BELO HORIZONTE, Brasil - The Inter-American Development Bank will hold a youth seminar, “Promoting Youth Development and Participation in Latin America and the Caribbean,” from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm on Thursday, March 30th, at the Expominas Convention Center. The Bank will also hold a volunteer event on Friday, March 31st, in the low-income community of Vila do Senhor dos Passos in Belo Horizonte.
The seminar and volunteer event are organized by IDB YOUTH in coordination with the National Youth Secretariat, the Government of Minas Gerais and the Office of the Mayor of Belo Horizonte. IDB YOUTH is an initiative launched by the Bank in 1995 to respond more effectively to the needs of young people in the region and promote their participation and leadership in the development process.
This year’s seminar will include three panels: one presenting the issues affecting youth from a Brazilian policy perspective; another showcasing examples of youth leadership in employment generation, social entrepreneurship, and volunteerism; and a third panel highlighting successful youth international development programs.
The closing session will include the participation of IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno, Minas Gerais Governor Aécio Neves da Cunha, Belo Horizonte Mayor Fernando Pimentel, and Beto Cury, the National Secretary of Youth, as well as a cultural presentation by the youth group Valores de Minas.
Volunteer Event
This year’s Volunteer Event in the community of Vila do Senhor dos Passos in Belo Horizonte was organized also in coordination with the Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development and Brazil’s civil society.
This event will give youth leaders from this local community, other regions of Brazil and other Latin American countries an opportunity to have hands-on experience on volunteerism, exchange ideas and showcase the pivotal role that youth volunteers play in the development of their communities.
IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno and representatives from the Brazilian government will participate in this event. Activities will include beautification and reforestation projects, a soccer clinic to promote employability skills, and workshops on recycling, video production and HIV/AIDS prevention.