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2022

on the road!

9/8/2022

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On the occasion of the International Youth Day, we invite you to discover major works of the XXth Century related to these themes. Today, we will discuss about On the Road by Jack Kerouac. 

We are in 1947’s summer in New York. The young Jack Kerouac (Sal Paradise in the first version of the novel) is bored. On a whim, he decides to leave for San Francisco accompanied by his best friend at the time, the intrepid Neal Cassidy (Dean Moriarty). Thus begins the story of a long wandering without end and without real goal which takes place in post-war America, America still schooled by puritanism. 

 What is this novel really about? Not much, actually. The narrator is at first a student on vacation. He becomes vaguely vagabond. He finances his travels by becoming a farmer, falls in love with a young local flower.  When he arrives in San Francisco, he leaves almost immediately, wanting to reach another destination, almost chosen at random.  He wanders through the dark streets of San Francisco in search of the dysfunctional family made up of surprise meetings and friends of friends. His relatives are Allen Ginsberg (Carlo Marx) or William S. Burroughs (Old Bull Lee).  

His travels are punctuated by the excesses that are those of youth: alcohol a lot, women and sometimes men, traditional drugs that become popular. The most masterful charge remains this vagabond lifestyle. They live in their vans, live according to local solidarity and sometimes live from a little work. There is no real beginning or end to the journey: the arrival at a destination is the reason for a new departure towards another unknown destination. The return trips will take them from New York to San Francisco, from America to Mexico.  Gradually, the trip becomes its own end. 

 The group of artists formed around these figures will give its name to an artistic movement precursor of the hippie movement, the Beat Generation. Twenty years before the Summer of Love, they advocated a return to nature, a flight against productivism and the search for transcendence in extra-corporeal experiences, whether chemical, spiritual or sexual. 

Jack Kerouac wrote his manuscript in three weeks, on a roll called "the scroll" - a continuous roll of 120 feet of tracing paper that he cut and taped together. Through this endless novel, he tells the story of the accomplishment of this candid young student who initially leaves without knowing much about the reason or purpose of his journey. He is bored. Three years later when the novel ends, he has become a solid adventurer haunted by the ghosts of those crazy years.

The journey describes in hollow the evolution towards adulthood. This adolescence will be tortuous, rich in twists and adventures. In a way, Jack Kerouac is the teenager that everyone dreamed of being. Goodbye boring summe
r jobs and hello to real life.
 

 Not being Jack Kerouac himself, what does the story of his vacation have to offer us? The author tells the drama of youth: not knowing what tomorrow will bring, where it will all lead me, am I even talented enough to succeed? Retirement is that terrible age of balance. The age when the essential is now behind us. The age when we can say without too much mistake what we did well, what we failed at and what we regret.
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On the contrary, youth is that Golden Age, the one where everything is possible. The age where you can start again and again until you find and succeed. The age of the first and most beautiful and strong emotions. If travel forms youth, literature is once again a beautiful invitation to travel.
 
MAXIME DUMAX-VORZET
Maxime is a french volunteer involved in Youth Day's Campaign 
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fifa world cup 2022 in qatar: global event, global shame

2/8/2022

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​This is the glorious armada of Qatar. Eight football stadiums, with a monumental look, which will parade in
a few months on all the screens of the planet. These state-of-the-art arenas, designed bybig names in architecture, will host the matches of the 2022 World Cup (from November 21 to December 18), the first to be held in an Arab country.
 

 The giant 60,000-seat Al-Bayt Stadium, shaped like a Bedouin tent, where the opening match will be played, will be inaugurated on 30 November. The Lusail stadium, where the final, an 80,000-seat behemoth whose design evokes the copper bowl, filled with dates, that is handed to guests – a symbol of Arab hospitality – will open its doors in the coming weeks. 
 Construction of the other six is complete and the majority of them are already operational. This is also the case for Qatar's new airport, the Doha metro, the new city of Lusail and the Msheireb district, four mega-factories, made imperative by the World Cup. This construction frenzy, spread over ten years, cost the emirate $200 billion (about €177 billion), including $6 billion to $7 billion for stadiums. "From an infrastructure point of view, we will be ready in early 2022," said Hassan Al-Thawadi, director of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in charge of preparing the event. 

