UN Alliance of Civilizations

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The flagship initiative of the UNAOC Youth Programme is the Youth Solidarity Fund (YSF) - a unique programme offering support to outstanding youth organizations for the implementation of their own projects advancing the objectives of the UNAOC. This support takes the shape of funding, training, technical assistance, documentation, networking and access to government decision-makers, promotion of project results, participation in the UNAOC Annual Forums, dissemination of lessons learned, opportunities to mentor and a continued partnership. YSF 2012: Objectives, Activities and Expected Outcomes Assessing the proposals funded through the previous YSF editions, it is expected that, to a degree applicable for a specific country or community, the winning projects might aim for the following (one of more objectives combined): Foster understanding and cooperative relations among youth in order to counter forces which use cultural differences in divisive ways; Promote reconciliation amongst youth in communities which have been polarized socially and politically along ethnic, religious or language lines; Build a network of youth who can facilitate dialogue between their respective communities and act as a force of moderation and understanding during times of heightened political, cultural, religious and ethnic tensions; Foster involvement of marginalized youth in decision making processes; empower youth to enter dialogue with local authorities.