops are scheduled to be held on Sunday, 1 July 2012, prior to the start of the technical sessions and will focus on the four main themes of the Water Convention. Each of these 3-hour workshops are designed to be highly interactive, with panel discussions to facilitate two-way exchanges of ideas on ‘hot’ or new and emerging issues in Asia. The Workshops are open to all Water Convention delegates. Additional registration is required for trade visitors and exhibitors.

Last date for submission of abstracts is November 15, 2011

For more information, visit http://www.siww.com.sg

Kenyan Youth Strategy Meeting 2011 - Nairobi Declaration

noreply@blogger.com (Yipe) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:48:00 +0000

13th and 14th October 2011

Preamble

We, the delegates to the Kenyan Youth Strategy Meeting for Rio +20 at the United Nations Complex at Gigiri, Nairobi:

Acknowledge the African indigenous knowledge of the sacred value of the environment to biodiversity wellbeing.

Commit to promote innovations that will develop a green economy and promote the eradication of poverty.

Take note of the past declarations towards environmental sustainability both at the African and Global level, there is an urgent need for structural and infrastructural interventions in policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.

Recognize the current global environmental challenges, particularly climate change, which impact our common future and wellbeing, we commit ourselves to support of the following mechanisms:

Good governance and transformative leadership.

Promote Education, information exchange, communication and awareness

Achieve sustainable agricultural practices to reduce hunger, starvation and enhance food security.

Advocate for the development and implementation of sustainable development policies towards a Green Economy.

Invest in and promote eco-friendly entrepreneurship and job creation.

Attain sustainable green cities and villages.

Promote public engagement and participation through culture and volunteerism.

Promote Youth Development and capacity building

Good Governance and Transformative Leadership

We recognize the role of good governance and transformative sustainable development leadership that is

Participatory

accountable,

transparent and

implementable

at national and county levels. We reject governance that is weak on transitioning to a green economy and embrace that which promotes a green economy which engenders human well-being and social equity and respect for the natural environment, and the value of biodiversity and eco-systems, guided by, and accountable to, a new World Environment Organisation with universal membership by all UN Member States. We also call for mechanisms in such new institutions that allow for youth participation in decision-making.

Youth delegations have to be engaged at all levels of governance in discussing benchmarks for the green economy. The Youth need to be involved in efforts towards policy formulation and development of institutional frameworks. Additionally, youth participation should be integrated at local, national and international assessments towards the development of an index for measuring the progress towards a green economy.

Promote Education, information exchange, communication and awareness

We recommend the adoption of green economy and sustainable development education material at all levels of education and public training initiatives by 2014. We intend to achieve this through the creation of various information sharing methods to various segments of the society.

We acknowledge that education underpins awareness; and awareness is critical to the spread of sustainable development principles through multiple levels in society.

Education serves as a hub for understanding the types of information to be considered when thinking about the green economy; how monitoring will be shaped in the context of the information identified as relevant; and the role of education on the environment to serve as a communication/public awareness tool on sustainable development.

Build an understanding toward the intersection of business, environment and society, in educating all people about the tenets critical to achieve sustainable development, especially the Youth.

Action: Build a national curriculum standard that promotes business in a green society. 2015

Action: Educate students in primary and secondary schools on the green economy by creating incentives that allow NGOs, student groups or CBOs to serve as ambassadors for education of the green economy. 2015

Action: Build a monitoring service from the information-discovered. Discovery of information should be an integrated process involving key stakeholders with a special emphasis on Youth. Progress towards sustainable development goals should be identified as key thematic working groups, using poverty alleviation and institutional reform as output goals, and involvement of youth and CBOs as an inherent part of the process. 2018

Achieve sustainable agricultural practices to reduce hunger, starvation and enhance food security.

Whereas recognizing the interrelation between our national forest cover and agricultural productivity we recommend the following measures;

Increasing our national forest cover to 10% from the current 2% by the year 2015 through creation of green parks, promoting agroforestry and sustainable agribusiness.

Phasing out of hazardous chemical fertilizers in arable farming by the year 2015.

Promoting the utilization of the green energy technologies to enhance affordable agricultural production.

Advocate for the development and implementation of sustainable development policies towards a Green Economy.