 Thus, Qatar could be congratulated for having brilliantly respected its specifications in the construction of the infrastructure necessary for the organization of an event of a global scale such as the football World Cup. The problem is that there is a downside to this brilliant record: 6500 workers died on these sites. Intense heat, falls and heart failures, work accidents... The British media The Guardian has highlighted the dark side of one of the biggest planetary events that remains too little known. The British newspaper, at the forefront of football-related investigations, has collected and compiled data collected from the authorities of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. These figures could be much higher, because Kenya or the Philippines, major suppliers of workers in Qatar, have not, like other countries, communicated their figures. 

 This appalling situation has been denounced for several years by various NGOs, such as Amnesty International, which published a report on 16 November 2021, and once again denounced the "large-scale exploitation" of this workforce and the opacity surrounding the number of deaths on the World Cup sites. For its part, Qatar puts forward the number of 39 deaths, of which only three would be a consequence of the professional activity of the victims. Beyond the ridiculous, this figure is not very informative and you have to dig a little deeper to see the whole picture of a country that systematically uses migrant workers and the exploitation of them. Indeed, stadium workers are about 30,000 according to 2020 figures, which represents no more than 2% of the total migrants in Qatar. It is estimated that there are 2.0 million migrant workers in Qatar, out of a population of 2.8 million, an almost unique situation in the world.  
"Multiples abuses and serious and widespread violations of labour rights": "exorbitant and illegal recruitment fee payments not reimbursed", "scams by abusive employers", "excessive working hours", "forced labour", "deaths that have rarely been investigated" and have not resulted in compensation for the families of the victims, these are the common practices towards migrant workers in Qatar.  

 "By awarding the World Cup to Qatar [on 2 December 2010] without imposing conditions or guarantees to improve labour law protections, and by subsequently failing to adequately prevent or mitigate human rights violations, FIFA contributed to a wide range of avoidable and predictable labour rights abuses ... and has paved the way for further violations," said Amnesty International.  
 Indeed, the world football bodies and FIFA in the lead have a heavy responsibility in awarding the World Cup to Qatar, a process still unclear and strongly suspected of corruption at all levels.  

 The NGO recalls that Qatar's "choice" in 2010 was "very controversial due to allegations of corruption, extreme heat and its disastrous human rights record". "The risks to the workers were not even taken into account during the selection process of the host country" and were not included in the FIFA evaluation report, when the "health risks" related to the "extreme heat" were taken into account for the "players, spectators, official representatives and the FIFA family." 
 While the kafala system, which placed migrant workers under guardianship, remained in force in Qatar "until the end of 2018" and despite the "progress", the NGO accuses FIFA of not having "prevented or mitigated the risks of abuse at work in the years following the award of the World Cup." 

 A good example of the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar concerns a hundred employees of Qatar Meta Coats, a design and construction company subcontracting the work of the Al Bayt stadium, who have not been paid for nearly seven months. While the Organising Committee had been aware of the case for almost a year, FIFA was only informed after being informed by Amnesty International.  

 According to the NGO, despite recent labour reforms launched in the emirate, "structural problems persist" and "thousands of workers are still victims of abuse and exploitation". 
 The host country of the 2022 World Cup may have undertaken some reforms, such as the abolition of the "kafala" system, a system that enslaves workers to their employers and does not allow them to change jobs or migrate elsewhere. If the system has disappeared in the texts of law since 2018, in practice, it remains practiced because it is vital for the economy of Qatar where 90% of workers are migrants. 
 

