|
March 7, 2002
|
FORTALEZA, Brazil – Hundreds of youths, distinguished personalities and representatives of the public and private sectors and civil society participated today in a seminar on “Youth leadership in the 21st Century,” which was inaugurated by Inter-American development Bank President Enrique V. Iglesias and Brazil’s First Lady Ruth Cardoso. At the opening of the event IDB External Relations Advisor Mirna Liévano de Marques welcomed the participants and the president of MasterCard International for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jean Rozwadowski, as cosponsor, delivered a special message to the assembled youth. The seminar was held in conjunction with the IDB Annual Meeting, which is being held from March 7-13. “You represent all the youth in the region who are working proactively as agents of change,” Iglesias said in his welcoming address. “I encourage you to continue sharing your knowledge, capacities and skills with many other youth to create an unstoppable force for the transformation of our neighborhoods, cities and countries.” “The IDB has adopted a new paradigm in recent years in the area of youth development,” Iglesias added. “We are convinced that, beyond being just the user of services, the contribution of youth is indispensable for the development of their communities and countries. Youth represents an inexhaustible source of energy, talent and ideas that we can not ignore.” Mrs. Cardoso commented on the concerns of educators and planners of public policy regarding the problems of youth in society. “The difficulties of integrating youth are not limited to the lack of specific knowledge that facilitates their entrance into the labor market,” she said. “The traditional forms of discrimination build up the symbolic barriers that make it more difficult to incorporate different age groups in harmony.” With the modern means of communication that cross borders, even the poor regions participate in the world as a whole and youth practices its own culture and codes of conduct, the first lady said. Mrs. Cardoso is president of Comunidad Solidaria, an entity that has undertaken many youth initiatives. “Youth has an important role in the process of change. They are innovators, but they suffer from the new demands of the workplace. It must be recognized that their road is difficult and that they must be integrated into society,” she added. The Youth Development and Outreach Program of the IDB, known as IDB-Youth, with the sponsorship of MasterCard International, conducted the electronic consultation to select the 12 best projects managed by youth leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean. Leaders of the projects - who were elected among hundreds of proposals in the areas of youth entrepreneurship, learning in the new economy and volunteerism - presented their initiatives in three sessions at the meeting. Jean Rozwadowski, president of MasterCard International for Latin America and the Caribbean, commented that MasterCard supports the efforts of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Youth Program and encourages Latin American and Caribbean business, government and education leaders to execute programs that will improve teaching and learning in the region. "Nothing is more important for economic and social progress of Latin America than the education of its youth,” he said. “Companies can implement - like MasterCard - far-reaching global, regional and local initiatives that will have a ripple effect in their spheres of influence.” The electronic consultation marks the beginning of a program of activities inaugurated today with a seminar in which youth selected in the consultation, other youth leaders and experts exchanged experiences and proposed new strategies to assure the active participation of youth in all sectors of society. In a plenary session at the seminar, Elena Suárez, the head of the IDB Youth Program, gave a presentation of the achievements of the initiative, and selected youth gave the results of the electronic consultation. The youth representatives on each project were to be honored in the afternoon in a ceremony presenting the IDB-MasterCard awards to youth leadership in the presence of the presidents of the IDB and MasterCard International for Latin America and the Caribbean. Community Service Activities The “Youth Leadership of the 21st Century Program” will continue on Friday, March 8, with activities of community service and volunteerism that will be carried out in the Mercado das Artes in Aquiras, the old capital of Ceara, 30 kilometers south of Fortaleza. Participating in the “Exchange of Talents,” as the event is called, will be Brazil’s First Lady Ruth Cardozo, the president of MasterCard International for Latin America and the Caribbean, the president of the IDB, and other personalities in the framework of the local community. The purpose of this meeting, which will offer the participants different options of community service, is to underscore the importance of youth participation in the betterment of their communities. The activity is sponsored and coordinated jointly by Comunidade Solidaria, MasterCard International, the government of the state of Ceara, IBM de Brazil, the Pommar-USAID Program and the IDB. About 500 youths from the area are expected to attend. The youth volunteers will share their knowledge and talents in such diverse areas as fine arts, handicrafts, professional development and income generation. The “Youth Leadership in the XXI Century Program” is intended to create awareness among political and economic leaders of the region on the role of youth as protagonist for the development of their communities, cities and countries throughout the region. The Inter-American Development Bank reaffirmed its commitment to youth and its active participation in the development process by creating the Youth Development and Outreach Program in 1995. Since then the Program has grown to include a network of 12,000 youth throughout the region. |
|
HOME
ABOUT THE IDB | BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES | DEPARTMENTS | POLICIES
PRESS | PUBLICATIONS | PRIVATE SECTOR | PROJECTS | RESEARCH & DATA
