Youth Orientation Programme
NGO Relations, Department of Public Information
NLB Conference Room E
On Friday, April 20th 2012, the youth representatives of the World Lebanese Cultural Union attended the Youth Orientation Programme afternoon session held at the United Nations. This workshop was organized to present services and opportunities available to help make the most of our association status with DPI. Throughout the orientation programme, we were briefed on youth-related programmes at the UN, security and access to the UN premises, and the cooperation between DPI and its NGOs.
First to speak was Inspector of Operations Matthew Sullivan. Sullivan reviewed safety issues, restrictions, and regulations to abide by if there were any emergencies in the building. His safety inspector Tony Barzelatto then explained to us how many officers are on duty, where we can locate them in case of an emergency, and routes we should follow if we had to exit the building in a hurry. Next to speak was Ms. Nathalie Leroy, in charge of Education Outreach and Academic Impact for the DPI. Ms. Leroy promotes activities such as Sustainable Peace, which is a program that addresses the underlying causes of conflict and seeks ways for preventing it by fostering a dynamic interplay between theory and practice. Nathalie also supports the International Day of Remembrance of Victims in Slavery, and numerous Human Rights groups throughout the UN. A major part of Nathalie’s job is running a Model UN program. Model UN is an important tool for teaching those in high school about how the UN functions and the global issues on it’s agenda. It helps teens better understand the skills required for building ideas and resolving conflicts. She also spoke to us about ASPIRE, a university student-driven organization of global thinkers, catalysts and social workers uniting to support the United Nations Academic Impact by actively supporting ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, literacy, sustainability and conflict resolution. After Nathalie’s presentation, Einat Temkin from the Advocacy and Special Events section of the DPI informed us of special events occurring in affiliation with the UN, such as workshops, concerts, and social media events. Ms. Temkin also spoke to us about several contests and grants we can apply for through allied organizations, and how that can benefit not only ourselves but our organization and network as well.
Towards the end of the programme we were taken to a different room, where all members of the programme sat in a large circle in an effort to have a more personal interaction with one another. We were given a task: to write down on a piece of paper the goals we want to accomplish as a youth representative in our organization. Afterwards, we placed our goals on the wall and circulated the room reading everyone’s ideas, thoughts, and aspirations. This task acted as a catalyst for discussion on goals of each NGO and the involvement each person has and will have in current and future endeavors. Upon reading the numerous objectives and intentions of each NGO, it came to the realization that everyone was there for the same reason: to act as a voice for the youth in a world that is evolving everyday and needs the eyes and ears of those who will become the next generation’s modifiers of change. Overall, the Youth Orientation Programme has helped us better understand our association status with DPI, as well as our position in our NGO.
Best regards,
Micheline Helou
Anthony El Houayek
Youth Representatives of WLCU