Qatar and FIFA have enormous responsibilities in this widespread human scandal, yet according to Amnesty International, they have clear obligations and responsibilities under international human rights law and standards, not only to prevent such widespread human rights violations, but also to provide appropriate remedies to the victims of these violations. To date, however, neither FIFA nor Qatar has fulfilled their respective responsibilities and obligations to provide reparations for the violations committed. » 

 In its 2021 report, the NGO recommends the creation by FIFA of a "compensation fund" for workers or families of injured, injured or dead workers in Qatar.  Such compensation, which will surely never happen, let us not be naïve, would be the least we can do, but it will not give back to the families their dead who sent them a significant part of their salary every month to help them survive in their country of origin. Whatever happens, whatever measures are taken, the damage is already done and deeply done, this world football is already "the world of shame".  

 A global event, a global responsibility... 
 After this demonstration, there is no doubt that no one doubts the humanitarian and ethical scandal that is the organization of the football World Cup in a country like Qatar that tramples on human rights.  

 Unfortunately, this tendency to attribute major sporting events to countries that do not respect human rights has continued to gain ground in recent years, which logically comes from the rise of authoritarian regimes on the international scene. We can obviously talk about the organization of the last Winter Olympics by China, or those organized in 2014 in Sochi by Russia which had an already monstrous ecological cost, or the 2018 World Cup,  still in Russia (decidedly) which had invaded Crimea 4 years earlier.  

 In the future, this must lead us to no longer attribute such events to countries that have such actions. This requires much greater transparency in the process of selection and attribution of such events, which must not only take into account the financial capacity to organize these events but also respect for the planet, human rights and also the local population. Indeed, during the previous football World Cups of 2010 in South Africa and 2014 in Brazil, the poor populations had been evacuated manu militari by the police and hidden the time of the World Cup in order to give the World beautiful images of countries that have developed and to please Western tourists who wanted more to see a nice little football theater rather than the reality of economic inequalities in the organising countries.  
 
Indeed, it is too easy to be indignant from our sofas in our air-cooled apartments thinking that as Europeans from liberal and democratic countries we have nothing to do with it and that it is not our responsibility. Nothing could be further from the truth: in a global event, responsibility is global. Indeed, it is our responsibility on several levels, first of all, it is about the fans who will go to Qatar in the winter of 2022 to support their team in stadiums built on the corpses of Nepalese workers. Then it is the great leaders of the planet, those of football first of all, we have known for a long time that FIFA is a corrupt organization, its former president Sepp Blatter who is banned from this organization after having held the presidency for almost 20 years. It is also the current president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino who resides in Qatar with his family in the luxurious districts of Doha most of the year. Finally, it is our national heads of state who approve this event for economic reasons, a good example is the France, which is surely the European country that has the deepest ties with Qatar, economically, politically and even more so in the field of football. First of all, if we go back to the attribution of this World Cup, the process remains very opaque and we do not have all the information, but the newspaper Le Monde,  the first French daily evokes a dinner in Paris on July 23, 2010, Nicolas Sarkozy (President of the Republic at the time), the Crown Prince of Qatar and Michel Platini (President of UEFA) had lunch at the Élysée (French presidential palace). Five years later, the emirate was preparing to host the 2022 World Cup. That would lend a lot of power to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but his ties to the Gulf emirate are obvious. Recall that the oil monarchy is, through its investment fund QSI (Qatar Sports Investment) owner of the football club of the Parisian capital, PSG, but also that Qatar is a valuable customer for the French military industry.  

 Naturally, these games of influence, corruption and elevator referrals between world leaders of all kinds are not new, and that is the problem, this whole macabre little game continues as if nothing had happened in the most total indifference and in the most certain hypocrisy. In the situation we are in, the future is unfortunately already written. Everyone will quietly wait for the start of the next World Cup next November, which will be inaugurated with great fanfare and in brand new stadiums built at a human cost much more exorbitant than the financial cost.
 

 In all this scandal, there are silences more shocking than others. Whether FIFA is playing ostrich in front of the press or Qatar is lying about the situation of migrant workers in its country, such indecency is no longer surprising. In my opinion, the most embarrassing thing about all this is the silence of the football professionals, and in the first place of the players who will tread the lawns of the stadiums built on the remains of exploited workers.

