While the turn of the century sees Australia play host to the Olympic games, the proposed International Youth Parliament 2000 will bring world focus to contemporary issues facing young people. At the ‘Parliament’, activists from around the world will meet and exchange ideas on how to address local and universal challenges for the new millennium. The Parliament is planned to coincide with the Sydney Paralympics, in Sydney Australia, October 2000.

The Parliament is an initative of the Youth Workshop of the Alliance for a Responsible and United World together with Community Aid Abroad/Oxfam Australia. It is an international youth declaration of the need to act together to effect positive social change. The Parliament is a vehicle for the world’s youth to develop the specific actions needed to implement improvements and set directions for the new millennium. Delegates will have a unique opportunity to put forward their ideas for building a diverse and sustainable human society and to seek youthful solutions to global problems. Formulation of values and information gathered will be available for the 2001 Assembly.

The Parliament expresses alternative perspectives to the current official agenda, offering ideas which challenge the status quo, existing power structures and thinking of the old millennium. It provides support, encouragement and a high-profile stage on which young people can express themselves and exchange strategies for addressing local and universal challenges. The Parliament is also dedicated to teaching delegates new skills which will enable them to better pursue their local objectives. It gives a youthful and vibrant impetus to the conceptualization and realization of purposeful change. This is an opportunity for young people from all over the world to meet and understand their similarities and different realities. The Parliament will be held in three languages, including English.

Together delegates, aged 15 to 28, will create a diverse representation of the world’s youth. They will speak as advocates for significant issues, rather than as ambassadors for their own countries. The Parliament consciously incorporates young people of all backgrounds, regardless of level of activism, accomplishment or formal education. It involves delegates who campaign for a wide variety of causes, such as anti-youth suicide activists from regional Australia; environmental campaigners working for a cleaner Ganges in India; adolescents protesting against the conscription of teenage soldiers in Sierra Leone; graffiti artists in New York promoting the rights of teenagers; and Pakistani street sweepers who deal with racism and class inequities.

The Parliament’s initial agenda focuses on three areas of importance to young people, and will progressively be established through a collaborative process between organisers and delegates. At the Parliament, delegates will participate in workshops and plenary sessions and as a result, will make specific proposals related to the issues of:

• Breaking the Poverty Cycle - considers the necessity of providing basic education, access to new technology and employment opportunities for youth.

• Youth in Conflict - addresses the needs of young people in violent situations, the promotion of non-violence, and the means by which young people may learn to peaceably resolve conflict.

• Cultural Activism - explores the importance of the recognised cultural expression of young people. It looks at the relationships between artistic vision and the affirmation of indigenous, ethnic and cultural identities.

In order to further the goals of the International Youth Parliament 2000, each delegate will return home as a Youth Ambassador for the Parliament. Delegates will provide documentation of the Parliament’s resolutions and plans for action to their governments, opposition parties and other significant local and national bodies. There will be opportunities for delegates to reconvene the Parliament and to establish similar regional forums. The design of the Parliament ensures that effective action will result from the discussion of each agenda item. An International Youth Parliament network will record specific progress on achieving the Parliament’s resolutions.

The Parliament is a global event attracting world media. There will be an international press gallery and the decisions and resolutions of the Parliament will be publicised. Parliament information will also be available to the global community through the Parliament website.

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