[MANNAM International Youth Coalition] Why Youth?

Dear all my friends,

I'm also one of young people who live on the earth. So, I know you lack of time because busy preparing future and success and enjoying the young days. 

But, what if we can do valuable things to change the world and create the moment that would be remembered forever in human history, preparing your future and enjoying all your young days?

And what if all the youth all around the world will unite to end war and achieve world peace?

Actually, I was not interested in world peace. I just was self-centered and am still self-centered. However, I found if war breaks out, my all precious things-my family, lover, friends, study, occupation, and all sweet future- will be lost. 

And then, I thought that many young people who are even dying during wars feel like me.

That's why I support the peace campaigns of MANNAM International Youth Coalition. Here I wrote my thought into a simple poem (I learned only how to interpret and write a critic so it's not beautiful, just simple!) that explain why I am here and work for peace-started to walk for peace. 

A boy is dying there

A girl is crying there

He is me 

AND She is me

They were thinking like me

They were feeling like me 

They have dreams like me 

She has dreams shining much more than me 

He has a very sweet girlfriend

They have family members who are waiting for them

Where are you?

Where are they?

Who are you? 

Who are they?

Who are we? 

He is you 

AND She is you

They are you

They are us

We 

We, the youth. 

MANNAM International Youth Coalition (MIYC): 10Km in Their Shoes~Pledge of Peace - Seoul, Korea

Pledge of Peace 

We, the Youth, know that we live in one world

We breathe the same air,

Tread the same earth.

We see by the light of the same bright sun,

And dream beneath the same moon.

From this day forward we will breathe the air

of a world in which Youth stand united,

rather than divided over the disagreements of our forefathers.

Together we will tread the same earth, walking along a path of peace and

understanding, towards a future of hope.

Together we will see the day dawn on which there will be an end to the wars waged by

nations but paid for in the blood of young people like ourselves.

Together we will work to make our dream - the dream of a world at peace - a reality.

We, the Youth, pledge to lay aside our differences;

to recognize and respect our common humanity, the rights that each of us share

irrespective of our nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, or other apparent differences.

We pledge to stop fighting the wars of our past

and to build new relationships, repaying all those young people who fought for our

freedom and right to stand here today.

We will redeem the value of their lives by working together to end all wars,

and to create a new world of unity, peace and freedom for all people.

[MANNAM International Youth Coalition] All Youth, All '靑年', Raise Our Voice

  MIYC is the acronym of MANNAM International Youth Coalition, which was formed from groups of young people coming together with the vision and determination to unite people across borders, cultures, languages and nationalities. It's not a kind of subgroup of MANNAM, but it's a 'coalition' that consists of many youth organizations around the world including MANNAM Volunteer Association. 

  MIYC coordination team is in MVA and they do the planning and core communication helping all affiliates. However, there are not a host and a guest. The constructive feedbacks and ideas for projects to help set up MIYC and realize a vision a world of justice, peace, security and prosperity by creating a new culture for all humanity are welcome. 

What Do You Feel When You Heard a Word, 'Youth' and'靑年'?

This is the time when hearts are pure and tender,
And with love's first emotions heedless melt;
When the mind shrinks not at the boldest venture,
And nature's gen'rous impulses are felt!

 

This is the time the soul needs no allurement--
No madd'ning influence t' excite its powers;
For, as the lark, that soars to heav'nly regions,
The spirit warbles through life's morning hours.

 

Oh happy youth! life's oasis of beauty!
What time in after years so pure and sweet?
Free from the lab'ring progress of great manhood,
It treads life's pathway with elastic feet!

-C. B. Langston, Youth 

 Above is some parts of a poem about youth. There are a lot of poems and quotes about youth. Why have so many people talked about youth? 

Youth is generally the time of life between childhood and adulthood (maturity). Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary.......Around the world, the terms youth, adolescent, teenager, kid, and young person are interchanged, often meaning the same thing, occasionally differentiated. Youth generally refers to a time of life that is neither childhood nor adulthood, but rather somewhere in-between. Youth also identifies a particular mindset of attitude, as in "He is very youthful". The term youth is also related to being young. The term also refers to individuals between the ages of 16-24. (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth)

 Its definition varies depend on cultures and societies, but it is used as a term refers to people between the ages of 15-35, and it is often connected to 'passion,' 'pure,' 'bravery,' and 'growth.' Many authors and poets have written about it, and people sometimes talk about that time with nostalgia. 

 In Korean word, youth is translated into '청년(靑年)' which is come from a Chinese word. 청(靑) means 'blue.' It is used in describing sea, green grapes, moonlight, blue jeans, etc. . Actually, I, grown in Asia, feel really inspired and fresh when I heard that word '청년(靑年)' than 'youth.' It makes me imagine a sprout. I would like to say, youth is the time that see the sign of hopeful future because it has the possibility and potential to grow surprisingly!

You can see pictures on the facebook page: www.facebook.com/miycyouth

 Meanwhile, one of the biggest characters of youth is 'flexibility.' They are flexible to change 
their thought, spread their feeling, or form a bond of sympathy and they easily can associate one another friend. You know, regardless of your nationality, most of the biggest social movements have been led by youth people in human histories. 

 That's why we, invites you to join MIYC, and do wonderful projects together, forming an international network of youth organisations  and youth movements. The more youth join us, the more powerfully we can raise our voice for the goal of world peace.

 So, don't you wonder what happens through forming this coalition? I'll post and link the news / any updated information here sooner. :)

World Leaders of Today, Peace Leaders of Tomorrow