ReGeneration 2008-4th World Youth Congress Celebration; Building Skills; Taking Action!

Market Wire, June, 2008

This summer, 600 participants aged 18 to 30 will gather in Quebec City from August 10th to August 21st for the 4th in the Series of World Youth Congresses exploring the theme of Youth-led Development. Honorary patron of the congress, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will play an important role and will be in Quebec City to attend the biggest international youth event during the 400th celebrations. The Congress, unveiled today, has three main themes: Celebration, Skills-Building & Action.

The Congress opens on August 12th with a celebration of the United Nation's International Youth Day. The Uniterra programme, jointly operated by CECI and WUSC, will present the World Youth Walk, where the Congress delegates will be joined by the 1,000 participants of the Institut du Nouveau Monde and young people from the Quebec City region. The Walk will start at Laval University and go all the way to the Agora of the city's Old-Port.

The second part of the Congress, from August 13th to 17th, puts an emphasis on Skills-Building. More than 200 training activities (workshops, conferences and roundtables) are planned to expand the delegates' knowledge about youth-led development, and to ensure that they have the right tools to pursue their own development goals. 11 UN agencies, several government, intergovernmental and NGO agencies, and delegates from leading youth organizations will facilitate these sessions. The program will focus on specific themes stemming from the Millennium Development Goals. Along with the results of projects submitted by delegates presented in the Congress Exhibition (August 11th to 16th) - the outcomes of these sessions will be captured in an official publication, A Celebration of Youth-led Development. At the same time, a World Youth Virtual Congress developed by TakingITGlobal will enable young activists unable to attend to benefit from the Skills-Building program and other Congress events.

The last section of the Congress (August 18th to 20th) will see the young delegates taking part in local action projects. The youth participants will team up in their clans and join forces with communities and organizations within a 200km radius of Quebec City to undertake large-scale action projects with community members. In this way, some 40 communities around Quebec City will benefit from projects facilitated by the Congress, designed to improve their quality of life. These projects will be carried out in partnership with local agencies and municipalities.

This year's Congress is the result of three years of preparation by the three lead organizing partners: Peace Child International, TakingITGlobal and the Forum Jeunesse de la region de la Capitale-Nationale. Their expertise and experience has allowed this event to take shape and come alive.

"In 2005 we were fortunate to connect with the Forum Jeunesse de la region de la Capitale-Nationale, who were looking to host an important, large-scale international event," recalls David Woollcombe, President of Peace Child International, whose aim includes a campaign to Give Youth a Chance to Make Poverty History. "To hold the fourth in a series of World Youth Congresses in the prettiest city in North America was a match made in heaven!"

"The objectives of the World Youth Congress mesh perfectly with TakingITGlobal's mission to inspire, inform and involve young people to take positive action in their communities," adds Jennifer Corriero. "We are truly honoured to be a part of such an important celebration of youth-led development!"

Many leaders in the government, non-profit and corporate sectors have pledged their support to ReGeneration 2008. These partners include the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Secretariat a la jeunesse of Quebec, the Forum Jeunesse de la region de la Capitale-Nationale, the Societe du 400e anniversaire de Quebec, Star Alliance, the Conference regionale des elus de la Capitale-Nationale and Laval University.

"The 4th World Youth Congress is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the youth delegates. With all the hype surrounding Quebec City's 400th anniversary, ReGeneration 2008 will be an amazing event for them," promises Pierre Lemay, president of the Congress. "This is an extraordinary chance for 600 youth from around the world to contribute to a very special occasion."

Contacts: For more information or interview requests: Yannick Fortier Communications Coordinator (418) 529-2562, ext. 253 Email: media@wyc2008.qc.ca