What a cool day...in all seriousness...today was about as neat as they come. We are in the process of making a video, a CD, and some other new multi-media stuff. It is all very cool and hopefully it will be posted on this site soon.

My workshop this morning was very informative. It was on the political systems of various countries. It was uncanny how similar some of our main issues regarding our political parties are. It seemed that the youth of Great Britain, the Balkans, Scotland and America have very similar views and interests. I only wish that we had more time to discuss these.

Yesterday's workshop dealt with "unattached" youth and how youth services can address this issue. It became very apparent the world has unattached youth that are not receiving the attention they deserve. They are forgotten about and therefore their life has been abandoned by those who supposedly care. We decided that youth services around the world need to attack this problem from a more united front. Often times there are services but they are not publicized well enough or they are just unheard of and therefore become useless to those who need them the most. Additionally there are not enough youth services that address the need of unattached youth in general. There are often stipulations that are placed on a youth's acceptance to youth services and then they are just turned away instead of guided elsewhere.

Tonight promises to be filled with more excitement as the filming of our short film continues and I will be attending a workshop about children's rights that will be hosted by one of my new-found-friends, Jelena, from England.

Look forward to hearing from all of you.

By MacVey (pfbs01a07.client.global.net.uk - 195.147.225.252) on Tuesday, June 19, 2001 - 02:08 pm:

I am writing this at the end of yet another "brilliant" (an Irish expression) day. I would like to thank my Calen and Tim for acknowledging my existence on the message board here. "Cheers!" I decided to wake up early this morning to do some T'ai Chi exercises. Although this decision to wake up early may point to some mental imbalance, don't worry, I am no stranger than usual. I enjoyed it although I am looking forward to yoga tomorrow even more. My workshop today focused on racial tensions in the UK. I have had experience leading discussion groups on the situation in America so it was very interesting to see how things were over here. I think we all learned a lot from each other and had a real charged discussion. I was surprised to find that even people from Asia are called black in Great Britain. After this we broke for tea, a tradition that I am enjoying more and more everyday. Everyone here puts milk in their tea but I am not quite ready for that kind of cultural exchange. To finish up the morning we met in our grant making groups. My group discussed what questions we would be asking when we meet the grant applicants. Since we do not interview grant applicants at my youth council in Ann Arbor I am very eager to see if it is a worthwhile process. They have quite a scheme worked out for the interview. Each interview is planned out in detail from what introductory chit-chat we could use to make the applicants feel comfortable to having someone walk the premises to get a general feel for everything. Very interesting. Seeing it all in action tomorrow will be even better. If I have not mentioned it before we are making grants to groups in L'Derry, the second largest town in Northern Ireland. This afternoon Scott and I made our major label recording debut. We will keep you updated on all the wonderful reviews we are sure to receive. I am happy to have just finished a wonderful dessert with strawberries, meringue, and whipped cream. Mmmm. I think I had better quit now before I start drooling on the keyboard.

Booya,
Matt MacVey

By Donnell Mersereau (pfbs01a07.client.global.net.uk - 195.147.225.252) on Tuesday, June 19, 2001 - 02:22 pm:

Craic @ Corrymeela

The Youthstock Daily
Tuesday, 19th June 2001

Awakening the Chi
The "Awakening Sessions" today featured a lesson on T'ai Chi. Those who were brave enough to peel themselves out of bed had the opportunity to experience the benefits of awaking their inner chi energies.

The hour long session started with easy exercises to loosen the muscles, progressed into breathing routines, and ended with a series of body movements which encompassed the ancient form of martial art known as T'ai Chi.

The beautiful ocean and rocky cliffs proved to be an inspiring view for the room of youth. Though no one was sweating when they left the room for breakfast, everyone felt that they had certainly been awakened and were ready for the busy day ahead.

US Youth Grantmakers spend tobacco giant's money

Our American friends from Michigan held an "Echoes Session" on the success of their Youth Advisory Committees (YACs) in delivering grants to the young people of their communities. The 86 YACs in Michigan are spread across the entire state (9 hours journey from one end to the other) and are made up of a diverse group of young people age 14 to 18 years old. In the 10+ years that the Michigan Community Foundation Youth Project (MCFYP) has been operating, it has gained a reputation for their work in needs assessments of local communities, grantmaking to youth serving organizations, promotion of community service and fund development.

When the US tobacco giants were forced to distribute millions of dollars to individual US states as a result of a lawsuit, Michigan community foundations were awarded a small percentage of the interest on the funds allocated to Michigan. Two representatives from each of the 86 YACs now sit on distribution committees making decisions on grants benefiting healthy youth and healthy seniors. Local initiatives include tobacco cessation projects in schools, prescription drug programs for seniors, and other projects supporting healthy youth and senior citizens.

