Youth Commission Meeting

Result of the Youth Commission Meeting hold in Maputo,
on March 14th and 15th 2008

Participants were:
Kari Xavier STÉVENNE-ROMERO FUGEA Belgica
Ayuni Kinezuka NOUMINREN Japão
Deolinda Carrizo MOCASE Argentina
Delia Patricia Medina Hernandez COCOH Honduras
Facunda Alcantara CONAMUCA Rep Domin
Kalissa Reiger NFU Canada
Zé Mateus (Zona Centro) UNAC Mozambique
Aichatou Sani PFP Niger
Teresa Alexandra Sambane (Zona Sul) UNAC Mozambique
Rajabo ALIFA (Zona Norte) UNAC Mozambique
Diamantino Nhampossa CCI Mozambique
Isabelle Dos Reis staff Via Campesina França
Luis Muchanga staff UNAC-VC Mozambique
Sheila Mandhlate staff UNAC-VC Mozambique
Francisco Mazivile staff Via Campesina Mozambique
Maria Gorete Staff / Convidada MST Brasil


General objective: Affirming the fundamental role of youth in the construction of another society, which has as principles: values of humanity and equality, where there is no concentration of wealth and no exploitation of people – men, women and youth-, a society based on justice, solidarity, food sovereignty and preservation of natural resources/goods.

Specific objectives

1) Define/re-affirm the role of youth in peasants’, indigenous, afro-descendents’ struggles, at the organizational level inside la Via Campesina and inside member organizations

2) Analyze of international context, new challenges and the ways capitalism is advancing regarding youth people

3) Socialize and evaluate work at regional level, regarding the agreements of the 1st Assembly

4) Exchanges of regional experiences on specific topics

5) Elaborate international proposals and common strategies that allow the staying and/or return of youth to the countryside, in order to consolidate peasant-based agriculture

6) Develop articulations between youth of La Via Campesina and youth from other allied social movements and urban collectives, in order to reach common strategies

7) Define agreements and engagements by the Youth of La Via Campesina, for the next 4 years


Methodology


1st moment : Analysis of International Context, built by the youth themselves
How does capitalism affect youth in the countryside?
This must be a collective construction of what we think about the world and what we want it to be, from the youth’s perspective.
Young farmers should be the protagonists of their own history.

Specific questions that each region should work at (before the assembly)
1 – Economical, social, cultural and political aspects in each region
2 – The agrarian and agriculture issue in the region
3 – What is the situation of youth inside this context in the region
4 – Challenges put by the context to young farmers in the region
(Bearing in mind the following aspects: free-trade agreements, trade, the consequences of it on the youth from the countryside, concentration of food production in the hands of transnational companies (identify them, get statistics on the degree of “occupation” by these companies), agrofuels, monocultures)

Plenary : 25 minutes per region – Total : 3 h30

2nd moment : what has been done at regional level since the 1st assembly
1) Presentation of the process and the results of the 1st Assembly (responsibility : SOUTH AMERICA) – Plenary, 10 minutes
2) Presentation by each region of experiences and progresses done at regional level since the 1st Assembly; balance on coordination at regional level among youth (what have been our progresses? How did we do it?), evaluation of collective participation degree (Responsibility : EACH REGION)
Plenary, 8 regions, 15 minutes by region, total : 2 hours

3rd moment : exchange of experiences on specific topics
These are exchange of experiences workshops between delegates from all the regions.

General questions (related to the issues below) to the regions, to orientate the debate/exchanges:
- What are the concrete experiences?
- How has been/is being done the building up process of the experience?
- Were the objectives reached?
- What are the remaining challenges and limits?
It is important to bring some pictures/illustrations (to show to the others and to set up an exhibition during the 5th Conference)

(6 groups of 25 persons) – Workshops of 3 hours
 Experiences of political training / Alternative Education / Experiences of existing alternative schools: how to consolidate these schools, how youth from all regions can use it? (Responsibility of coordination : SOUTH AMERICA)
 Experiences in agro-ecology : concrete experiences in each region in agro-ecology, exchanges done with other organizations and movements… (Responsibility of coordination : AFRICA)
 Alternative ways of commercialization, to turn Food Sovereignty effective, in a neoliberal globalization context (Responsibility for coordination : EUROPE)
 Experiences of alternative communication in the regions (community radios, cultural programs, “griots”, etc.), from the youth perspective ; approximation strategies towards local communication organs (responsibility for coordination : CENTRAL AMERICA)
 Experiences of articulation countryside-city and alliances with social movements who defend life and the construction of a sovereign society / identify common banners that can unify the youth (Responsibility of coordination : NORTH AMERICA)
 Access to land for the youth : situation in each region, integral agrarian reform, juridical aspects, occupations, political lobby, etc (Responsibility of coordination : CARABEAN, EAST AND SOUTH EAST ASIA)

The SOUTH ASIA region is requested to join one of the groups.

There will have a systematization group: 1 hour meeting
Then socialization of all the groups in plenary: 1 hour and 30 minutes

4th moment : from the moments 1, 2 and 3 : definition of agreements at organizational level and at political level
Working groups (6 groups of 25 persons), 3 hours
The methodology should be define in each group
Working groups to define the working lines and the agreements that we assume as youth / Define the agreements and engagements of youth of Via Campesina for the next 4 years
- Debate on the organicity of youth inside La Via Campesina, how are we going to organize ourselves?
- References in the work with the youth at regional level inside La Via Campesina? How to keep a follow up process of the agreements taken by the 2nd assembly? Define referent persons by region, to follow up the decisions.
- How to elaborate/What are our common proposal at international and strategic level that allow the youth to stay or to return to the countryside, in order to consolidate family-based agriculture

Socialization in plenary and elaboration of the final document: 2 hours

5th moment: approbation of the Final Document
Reading and mistica : 1 hour

Closing ceremony: reading of the declaration of the Youth and the Women assemblies ; mistica/cultural event together with the Women Assembly

TOTAL WORKING TIME (without considering yet the misticas, coffee breaks, etc): 17 hours and 10 minutes

Notes :
Mistica will be very important
There should have a methodology and systematization group for the whole assembly

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