AWARDS / OPPORTUNITIES: World Summit Youth Award 2005 (GLOBAL) - CALL FOR PROJECTS

SOURCE: http://www.youthaward.org/wsya/   What is the World Summit Youth Award?

Youth under the age of 30 are a majority of the world?s population. No longer just a PR-extra, young people are playing an increasingly vital role in a global information society. Quite simply, youth is where IT is at. The World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) aims to empower youth by creating digital opportunity. It is an international competition for youth-led projects that encourage the active participation of young people in the emerging Information Society. It is the first global ?youth for youth? initiative for selecting and promoting best practice in e-content and technological creativity. WSYA is not only a showcase to the world for young designers, technologists and e-content creators, it also contributes on a global scale to reducing poverty, protecting the environment, sharing knowledge and empowering marginalized youth groups. The three WSYA categories are Development, Creativity & Culture and Community Engagement. This awards competition is held within the framework of the UN World Summit on the Information Society. So do you have a cool emerging project on the web? Are you a young designer, web developer, music producer or artist looking for international exposure? Are you passionate about using technology for social change? Enter now and showcase your project to the world!

 

Call for Projects at New World Summit Youth Award Website

July 21, 2005 -

The World Summit Award and the Youth Caucus of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) are organizing the World Summit Youth Award to celebrate best-practice youth projects in e-content and creativity. YouthAward.org just got a whole new look. In the lead-up to the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis (November 14-18, 2005), the new World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) website will be more accessible, dynamic and current. With new sections like About Us, News and Jury, you will be able to navigate up-to-date information on the World Summit Youth Award, celebrating the best in youth-for-youth e-content and creativity. Stay tuned to www.youthaward.org as new information and content will be constantly updated. An online application form is now available at www.youthaward.org/apply for all online platforms that are led by youth under the age of 27 (note that the online platform need not be youth-led so long as the specific project is). The application deadline is midnight, GMT on September 18, 2005. Projects may be submitted in three categories: ? Development: Rewards the best online platform for youth centred around issues of poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, social justice, healthcare or peace ? Creativity and Culture: Celebrates the most innovative online platform highlighting young people?s potential for producing creative content, promoting multilingualism, creating new contemporary forms of culture and preserving indigenous knowledge and/or traditional culture ? Community Engagement: Showcases the most influential and engaging online platform facilitating young people?s participation in global, national or local decision-making processes and sharing news/ideas to empower youth and build community ?If we take a look around us, at the revolution in ICTs, it is young people who are at the forefront as learners, entrepreneurs, developers and agents for social change,? said Adama Samassekou, President of WSIS Preparatory Committee for the Geneva Phase. ?The WSYA is a long overdue showcase of e-content and creativity by youth, for youth. I am proud to be part of the WSYA Senior Advisory Board in support of this unique and worthy undertaking.? An international jury of experts will evaluate the projects, determining an overall winner and two finalists for each category. Winners will be given the opportunity to showcase their platform to heads of state, business leaders and civil society at the World Summit Youth Award Gala on November 16, 2005, and the ?Future is Now? workshop on November 17, 2005. Finalists will attend the WSIS as official WSYA delegates. The World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) is an international competition for youth-led projects that bridge the content gap in the emerging Information Society. It is the first global ?youth for youth? initiative; promoting best practice in e-content and technological creativity and demonstrating young people?s potential to create digital opportunities. WSYA is not only a showcase to the world for young designers, technologists and e-content creators, it also contributes on a global scale to reducing poverty, protecting the environment, sharing knowledge and empowering marginalized young people. WSYA is organized within the framework of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society in partnership with the WSIS Youth Caucus. WSYA is sponsored by the Internet Society, Siemens AG and Logitech. WSYA is operating under the patronage of Vivienne Reding, European Commissioner for the Information Society and Media. The WSYA Coordination Team is headquartered at the International Center for New Media (ICNM), an independent non-profit organisation based in Salzburg, Austria. Get involved today at www.youthaward.org and showcase your project to the world! For media inquiries or further information, please contact Thomas Biebl, WSYA Project Manager, at biebl@icnm.net About the WORLD SUMMIT AWARD: The World Summit Award (WSA) is a global initiative to select and promote the world?s best in e-Content and creativity. It involves representatives from numerous countries on each continent and sees the bridging of the digital divide and narrowing of the content gap as its overall goal. In highlighting outstanding Internet content and applications around the world, the World Summit Award is helping businesses, policy makers and civil society organizations everywhere to harness the potential of ICT for empowering people and promoting development (www.wsis-award.org) About the YOUTH CAUCUS: The WSIS Youth Caucus, formed on the occasion of the 1st WSIS Preparatory Committee Meeting in July 2002, is acting as an umbrella group for all young people and youth organizations interested and/or involved in the WSIS process and ICT policy formulation. One of the most active civil society groups, the Youth Caucus aims to mainstream youth perspectives into civil society, the private sector and government inputs throughout the WSIS process. (www.wsisyouth.org) About WSIS: The UN World Summit on the Information Society provides a unique opportunity for all key stakeholders to develop a common vision and understanding and to address the whole range of relevant issues related to the Information Society. It aims to bring together Heads of State, Executive Heads of the United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society entities, industry leaders and media representatives to foster a clear statement of political will and concrete plan of action to shape the future of the global information society. Phase I of WSIS was held in Geneva on 10-12 December 2003 and Phase II will be held in Tunisia from 16-18 November 2005. (www.wsis.org)

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Chris Schuepp
Young People's Media Network - Coordinator
c/o ECMC (European Centre for Media Competence)
Bergstr. 8 / 10th floor
D-45770 Marl - Germany

 

Tel.: +49 2365 502480
Mobile: +49 176 23107083
Fax: +49 12126 23107083
Email: cschuepp@unicef.org
URL: www.unicef.org/magic
Mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/youthful-media

 

The YPMN is supported by UNICEF and hosted by the ECMC.

 

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