The Tobacco Settlement funding is just one example of how the YACs in Michigan have influenced the well being of young people. After lobbying state government, they have actually succeeded in getting a law passed allowing young people (16 years and older) to serve on the executive boards of non-government organisations.

Contrary to expectation, this "Echoes Session" did not focus on the evils of smoking as it did on the ways in which young people can use youth grantmaking to influence policy and come up with solutions that work. A dynamic give and take around youth driven needs assessments dominated the Q &A time. Members of UK YouthBanks were inspired by the level of funds and respect given to the YACs and believed that there were real lessons to be learned.

Interactive session raises awareness of refugee issues

Monday evening, Mike Maloney led an "Echoes Session" on refugee issues. Participants played a game Maloney developed for secondary school students called "Fortress Europe." In this role playing game, participants became refugees, human rights workers and immigration officers. Set up with a floor-sized board game, human rights workers helped refugees struggle against immigration officers to gain asylum in a European Union country.

"Fortress Europe" shows the harrowing tribulations that refugees must suffer every day at the borders of European Union nations. Despite its grave subject matter, the game proved to be exciting and fun. After the game, participants discussed the problems facing refugees, possible solutions to the problems and who should be responsible to bring about the solutions. All in all, the session was enlightening and fun.

By Elsa Mersereau (pf4s11a06.client.global.net.uk - 195.147.219.245) on Tuesday, June 19, 2001 - 03:42 pm:

I've had such a wonderful day full of great discussions. My morning workshop was entitled Identities in a Divided Society. But we talked a lot about prejudice, ignorance, acceptance, and awareness. It was awesome to hear the views of people from around the world. We all had similar ideas with different experience to offer.

Yet again I had another wonderful grant making session. I loved that we could all take from our prior grant making experiences to add to our discussions on each grant application we are reviewing. My knowledge from Adventure Tours really helped.

I did have some contact with the media today which was very exciting. Three others and myself had an interview with a woman from the BBC. She is creating a program about youth services for the UK.

Our friend from Croatia had a wonderful workshop on human rights. She focused on children and slavery. It was so eye opening, and yet again we are so fortunate to live in a stable society.

Last night was a blast. We had a disco, and the Americans were the life of the party. It was a little embarrassing to think that we actually taught a bunch of Brits and Croatians the Hustle. Tonight is traditional Irish music- I can't wait.

Ok- food update. The bread is brilliant, I love the biscuits, and the only thing that you can count on for starting on time is meals (thank goodness!) It is raining now, but I hope that tomorrow will be nice for our site visit.

Booya- Elsa

By Danielle Williams (pf4s11a06.client.global.net.uk - 195.147.219.245) on Tuesday, June 19, 2001 - 03:45 pm:

Hi Everyone! I can't believe this is only Tuesday. We have done so much cool stuff. I hate to say it, but today was definitely not a Thai Chi morning. It was more of a "sleep until I absolutely HAD to get up" kind of morning. Last night we had a little disco and I mean DISCO. We taught them all the really cool American dances like the Hustle and the Alligator dance. Afterwards we listen to great mix of Croatian and Bosnian music. It was different but I liked it quite a bit. Needless to say I was just a wee bit tired. This morning after breakfast, I went to a session on political systems. I really don't know much about politics, but I just "went with it" (that's our slogan here for the week...or life or however long it sticks). We are so lucky to have adults respond to the political involvement of youth the way that they do in America. After tea (We gotta start doin' this "tea thing") we went to our grantmaking groups. I finally got a chance to review grant applications with people from other countries. We were all on the same track as far as questions and concerns about our certain grants. One grant applicant didn't have a budget or an amount of money that they needed/wanted. We (my group) were highly concerned. But we will be doing a site visit tomorrow. So once again we'll just "go with it". After lunch, we did dishes. I can't really say it was fun but hey, I won't complain. Today in Drama, I was President of the USA. It was pretty cool. We are putting on a super hero action play on Thursday, along with lots of other skits that we are doing in drama. It is quite a craic. After dinner we went to an Echo session on child abuse and child slavery. It was led by one of our awesome Croatian friends, Jelena. It was such an eye opener. I am amazed at the information that I've gained. Well, I'll fill you guys in on more tomorrow.

Booya!!!

By Gabi Lopez-Betanzos (pdfs11a07.client.global.net.uk - 195.147.235.224) on Wednesday, June 20, 2001 - 07:31 am:

Hi!

