Stories about Youth from May, 2011
Chad: How Communities Are Rebuilding Lives
Paul O'Brien discusses his trip to Chad and how communities are rebuilding their lives: “The biggest challenge facing mothers in Chad is to feed their children and keep them healthy. The country has one of the highest rates of child deaths in the world. In the villages in which Concern...
Spain: “Yes We Camp,” Mobilizing on the Streets and the Internet
Since May 15, people in Spain have taken the streets to demand democracy in advance to the upcoming elections, with thousands camping out in cities across the country. Protesters and supporters are organizing in decentralized and horizontal networks, and employing social media tools to share and spread information, tell their stories, and collaborate on ideas, proposals and initiatives.
Russia: Moscow Schools and Migrants’ Children
Window on Eurasia writes that “an increasing number of Muscovite parents are doing whatever they can to ensure that their children go to those schools which have few or no migrant children.”
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Eurovision Diplomacy?
Global Voices’ Caucasus Editor rounds up opinion to the possibility that winning this year's Eurovision Song Contest could contribute to change in Azerbaijan. The post looks at the situation in terms of LGBT and political rights, in addition to the ongoing conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno...
Azerbaijan: Eurovision-induced sexual revolution?
Turkhan's blog [AZ] posts video and photos of a woman celebrating Azerbaijan's Eurovision victory in a less than expected way considering the otherwise traditional and patriarchal nature of local society. Stripping to her waist in the center of the capital, Baku, the blog wonders about the likelihood of a sexual...
South Korea: Cartoons Commemorating the Gwangju Massacre on May 18
May 18 is the day a mass democratization movement took place in Gwangju city, South Korea. The military regime ruthlessly clamped down the movement and over a hundred innocent civilians were killed. The nation's famous cartoonist, Kang Pull drew cartoons commemorating this tragic history in order to enlighten youth with...
Spain: Thousands of People Take the Streets
Spanish citizens have taken to the streets this week to protest against corruption, unemployment, and a political structure that favors a two-party system. "We're not merchandise in the hands of bankers and politicians," was the motto of tens of thousands who demonstrated all over the country on May 15. Protests and sit-ins will continue.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Women & HIV
Abeni writes a thoughtful post about HIV awareness, saying: “The judgmental stances do very little to help the issues at stake which is HIV transmission/infection. The reality is that women are the ones most affected by this disease and the onus is on them to protect themselves.”
Morocco: Brave Young Woman Stands at the Forefront of Change
The blog Moroccans for Change interviews Selma Maarouf, a leading figure in the Moroccan youth movement for change. Selma explains what motivates her to stand at the forefront of every major pro-democracy protest in her country.
Ecuador: Three Years After the Factory Tragedy
April 19 marked three years since the fire at the Factory discotheque in Quito while a gothic rock concert was in progress. As a result, 19 were killed and 24 wounded. This anniversary, a homage was paid and a move to sensitise the people about this issue was made by the family and friends of the victims.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Man Behind the Allen Prize
Through The Allen Prize for Young Writers, Lisa Allen-Agostini honours the memory of her beloved father.
Azerbaijan: Euro “Vision”
Etiraz comments on this weekend's Eurovision success for Azerbaijan in Düsseldorf, Germany. The blog says that while proud of the victory, the country still lacks basic democratic credentials and hopes that the year ahead will bring positive change although it also warns that surveillance of activists might be even more...
Interview with Cati Restrepo, Global Voices Contributor
Cati Restrepo was the natural leader and most public face of the project financed by Rising Voices: Hiperbarrio, a project which she left one year ago. Cati was also the winner of the Miss Talent prize in the city of Medellín, which led her to front her own project known as “Women and Digital Inclusion”. In addition to being an active Global Voices collaborator she is also currently involved in many other things. I would therefore like to invite you to get to know her a little more.
Azerbaijan: Scary Azeri on Amazon
Scary Azeri shares with her readers the good news that a fictional story penned by the blogger is now available as part of a collection for sale on Amazon with proceeds being donated to War Child Holland, a charity focusing on children affected by armed conflict. She also describes how...
Brazil: Young Man Recycles Wood by Building Instruments
David Rocha, a talented young man from São Paulo outskirts, has been building instruments from any kind of used wood, as the video in this post illustrates. Some of his accomplishments so far are a cavaquinho, a Brazilian rebec and an acoustic guitar made with wood from a cod box, all with...
Hong Kong: Brainwashing Education
The Hong Kong Education Bureau is planning to make patriotic education compulsory for primary and secondary school children. The objective of the Moral and National Education Curriculum is to help the students to "develop a sense of belonging to the motherland", "support national sports teams" and "appreciate Chinese culture". The plan, however, has sparked fears in the society of political brainwashing.
Bhutan: Footwear Care
Tshering Tobgay highlights an young Bhutanese entrepreneur who after spending some jobless years became successful setting up a business to launder and refurbish traditional Bhutanese footwear.
Sri Lanka: The pride Of Being A Sri Lankan father
Dhammika Dharmawardhane enjoys the pride of being a Sri Lankan father and writes in details why.
Bieber Fever Hits Brunei
Justin Bieber had sold out concerts in several Southeast Asian countries but it seems he missed out Brunei. And this prompted Bieber fans in Brunei to use the Internet via Twitter, blogs, and YouTube to convince the singer to visit Brunei.
Trinidad & Tobago: Dangerous Dogs
ban-d-wagonist and Plain Talk blog about urgent need for legislation on the heels of the latest incident in which a mother was mauled to death “by dangerous dogs improperly restrained.”
Video: Budding Young Scientists in India, Singapore and South Africa
The Google Science Fair project semi finalist listings are up. Although it was open to teens between 13 and 18 years from all over the world, it is interesting to note that the United States, Singapore and India take the majority of spots amongst the 60 selected semi finalists, which also includes entries from New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada. Find out some of the shortlisted projects.