​Indeed, today's football players are icons of modern times and huge international stars, so much so that few people ignore the names of Messi or Ronaldo. There were some actions of several national teams such as Germany, Norway or the Netherlands last year, during the qualifiers, but the majority remained silent and the movement did not go far enough. No player has announced that he will boycott this event for political or ethical reasons, the arrival of the biggest stars on the planet will be a victory for the state of Qatar but a scathing defeat for human rights.  


 While it is supposed to be a moment of global joy bringing the whole world together in the celebration of an extraordinary event around the most beautiful sport in the world that is football, this 2022 World Cup will be the funeral celebration of human rights, no more and no less.  
 
 

Pierre De Chabot 
Pierre is a French volunteer involved in Human Trafficking Day's Campaign 
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rediscover the classic film "jules and jim"

28/7/2022

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On the occasion of the International Day of Friendship, rediscover the classic film of the French New Wave, "
Jules and Jim" by François Truffaut. 


In pre-war Paris, the Paris of the Roaring Twenties and the cabarets, two young men united by the same tastes meet. Jules is an intellectual Austrian in love with women who do not love him. Jim is a French seducer, collecting adventures. They share the taste of long discussions, the effervescence of Paris. To the uninitiated, they even seem to be lovers. Their friendship surprises by the differences between the two men which become so many features of unions between them. They hardly agree, they argue a lot but never agree. Perhaps this is the pleasure of friendship, the pleasure of discovering each other through the other. The relationship with women, a symbol of their difference but also a crucial element in the rest of the story, is their only major difference. From this will be born a complacency of one towards the other. Each of them loves women in his own way, but they have in common this tacit agreement, this pact of non-aggression which will testify to their eternal mutual respect.
 
 Their meeting will be marked by the meeting of Catherine, an incandescent and excessive woman who will turn the heads of both men. Jules begs Jim not to go near it, aware of his inferiority compared to his friend. Jim obeys him, despite his regrets. He will pursue all his life this supreme woman, an unsurpassable figure that he will never manage to forget. The duo becomes a strange trio, where Catherine desires one and then the other, resolves herself to one but considers the other. Finally, Jules becomes her husband while Jim disappears in the torments of the Second World War. Of this war, nothing will be said in the film except the mutual fear of the two friends to kill each other, separated from now on by the national stakes. 

 When Jim returns from the war, he finds the infernal duo that had occupied his youth. The couple has lost its shine: Jules no longer holds back his wife's desire but cannot bring himself to stop loving her, while Catherine, who has lost none of her charm, escapes boredom with adulteries that have no consequences and no scope. Jules resolves to implore his friend. If he cannot keep his wife's love, he prefers to keep her as his friend and entrust her to Jim. He then demonstrates both his love for Catherine and his friendship for Jim. He prefers to know that she is happy than with him. He entrusts the love of his life to his best friend. Jim, reluctant at first, finally agrees. The best, most virtuous decision, however, will not be the right one. 

 Their friendship, faithful to the tragedy so popular in France, can only end with the death of the protagonists. If the couple of Jules and Catherine had been quiet and reasoned, it will be nothing like the new couple formed by Jim and Catherine. He loves her with a love that is too brutal, too fleeting. The love yesterday prevented by the pact between the two friends does not last and he ends up abandoning Catherine, victim of his excesses.  Catherine then realizes her mistake: she has abandoned the husband who had never stopped loving her for the forbidden, the impossible love with Jim which will finally not have lasted. Once the mirage passed, there was nothing left. She commits suicide in her car, unable to accept being abandoned.  
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 Of this drama told in Jules and Jim, what finally remains? There is nothing left of the family, disappeared by the wife's desires. There is nothing left of love, ruined by the reversals and erosion of time. All that remains are painfully the memories of a man for the woman he loved. But what remains even more is the indefectible friendship between two men, the blind trust they have granted each other, the loves they have renounced for each other, the absence of rivalry and jealousy despite everything. More than Catherine, it will remain this brotherly love that can unites two people. This quiet and reassuring love that we all pursue here. 