Develop sustainability measures and indicators against which government programmes can be measured and assessed.

Advocate for the legislation of policies on sustainable development that regulate the corporations’ adherence to green economy modules.

Ensure that approximately 25% of the annual government development budget goes towards program initiatives on sustainable development, with clear indication on targets towards green growth in community development and individual technological entrepreneurship. 15% of the 5% funding should be geared towards mobilizing and benchmarking activities to demarcate marginal change of youth involvement in the green economy. 35% of that “Sustainable Development funding” should be geared towards supporting renewable energy and zero-carbon activities that are both sustainable and demonstrably financially viable, in a local and youth-oriented level. 2013

Ensure the programmatic and structural archetype of an environmental body that can hold nations and member-states accountable for reporting and making transparent their pathways and transitions towards a green economy. 2015

Ensure that the youth are fully represented at the National Land Commission.

Invest in and promote eco-friendly entrepreneurship and job creation.

Establish independent institutional mechanisms for promoting green entrepreneurship and growth among youth.

Set up an independent fund to provide start-up financing for green enterprises by youth

Promote technological, business and social innovation through creating enabling policy environment and platforms

Invest in business models that promote community development

Promote alternative and innovative funding and investment in youth green enterprises such as crowd-funding

Sensitize youth at all levels on green entrepreneurship through different channels such as new media

Create enabling business and policy environment for green entrepreneurship, for example, tax waivers for youth green enterprises

Promote public engagement and participation through culture and volunteerism.

We recognize the aspect of culture and indigenous knowledge that embraced green economy through agroforestry, organic fertilizers for sustainable development.

For sustainable development towards green economy, we recommend the need for selfless/political willingness from all levels of governance, private sector and individuals in promoting the green economy.

We recommend that; at all levels of policy formulation and participation, there is need for public engagement and concurrence which will enhance easy implementation and sustainability.

We stand for investment, documentation, promotion and development of best practices in cultural beliefs and practices that further conservation and renewable energy founded on indigenous knowledge.

Promotion of community and youth-led exchanges is key in this regard for effective sharing and transfer of green growth skills through access and exchange of information.

We appreciate that volunteerism will act as a means of inculcating community ownership of sustainable development initiatives.

Harness public engagement and Youth volunteerism to benchmark progress on the role of corporations in sustainable development through Corporate Socially Responsible initiatives.

Attain sustainable green cities and villages

Develop an independent institution to assess business models for micro-enterprises to assess their suitability for tax benefits and other incentives. And to regulate and ensure that micro-enterprises do not compromise environmental sustainability.

Develop comprehensive waste management systems by:

Placing increased emphasis on waste separation and recycling systems;

Establishing dug-in decomposition landfills where decomposable materials are put to decompose; once decomposed the material can be used as organic manure.

Establish awards to recognize and celebrate the effort of cities and villages that take significant steps in transforming into green cities and villages.

Regulate transportation to reduce congestion by:

Establishing dedicated lanes for public transport vehicles and

Implement mass transport systems such as rail transport.

Promote Youth Development and capacity building

In order to facilitate and further build capacity in youth to fully engage in and drive development processes to address the above priority areas, we call upon our governments to:

Adopt a Youth Development Index as an indicator of the welfare of the youth in the countries; and as a measure of the youth development.

Review existing and develop new policies and legislation to:

Promote youth innovation and entrepreneurship through structures such as:

Talent Academies

Technology and Business incubation centres

Protect these innovations through structures and measures such as:

Strong and easily accessible Intellectual Property protection

Moderate and accommodative tax regimes

Promoting youth participation in international forums through

Incorporating youth delegations as part of national delegations to international conferences

Providing funding for youth to participate at international

Incorporating youth in National policy formulation and implementation

Develop and strengthen national and local structures to provide support and training for youth organizations with emphasis in the areas of:

Establishment of community and youth led organizations

Leadership and organizational management

Strategic Planning

Project Management

Require that all government ministries establish youth offices and develop and implement youth engagement strategies to streamline youth participation in the work of the ministries.

Convene national and local youth forums to discuss matters relevant to youth development and make recommendations for action in support of youth development by state and non-state actors.

