On July 30, hundreds of people between the ages of 16-28 will be descending upon Edmonton for the Global Youth Assembly (GYA) to enjoy youth-led workshops and world-class speakers. Addressing topics that range from hip hop as a tool for social change to the environment and how to write your own grant proposals, the GYA aims “to build bridges between different cultures, countries, issues, organizations, and generations to create a sustainable youth campaign aimed at advancing peace and human rights.” Speaker highlights include Sol Guy, Lloyd Axworthy, Governor General Michaëlle Jean, and Free the Children founder Craig Kielburger. The GYA is run every two years in a different Canadian city with a different theme by the John Humphrey Centre.
The Rights & Democracy Network is a partner of the GYA and will be sending delegation members from the University of Winnipeg, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa, University of McGill, Université Laval, and Mount Allison University as conference participants and workshop leaders. Alexander Yiu from McGill will be presenting on global migration, while Madeleine Northcote and Kelly O’Connor will talk about the Panties for Peace campaign to support the women of Burma (www.pantiesforpeace.ca). Network Liaison Officer Elana Wright and Asia Regional Officer Mika Lévesque (who founded the Panties for Peace campaign in Canada) will be in attendance as well. The Network is also working to bring three young women lawyers from the Congo as representatives of one of Rights and Democracy’s partners to participate in the conference.
By Kelly O’Connor.