  MAXIME DUMAX-VORZET
Maxime is a French volunteer involved in Friendship International Day's Campaign
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who really knows? who really controls?

26/7/2022

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Whether it's friends made on school benches, or spontaneously in a nightclub, on social media apps, or you're employed by the same contractor, when it comes to our friends, no matter how good or not so good, shallow or damn well connected to everything in your personal life, the subject can't be anything but sensitive.
 
Whoever takes it upon themselves to give a definition to friendship, I assume they will automatically lose one or a few of them, or it can happen the other way around, for someone the definition of friendship can be so broad that in the next second they might make a friend waiting even in the supermarket line, some it can take a lifetime, depending on what is to be invested in the relationship, depending on the expectations we have of other people, to understand us, to pity us, to gossip with us half the town, to plan and live unforgettable experiences, or even to have children. Who really knows? Who really controls?  

In an article published in December 2021, the Association for Psychological Science, talks about the chemistry between people, and before I quote them, I want to make an introduction to the idea that brings chemistry to mind.  
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For me friendships have always played a more indispensable role than finding a lover. I realized this after a very long time of feeling almost desperate because I was having difficulty connecting with people who were eventually to become my lovers, my life partners by definition, at the same time as all the hopelessness and diminishing self-confidence was taking hold, I had my best friend by my side, with whom I not only shared the most negative, pessimistic, romantic and crazy thoughts, but with whom I had a special relationship much more prolific than a normal relationship between lovers. A reality that had been going on for some years, one that consumed a great amount of energy, time, one in which we were inducing ourselves into unpleasant situations and traumatic experiences, but also one in which we were planning our future and taking all the necessary steps for it together. Sometimes this is a lot like a relationship between a newly married couple, when they're just moving into a newly bought house, and they're arguing with each other about what color the kitchen carpet should be, and a lot of other habit stuff. 

so I quote the article: Have you ever felt a special “spark” with someone—an intense bond with a potential partner, friend, or colleague? If so, you probably thought you experienced “chemistry.” Literary references to interpersonal chemistry appeared as early as 1590, when English poet John Donne wrote about “love alchemy” in his eighth elegy, The Comparison:  

                                     “Then like the Chymicks masculine equall fire,   
                                  Which in the Lymbecks warm wombe doth inspire   
                                       Into th’earths worthlesse durt a soule of gold,   
                                     Such cherishing heat her best lov’d part doth hold.” 


 Since then, countless books, films, and TV shows have referred to interpersonal chemistry between characters. But the term doesn’t refer exclusively to romantic chemistry.

                                                   "Experiencing chemistry " 
 Reis and colleagues’ Interpersonal Chemistry Model stipulates that chemistry encompasses behaviors (i.e., what chemistry “looks like”) and perceptions (i.e., what it “feels like”). According to the model, the behavioral component involves a series of interactions in which two (or more) people express feelings, needs, desires, or goals that are met with understanding, appreciation, and support. Those behaviors, in turn, lead to the perception of chemistry, with cognitive (shared identity), affective (positive affect and attraction), and behavioral (perceived goal-relevant coordination) components.  

Experiencing chemistry thus requires actual interactions. Reis and colleagues excluded from consideration the idea that people may experience chemistry at “zero acquaintance,” or solely through awareness of other person’s qualities. Instead, they proposed that chemistry involves repeated back-and-forth exchanges.  

“As the interaction cycle unfolds, partners will often develop a substantial level of behavioral synchrony (e.g., linguistic matching, nonverbal synchrony, voicing similar thoughts and ideas),” Reis and colleagues wrote. The researchers propose that this sequence of expressive and responsive behaviors often unfolds quickly and spontaneously, and thus chemistry can be felt in the first interactions. However, they believe that moments of connection must accumulate before enduring chemistry is felt and observed.   