This afternoon I got to play with fun DV (digital video) equipment again. Yesterday we had a hum drum off-the-shelf camera and tripod because all the good equipment was being used for a shoot. Today we got to play with the professional camera, tripod, monitor, gun mike, sound boom, and other expensive stuff. After practicing a bit, we interviewed some people, asking them their opinions of YouthStock. Our intention is to make a brief, light-hearted documentary of the conference.

After dinner, I attended a session on educating children about their human rights. Led by a human rights worker who's originally from Croatia (Jelena), the session proved interesting and eye-opening. For example, did you know that there are more slaves in the world today than there ever have been before? Tragically, most of the growth in the number of slaves has been due to growth in the number of children who are slaves. We discussed the various issues of children's human rights at length. According to Jelena, because the problems are so large and complex, we can only help by spreading awareness of the problem. So, that's why I'm telling all of you about it!

This evening, there will be a performance of traditional Irish music. I'm really looking forward to it and I will be sure to report back on this one!

Until later,
Gabi

By Jenny Zeisler (pdfs11a07.client.global.net.uk - 195.147.235.224) on Wednesday, June 20, 2001 - 07:38 am:

Here it is, day three and I'm still kicking! Before I tell you about today, I have to add a plug about last night.

Monday 10:00 pm. We had a "disco" last night in the Marquee, or Club Marquee as they called it. (By the way, Marquee means "tent" so basically, it was Club Tent.) Anyway, we (our group from the United States) wanted to wait until after tea to go to the disco. (Who would have thought food was our first priority?) Tea is served twice a day, 11:30 am and 10:00 pm, and includes coffee, tea, cocoa and in the morning, biscuits (or cookies as we refer to them in the US) and in the evening biscuits and chips (or french-fries as we refer to them in the US). Anyway, after tea we made our way into the disco. I recall hearing "Yes! The Americans are here!" Well, not to toot our own horn, but we do know how to have fun. Soon enough everyone was dancing with us...and we even taught them the Hustle.

After the dance it was midnight. Certainly we were not ready for bed, but had to be in our own buildings because they are locked at 12:00pm. So, the Croatians, Bosnians, English, Northern Irish and we Americans all got together to share music and dance. We all had a great time, and even got to bed at a respectable time!

Now, here is Tuesday.

Breakfast 9:00 am. Well, I didn't make it to breakfast until 9:35 am, and thus I missed it. I saw the remains of the Cornflakes that were served for breakfast, but the lady behind the counter pointed me to the fruit and bread to make toast. Oh well, I'm obviously not starving!

Heart of the Matter 10:00 am. My session today was on "Domestic Violence" and was co-facilitated by Joanne (a member of the Northern Ireland NIVT group) and Merriam, a woman who works for a women's center. We talked about the social, health and family issues that are involved in domestic violence.

One thing that was interesting to me in this session, was the differences and similarities among all the countries. We all agreed that domestic violence is a problem, and that many victims feel isolated, scared and confused. However, the girls from Scotland said that they never hear of domestic violence in their towns, and most of the group didn't really know where to go for help if they were in that situation. We identified a few different types of organizations that internationally could help those who are faced with domestic violence. We also discussed ways to help, and educate young children who might not understand what is happening.

The Factory 11:30 am. Just to remind you, The Factory session is the grantmaking session. First of all, we added Craig Monett (the second advisor who traveled with us from the US and who serves as a YAC Advisor to the Muskegon YAC) to serve as an advisor to our group. Second of all, we decided that our name "Group 6" just didn't cut it, we wanted something as special as us, so we changed it to "One Voice" as a symbol of our differences and similarities. (Unfortunately, Craig's idea of naming the group "The Marry-Derry Grantmakers" was denied.) 

Today we discussed ways to read a grant application, questions to ask in an interview, and what things we consider as important while making our decisions. We concluded the four most import questions are: What is the grant for?, Is the budget realistic?, Who will the money benefit?, Is the program youth lead and youth created?.

My grantmaking group is made up of seven people (not counting Craig), but only two of us have grantmaking experience. The questions we identified as important are quite similar to those we identify in Michigan, with one exception. Here, the programs they fund must be for youth, but also must be youth lead and youth created. We split into three groups; because tomorrow we travel to Derry (or London Derry) to do interviews with our three grant applications.

Lunch 1:00 pm. Lunch was great; of course we are always ready to eat. Today was a special day, because today was our turn to clear the tables and do the dishes. I'd say we did a pretty good job...although it did take us a half-hour. Oh well, that dinning room was shinning when we were done! 

By Jenny Zeisler (pdfs11a07.client.global.net.uk - 195.147.235.224) on Wednesday, June 20, 2001 - 07:39 am: