CGN Participates in YA @ UN in NY

In fulfillment of our mission as coordinating body for the Nigeria Youth Council, which includes planning programme content for Nigerian delegation at conferences and as part of our commitment to CGN members and other Nigeria delegates, CGN coordinated the participation of Nigerian Delegates to the Youth Assembly at the United Nations (YA @ UN). During the assembly, youth leaders and young professionals, especially those engaged or interested in engaging in the Millenium Development Goals from all over the world came together to push the agenda as it concerns youths forward.

This was done under the auspices of the CGN Academy (Trips & Trainings). Participants who attended the just concluded YA @ UN, which took place from the 7^th to the 9^th of August at the UN Headquarters in New York include the members and coordinators of Cares Global Network and our partner, Children & Young Peoples Development Centre.

The YA @ UN was a great opportunity for the delegates to connect with youths from all parts of the world and share ideas while seeking to better understand different cultures through interactions. Also, they joined other youths to make resolutions not only that more needs to be done by those in power in order for the targets to be met, but that they as youths can move from one level of achievement to another.

The delegates plan to use the experience and knowledge gained to support Cares Global Network and other organisations we partner with in their efforts towards the actualisation of Universal Basic Education (that’s what we call it in Nigeria) for every child. Most importantly with the use of sensitisation and re-orientation, passing on the information and other social marketing strategies they would focus on the mantra that only an educated child is a free child and only education can bring development to the communities. They would be better positioned to use social media and create other avenues to sensitise people on the need to educate (formally and informally) their children.

In addition to the educative sessions, participants visited the popular Time Square, Statue of Liberty and had a blast shopping at many malls including the Garden State Plaza in NJ.

Some of the programmes engaged in by CGN today began as projects in support of the MDGs and today have grown to impact people and continue to serve as a springboard to young people who are interestd in carrying out projects n support of the MDGs.

To be part of the coming CGN Trips & Trainings, please email willowsmagazine@gmail.com. Participants must meet CGN’s requirement and would be required to comply with CGN’s policies including returning to Nigeria to take action based on learnings.

The CGN Academy

This is an academy that has the local and global track. The global track includes travel for which participants must meet CGN’s requirement and would be required to comply with CGN’s policies including returning to Nigeria to take action based on learnings. The official newsletter is published bi-annually. It is called SET + GO News. While CGN SET is mainly for students, GO is for media executives and other professionals especially those working in the field of social advocacy. 

~ Cares Global Network Student Educational Tour (CGN SET): This would take students from Lagos to other states or vice versa and bring children from Nigeria to the USA and vice versa. Participants would be between the ages of 15 and 25. Adults in the media and those who work with young people would act as media observers, coordinators or chaperones. We have begun with two tracks namely:

         Youth Assembly @ the UN (August)

         Media Academy in DC (March)

~ Cares Global Network Global Opportunities (CGN GO): This would help media practitioners and leaders who work with youth identify opportunities and provide administrative assistance to enable them participate in the opportunity. This would include but would not be limited to the World Summit on Media for Children & Youth.