NYLC Participates in Seventh IANYS Conference in Ghana
nylc in ghana
From August 23 through 27, NYLC Director of Model Programs and Strategic Initiatives Wokie Weah and Youth Initiatives Coordinator Ashley Shaver attended the Seventh International Association for National Youth Services Conference in Accra, Ghana gaining international perspectives and building alliances.
Established in 1996, IANYS stimulates and facilitates an exchange of national-youth-service information between diverse countries. It's held every two years, and past locations include Argentina, Israel, the UK, Papa New Guinea, the United States, and Nigeria. This year's conference, "The Impact of National Youth Service," brought together representatives from organizations involved with youth service in different parts of the world. Participants participated in numerous plenary sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and site visits. Presenters addressed an array of topics, including service-learning in Argentina, youth- and nation-building in India, and national-youth-service policy in Europe.
Weah and Shaver briefed attendees on Y-RISE, NYLC's global service-learning initiative to mobilize young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This proved a remarkable opportunity to expand the initiatives global network for fighting HIV/AIDS. The audience, composed of both adults and young people, provided crucial feedback and is helping increase international awareness of NYLC's HIV/AIDS prevention work. As service-learning is still new and often unknown to many outside the U.S., NYLC's knowledge and experience were also crucial elements throughout the week. Weah and Shaver were able to build awareness of service-learning as an valuable educational and community-development tool.
Participating in this conference is just one of many small steps NYLC has taken to strengthen and expand its international network. Following the conference, NYLC saw a marked increase of interest and inquiries from Africa. A number of the participants Weah and Shaver met at IANYS have also been enlisted to present at the 2005 National Service-Learning Conference in Long Beach, Calif.
