Summit of Global Youth Movements: Leaders Of Youth Movements From 10 Countries Around The World Gather to Create a How-To Manual Against Violence And Oppression
2008-10-28 18:13:47 -
First-Ever Global Youth Summit to take place in New York City December 3-5, bringing together 15 youth-movement leaders who have used digital media to create social change against violence and oppression New York, NY-October 28, 2008-For the first time this December, leaders of pioneering youth movements from more than 10 countries will launch a global network of social movements against violent and oppression. From around the world, each will travel to New York City with the mission of crafting a manual on how to effect social change using online tools. This best-practices guide will be located on Howcast.com, where anyone organizing a movement for change will be able to access it.
Brought together by Howcast, along with other private-sector industry leaders, these online-community organizers will meet to share their own experiences, discuss outreach and develop a media and public relations strategy. Featuring video and text content from each group's own experience, Howcast.com will create a central hub where movement participants can post videos and how-to guides demonstrating their successful techniques.
Over the past year, anti-violence youth organizations first initiated online and then transformed into on-the-ground movements have had growing success. In February 2008, the Facebook group One Million Voices Against the FARC led to a 12 million-person worldwide protest against the Colombian terrorist group. Organized by an unemployed engineer from his bedroom computer, the largest protest in Colombia's history was also the largest protest against a terrorist organization in world history. Other social movements started online are independently making progress, using the power of social networks to catalyze change. These groups represent a small number of civil-society movements that have been successful in this effort, but there are thousands of groups that have yet to harness the social power of the web.
"I am excited to be a part of this summit and the opportunity to finally meet face to face with others who have also used the web to create real change," said Oscar Morales, leader of One Million Voices Against the FARC. "This summit will allow us to collaborate and create a guide to help show other youth movements how to use digital resources to build a successful fight against violence and oppression."
About the Global Youth Movement
The first annual Global Youth Movement Summit will take place in New York on December 3-5, 2008 bringing together representatives of the most successful online campaigns that have translated into on-the-ground movements against violence and oppression. During this summit, leaders from these organizations will collaborate on a multimedia field manual of best practices, hosted on Howcast.com, to help teach other organizers across the world how to successfully bridge the digital-to-reality divide.
Contact:
Tessa Barrera
646-558-0671
tessa@howcast.com
