IDB IMPROVES SCHOOLING IN MEXICO THROUGH BROADCASTING

The IDB has approved a loan of $171 million to support a program that will use educational television to broaden and improve the quality of instruction for both youth and adults in grades seven through nine in isolated communities.

Equipment for the television-assisted distance education program, known as TELESECUNDARIA, will be both supplied and upgraded, and evaluation standards and procedures will be improved. Teachers and counselors will receive training to make them more effective. Components of the program are designed to meet the special needs of working young men and women who wish to complete their middle school education.

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PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FOUNDATION SPEAKS AT IDB

Rick Little, president of the International Youth Foundation, was the guest speaker at the December 9 IDB Forum of the Americas. Little stressed how youth development is directly linked to economic growth and environmental sustainability. He said that "young people must have access to five fundamental resources that are necessary to maximize their potential and give back to society in a meaningful way: an on-going relationship with a caring adult; safe places to learn and grow; a healthy start and a healthy future; a marketable skill through effective education; and an opportunity to give back to their communities through their own service.

He also highlighted the results and lessons learned from the Philadelphia Presidents' Summit for America's Future, and described how this event might be relevant to the Latin American and Caribbean region. The IDB Forum of the Americas program features presentations on the Bank's programs and projects, and serves as a venue for invited guests to address priority issues that concern Latin America and the Caribbean.

For further information contact the International Youth Foundation, 34 Market Place, Suite 800, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 U.S.A., tel. (410) 347-1500, fax (410) 347-1188, E-mail: youth@iyf.incyf.org.

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THE IDB IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CELEBRATES YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

On December 11, the IDB Country Office in Trinidad and Tobago, together with the Youth Advisory Group of Trinidad and Tobago, organized "Visions," a celebration of the art and accomplishments of young people. Participants presented musical and visual artworks of their own creation during an evening that included reflections on the contributions of young minds to society and the role of art in exposing youth to the world's cultures.

The program also featured presentations of award-winning television programming produced by local youth. For more information on this event and other youth and development initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago contact the IDB in Trinidad at tel. (809) 622-8367 or fax (809) 622-6047.

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GLOBAL MEETING OF GENERATIONS

The Inter-American Development Bank has joined the International Association of Students in Economics and Management, Youth for Development and Cooperation, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Development Conference, Ashoka and others in sponsoring the "Global Meeting of Generations: Vision and Action for Equitable Development in the 21st Century." This forum, which will take place January 13-15, 1999, in Washington, D.C., will bring together past, present and future leaders to discuss key issues and opportunities facing humanity in the 21st century.

One hundred young social entrepreneurs from around the world will be selected to participate along with global, national and grassroots development organizations. Registration information will be circulated to interested persons and will be available on the conference website (www.idc.org/gmg). For more information contact: The Global Meeting of Generations c/o International Development Conference, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 720, Washington, D.C. 20009-5728, USA. Fax (202) 884-8499.

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EXPERIENCE A SUMMER OF SERVICE IN LATIN AMERICA

Amigos de las Américas is an international, voluntary, not-for-profit organization that provides leadership development opportunities for young people through service, promotes community health, and facilitates cross-cultural understanding. More than 18,000 volunteers from across the United States have developed leadership skills by providing a variety of public health-related services in collaboration with rural and semiurban communities in Latin American countries. Each summer hundreds of U.S. high school and college age students travel to Latin America for four to eight weeks of service. During this time volunteers live with families in rural, semiurban or urban Latin American communities and work in teams of two or three at local schools and health clinics.

Amigos currently works in Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico and Paraguay. For more information contact Amigos de las Américas at 5618 Star Lane, Houston, TX 77057, tel. (800) 231-7796, e-mail info@amigoslink.org.

The Global Meeting of Generations