Improve youth access to information especially with regard to rural communities and informal urban settlements, through Establishment of community ICT Digital Villages

Conclusion

We, as young people, this is what we declare and recommend our government, individuals, businesses, development organizations and all stakeholders to undertake ahead of Rio+20 and beyond. Any action to be taken affects us and our future generation to a greater extent. We care about our planet and we will all work together in creating a more sustainable era. Green Economy is Achievable.

Find more events by visiting http://www.yipekenya.org/Events.htm

Microsoft Open Door 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Yipe) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:45:00 +0000

October 19th 2011: Microsoft Open Door 2011

Venue: The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nairobi

The Microsoft Open Door 2011 is your chance to increase your knowledge, advance your skills and network with your local IT community as well as international Microsoft and industry experts.

You will have the opportunity to get the latest news about recent released Microsoft technologies, tools, platforms and services as well as industry trends first–hand from Microsoft experts and independent specialists as well as immerse yourself in learning opportunities with distinguished speakers and community influences. It also provides a great foundation for exploring further learning paths and prepare yourself for upcoming opportunities.

Please RSVP to attend this event

Email: talk2us@microsoft.com or events@energysource.co.ke

To view more events visit http://www.yipekenya.org/Events.htm

noreply@blogger.com (Yipe) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:51:00 +0000

September 24th 2011: The Botswana Amateur Arts Festival (BAAF)
Venue: Maitisong Gaborone starting at 08:00

The Botswana Amateur Arts Festival (BAAF) is a unique festival dedicated to providing a strong platform for young performers and generate increased exposure for the arts.
The BAAF aims to be a world class performing arts festival that is noticeable in Botswana and internationally.
This is a unique festival that awards amateur artists an opportunity to write, direct, and manage there own production and present it to fellow participants and a panel of judges. The festival also awards the participants a chance to learn from established artists and scholars of the arts in Botswana including Artists and University lectures in small group workshops. Winners in the different categories are awarded at the end, these awards include best actor, best actress, best director, best script etc.

September 26th – 30th 2011: Tunza International Children & Youth Conference on the Environment
Venue: Bandung, Indonesia

Theme: Reshaping Our future through a Green Economy and Sustainable Lifestyle
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia will be organizing its Tunza International Children & Youth Conference on the Environment , from 26th to 30th September 2011. Read more »»

September 26th – October 1st 2011: 4th IMC World Forum on Music
Venue: Tallinn

The IMC World Forum on Music is a global knowledge-building platform on music and society in the 21st century. During the forum a variety of topics will be explored from diverse perspectives: cultural, political and economical. The IMC World Forum on Music is considered one of IMC’s main contributions to setting the stage for the free celebration of music in the world. For more information, visit www.imc-cim.org

September 26th – October 7th 2011: Creative Enterprise Business Skills Training
Venue: Mombasa
Time: 8.30AM – 4.30PM, Monday to Friday
Fees: Kshs. 10, 000 per person

September 26th to October 7th 2011: Entrepreneurship Training Workshops for Dynamic Entrepreneurs (ETWs)
Venue: Eldoret, Kenya

The ETWs equip business leaders with the tools, perspectives and frameworks needed to strengthen their enterprises while engaging multiple competencies for success. Read more »»

September 28th – 30th 2011: ICT Women Empowerment Africa Summit
Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

The theme of the second annual ICT summit will be “Recognising and Empowering Women in the ICT Sector” Key Discussion Topics will include: An overview of women, gender & ICTs in a globalised economy; Initiatives & practices aimed at attracting more women into the ICT sector; keeping talented women on the road to success within the ICT industry; Empowering women in Africa to use ICT’s for personal advancement; Empowering rural women in Africa through ICT; Male control over women’s use of ICT’s; Career progression of women in the ICT industry; The role played by support systems for women in ICT; and Positioning women as key role players in the ICT market.

September 29th – 30th 2011: Tanzania Youth Entrepreneurship Summit
Venue: Ubungo Plaza, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

The objective of the Tanzania Youth Entrepreneurship Summit will be to create and initiate discussions about the promotion and facilitation of small and medium enterprises growth as a solution to the escalating problem of youth unemployment in the country.