The International Conference on Youth Volunteering and Dialogue opened on 3 December 2013 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. More than 200 young volunteers from over 33 different countries attended the Conference, along with delegates of UNESCO, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education and the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue. The three-day event provided young volunteers, experts and practitioners with the opportunity to discuss, display and evaluate ‘best practices’ in the field of volunteerism.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: The International Conference on Youth Volunteering and Dialogue opened on 3 December 2013 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. More than 200 young volunteers from over 33 different countries attended the Conference, along with delegates of UNESCO, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education and the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue.
The three-day event provided young volunteers, experts and practitioners with the opportunity to discuss, display and evaluate ‘best practices’ in the field of volunteerism.
“During the conference I learnt that volunteering is a fuel for creative change,” said Lucy H Brewah, a UN Volunteer in Sierra Leone.
In the opening session of the conference, the representatives of the organizing entities made their speeches and confirmed what Ms Brewah expressed: that volunteering, dialogue and youth are the best “ingredients” of change. His Highness Prince Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud, Minister of Education, Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, and Mr Faisal bin Abdurrahman bin Muammar, Secretary General of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue all stressed that the conference aimed to promote dialogue and volunteerism. The opening session was followed by speeches from representatives of international organisations. This included Ms Kazumi Ikeda-Larhed, Chief of the Partnerships and Communications Division of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme; Mr John Geoghegan, Director of the World Scout Foundation; and the special contribution of Mr Ahmad Alhendawi, United Nations Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth.
The conference consisted of five workshops on five main themes: youth volunteering and the promotion of a culture of dialogue; youth volunteering, peace-building and humanitarian assistance; volunteerism, a culture of peace and sustainable development; how to promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue; and the role of information technology and communications in promoting volunteerism and responsible citizenship.
Volunteers and experts working in the field made several presentations in which they discussed their own experiences and best practices. The audience was given seventy minutes after each session to interact with the speakers, ask questions or provide additional information on a discussed subject. Along with the sessions, an exhibition on volunteering activities and different stands were provided to organizations and associations in a neighbouring exhibition room.
The conference allowed youth to discuss volunteerism issues, granted them the appropriate platform to interact, and the opportunity to network. Along with the recreational activities that the organizers provided, a new vision of Saudi Arabia was offered and another space for intercultural dialogue was provided.
“We, the youth gathered at ‘the International Youth Conference on Volunteering and Dialogue’ in Jeddah” was the first phrase in the Jeddah Youth Declaration on Volunteering and Dialogue, a declaration adopted at the end of the conference on 6 December 2013. This declaration was the youth outcry for dialogue integration “at all levels of volunteering”, a promise “to work with the world’s leading organisations for youth with the aim of … promoting a culture of dialogue and mutual understanding” and a call to “governments, local authorities, the private sector as well as global and regional organizations … to integrate volunteering and dialogue as critical components of youth development … and to create an enabling environment and platforms in which youth volunteering can flourish.”