Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - 23 June 2009
Mat Morgan, American Red Cross
23 June 2009, Solferino, Italy - Aubin Dupree thought his best days were behind him at the American Red Cross. Serving as a leader at his university club and later as vice chair of the National Youth Council, he led national projects, presented at workshops around the country and advocated to senior leaders.
This week, he and nearly 500 youth leaders from around the world will convene to discuss global challenges, build new skill sets and chart a common course. Now he has another opportunity to impact his work at the American Red Cross.
"There is so much we can do," Aubin says. "As the global Our world. Your move. campaign stresses, there are collective challenges we face that require personal action. This event offers a rare chance to benefit from the experiences, ideas and skills of global youth leaders in making the world a better place."
Youth on the Move will take place on the site of the Battle of Solferino where, 150 years ago, the Swiss businessman Henry Dunant saw thousands of soldiers suffering on the battlefield. In response, he recruited villagers to care for the wounded without regard to their nationality.
Aside from observing an important milestone, the meeting recognizes the value and contributions of youth volunteers, who constitute more than half of the tens of millions of people that volunteer for the Movement around the world. These volunteers provide essential services in their local communities, and are also the future leaders and donors that will continue the work of the organization.
"We are also proud to bring our own perspective to this event," Aubin says. "Our youth program has a lot of experience in social media, for example. We will be live-blogging and teaching other participants how to use social media tools to recruit, organize and raise funds."
Other seminars and sessions will address diverse subjects, including climate change, social justice, HIV/AIDS and gender balance. Collectively, they will assist in the development of a formal declaration that will be presented to governments, the United Nations, international non-governmental organizations and leadership of the Red Cross Red Crescent at the end of a symbolic march to Geneva next week.
Aubin plans to participate in the march to Geneva and use lessons from this week to strengthen youth volunteerism at the American Red Cross. For now, though, he is focused on the week ahead.
He smiles. "The event begins this evening. There are plenty of questions I want to ask and even more people I need to meet. I have to learn how to say 'hello' in a lot of languages."
The events taking place in Solferino are led by the Italian Red Cross and support the Our world. Your move. campaign, a global call to action to improve our shared world with small, individual gestures. This is co-led by the IFRC and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
More information about Our world. Your move. is available online at http://ourworld-yourmove.org
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