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Youngstars Development Initiative
Building young people and strengthening youth organisations involved
in development work in Africa

Chief Botmang House, A.M. Dung Str. Sparkling Junction, Dadin Kowa,
P.O. Box, 515, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
www.youngstarsfoundation.org or info@youngstarsfoundation.org
***********************************************************************
Workshop on Nonviolent ConflictAbuja, Nigeria 13th ? 19th July, 2008
Deadline for Applications 27th June 2008

Call for Application
Youngstars Development Initiative (YDI) is pleased to announce its
National Training
Program on Nonviolent Conflict from 13th ? 19th July, 2008 in Abuja, Nigeria.
This training will be organized in partnership with the International Center
on Nonviolent Conflict (Washington DC,USA) and the Center for Applied
Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS).

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
Youngstars is one of Africa?s unique, life-changing youth organization
operating from Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria. From a weekly youth club
in a local barber shop in 1995, YDI is growing to emerge as one of the
lead youth non-profit that is building young people and strengthening
youth organizations involved in development programmes in Africa.
Funded by NED USA, British Council Nigeria, The Office of the
Presidency on MDGs and individual donations, it is registered by CAC
Nigeria (CAC/IT/NO 21517) and in Ghana G.21, 431 as Youngstars
Development Initiative. For more information kindly visit our website
www.youngstarsfoundation.org
Thematic areas of focus include
? Youth Leadership development.
? Democratization and Human rights.
? Culture and Media.
? Youth Entrepreneurship.


DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Training Program.
Participants in this proposed workshop will gain both practical
skills,theoretical and historical knowledge about the use of strategic
nonviolent action to advance human rights, justice and accountable
governance.

The program aims to empower young democracy activists in Nigeria,
especially the Niger Delta youth activists with practical skills and
knowledge in order to make them more effective in promoting rights
through engaging in nonviolent civic action in the region and to
prepare them for future leadership roles.

The objectives of the program are as follows:
¾ To provide young Nigeria democracy activists with historical case
studies of successful nonviolent action,
¾ To learn and watch the diverse experiences collected and assumed by
the International Center on Non Violent Conflict and the Center for
Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies,
¾ To educate participants about nonviolent theory and its applications and
¾ To provide knowledge about strategy, principles and organizational
considerations of nonviolent struggle.

The workshop will provide opportunities to connect with other young
activists, share their field experiences, openly discuss and
analyze cases studies of nonviolent action around the world, including other
parts of Africa.

Eligibility:
The training program intends to bring up 30 participants (between 20-35
years of age) from all the 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria,
particularly from Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Applicants must have
an affiliation with a civil society organization working
on Nonviolent Conflict, Conflict resolution, peace building, democracy, Human
Rights and Conflict resolution -related issues in Nigeria. At least 2
years of work experience would be of great advantage.

Sponsorship
YDI will cover travel cost by road only (round trip), accommodation
and feeding
for the all the training period for successful applicants. For those
who might be able to cover their own expenses, YDI will provide
essential documents to facilitate
their participation if selected.

Rationale for the Program.
Many countries in Africa, such as Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, D R
Congo, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Cote d?Ivoire have been suffering from
different forms of violent conflicts, mostly intra-state conflicts
(i.e., inter-ethnic conflicts, resource based conflicts), for several
decades. Many conflicts have been prolonged by the absence of
democratic political leadership and structures that would accommodate
political voices, protect civil rights, and respect the rule of law. Young
people have suffered the most from violent conflict and have been the most
disempowered. In the case of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the
cause of the escalating violent conflict and youth restiveness is
traceable to oil exploration in the region and the deplorable living
condition being faced by peoples of the region. Despite their
discouraging environments, however, many young people in the Niger
Delta region have engaged in various activities to effect positive
change in their communities.

Empowering young activists with knowledge and skills, and developing
their capacity for future leadership, would contribute significantly
in helping to prevent violent conflict and promote citizen
participation through nonviolent action in Nigeria especially in the
Niger Delta region.

While many organizations and activist groups throughout Africa and
Nigeria have engaged in conflict-resolution projects, and while
youth organizations have certainly not been exceptions, many of
those projects have not fully taken
into account the link between nonviolent struggle and sustainable democracy.
Previous projects have focused mainly on developing personal peer-mediation
and negotiation skills, such as nonviolent means for young people in schools
and universities to solve their own disputes.They mostly aim to train
participants to become experts in those skills.

Participants will be young activists working on such issues as human rights,
the rule of law, and civic education. They will study the causes of conflict
but, just as importantly, will also examine how their own community
activities -- defending human rights, fighting for social justice and
calling for the rule of law -- puts pressure on governments to
respond to citizen's demands for basic justice, rights and freedom.

Participants will also have important opportunities to exchange their ideas
and experiences in the course of the workshop, as well as in such informal
settings as lunches, dinners, and film screenings. Participants will develop
contacts to continue their discussions and hopefully to develop collaborative
efforts for advancing their issues in the region.

Becoming active members in the Nigeria Youth Forum project will be an
additional benefit of participation. Participants will be included in
the network's e-mail discussion lists and will be invited to
participate in future activities.

Venue: Sharon Ultimate Hotels, Plot 1710 Tafawa Balewa Way, Area 3,
Garki Abuja.
Date: 13th to 19th July 2008

Agenda.
The training program will run for five days, and sessions will be conducted
and facilitated by veteran activists of past civilian nonviolent struggles.
Workshop coordinators will be the staff of the International Center on
Nonviolent Conflict and the Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and
Strategies (CANVAS).

- 1ST day : History of Nonviolent Action
- 2nd day: Setting Your Vision of Tomorrow
- 3rd day: Models and Sources of Power; Methods of Action
- 4th day: Planning, Communications and Creating Audience Impact
- 5th day: Managing a Nonviolent Movement

The program will include film screenings of successful nonviolent
struggles in the 20th century. The workshop will conclude with a
session in which participants will discuss
possible follow-up activities using the skills they have learned in
the course
of the program. Such follow-up activities could include collaborative
projects among participants, but also the subsequent training programs at
the local level that they themselves will be encouraged to conduct upon their
return home.


Expected Outcomes.
? Participants shall constitute a Nigeria Trainers of
Trainers on Nonviolent Conflict and a substantial database for all YDI
follow up activities surrounding this issue,

? Participants will develop draft follow-up activities, such as small
workshops/training programs, in their respective communities. The
follow-up activities will strengthen civil society networks by
introducing them to the field of nonviolent conflict.

? Strengthening a network of Nigerian / African young leaders
committed to Non
Violent struggle. The network will serve as a peer-review and teaching
mechanism by evaluating each other?s activities and sharing
information and experiences.

? A Nigeria regional Network for Nonviolent Action will be created to
highlight Nigeria participant?s work as well as act as a resource and
knowledge base for practitioners and trainers in Africa and
elsewhere. This knowledge base will include access to training
materials, grant information, scholarship information, scholarly
publication material, and project ideas on reconstruction, dialogue,
democracy, good governance, and reconciliation models.

Partners and Sponsors
This program is hosted in Nigeria by Youngstars Development Initiative
in partnership with the Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and
Strategies (CANVAS), in coordination with the International Center on
Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC).

For questions, please contact:
Chief Botmang House, A.M. Dung Str. Sparkling Junction, Dadin Kowa,
P.O. Box, 515, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
www.youngstarsfoundation.org or info@youngstarsfoundation.org
Tel Nos 0803 5868586, 0703 5535876

June 11, 2008 | 9:51 AM Comments  0 comments

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