Join the Global Movement of Youth and Allies Working for Real Democracy

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If you want to apply to become a full participant:

After you have read about the WYMD's objectives and structure, and what it means to be a participant, please "sign" the declaration below, confirming that you agree with the principals and objectives of the Movement: Click here to view and save the declaration as a pdf document.

Declaration of the World Youth Movement for Democracy

In the belief that the political participation and engagement of young people is crucial to the promotion and strengthening of democracy in all countries, the members of the World Youth Movement for Democracy have come together to empower each other and other young activists around the world, to build solidarity among ourselves, and to develop sustainable democracy and human rights movements by empowering a younger generation in democracy promotion activities.

Principles

Founded by a group of young activists at the Third Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Durban, South Africa, in 2004, the Youth Movement shares the principles and objectives of the World Movement for Democracy, supporting youth involvement in efforts to strengthen democracy where it is weak, to reform and invigorate democracy even where it is longstanding, and to bolster pro-democracy groups in countries that have not yet entered into a process of democratic transition. Within the Youth Movement, such efforts will always reflect a strong commitment to non-violence and respect for the rule of law.

While acknowledging the plurality of the forms of democracy around the world, we believe in the universality of democratic values, broad public participation in politics, and human rights, in particular the promotion of minority rights.

Objectives

The Youth Movement is a network of networks that supports and complements the work of its participants by serving as a platform for young activists to promote democratic values and human rights; a forum to share information and ideas for working with young people; and an action-oriented, solidarity movement.

Recognizing the importance of learning from others' experiences in advancing democracy, the Youth Movement provides a framework for young activists and their allies to develop relationships and collaborate on activities across borders. Participants in the Movement aim to:

  1. Support the education and skill development of young activists;
  2. Advocate for democratic values and human rights, and for the participation of youth in achieving them;
  3. Network to exchange ideas and collaborate within and across national borders;
  4. Build solidarity networks, to support young people working in adverse circumstances.

The Youth Movement recognizes and welcomes the fact that outside of their participation the Movement, its members also participate in activities that may or may not become formal Youth Movement activities. However, all members commit to following the Movement's standards of non-violence in all activities, whether or not these activities fall under the framework of the Youth Movement itself.

 

To join, please send an email to: youthmovementsecretariat@gmail.com