Although chemistry goes beyond individual characteristics, certain traits and goals influence its development. For instance, people high in attractiveness, warmth, and perspective-taking tend to be more likable, which can foster chemistry. Personal goals might also influence the experience of chemistry (e.g., desiring a new relationship or recruiting a fellow musician).
  
 
In that vein, I want to point out that our friendships, they extend far beyond what we understand by that, whether it's chemistry or effort over time, that's why I think it's very important to be vigilant, to cherish every gesture, because sometimes that's the only strength. and the only resource we have left when we have nothing else. 
 

ION AGACI
Ion is a volunteer from Moldova involved in Friendship International Day's Campaign 
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having a friend is more vital than having an angel

25/7/2022

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It would seem that friendship means only good relations between two or many people, the exchange of goods, opinions, experiences lived together, beautiful memories and so on, but friendship is really something much more complicated than that, something fundamental for everything, something so well known by all of us, but at the same time something just as mysterious, something that requires time, dedication, compromises, love, compassion, common interests, goals and circumstances. 

 So why is friendship such a high priority for each of us? 
Children can most easily make friends, because their friendships are not linked to very important experiences, principles, traumas or circumstances as they are linked by adult friendships, plus professions, ambitions, and different types of personalities, which in fact, because of them, in adulthood we have very few friends or none at all.  

From the fact that we share our food with friends when we are children to the fact that friendships become true vital forces based on admiration and mutual respect, constant offering of help, support and compassion, EACH of us is vulnerable to it, needs it, as well as food, friendships being the food that serves for the proper functioning of all things in general, starting from our own emotions, to the relations between communities, the relations between people and nature, between countries, etc. 

On July 30 every year we celebrate International Friendship Day. This day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2011 with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. 
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This day can be a perfect opportunity to remember how much it means and how much our friendships influence us, we can call or meet our friends, to thank them first of all because they exist in our lives, for all the efforts they make for us.  
We should also think of all those who have difficulty making friends, those who cannot enjoy the benefits of healthy friendships, or those who have lost their friendships. ​
                                                                                                 ION AGACI
Ion is a volunteer from Moldova involved in Friendship Day's campaign 
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MANDELA - THE SYMBOL OF PEACE.

22/7/2022

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Nelson Mandela was the father of the current democratic South Africa that replaced the odious apartheid state. One of the most famous people representing democracy. How did he manage to do this ? 

His primary legacy is a multiracial South Africa under the rule of law. Mandela’s governance was characterized by racial reconciliation, especially with white Afrikaners, which he shrewdly promoted through the use of symbols. He insisted on the rule of law. Apartheid may have been a crime against humanity, but there was no extra-legal "revolutionary justice."  

Mandela assiduously observed the new constitution that enshrined the strongest protection of individual and minority rights anywhere in the world. Alone among African states, South Africa permits gay marriage, though much of the population remains homophobic. 
For most South Africans racial identities remain paramount. At the same time, there are signs that popular attitudes are evolving toward Mandela’s non-racial, democratic values that may provide a bulwark for the future of the rule of law to which Mandela (himself a lawyer) was devoted. 

 The Racial Divide 

In 2012 found that 43.5 percent of South Africans rarely or never speak to someone of another race. Only about half interact with persons of a different race frequently on weekdays, and less than 20 percent regularly socialize with people of other races. 
Racism continues to be a reality. Among whites it continues, especially in rural areas. Yet there has been progress. A black middle class mostly based in the public sector has emerged, as have a few high-profile black millionaires. Human rights are protected by the law. Freedom of speech is absolute—for now. These are major democratic achievements, and they owe much to Nelson Mandela’s vision for his beloved country. 

What did Nelson Mandela do with his Nobel Prize money? 
As president Nelson Mandela donated half of his salary to poor children and when he received the Nobel Peace Prize he gave part of the prize money to help street children. Nelson not only wants all children to feel loved, he also wanted to give them a better future. a chance to develop their talents.
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In my opinion Nelson Mandela represents a symbol of democracy in our society that has had such a great impact for the whole world. Finally, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding work in peacefully ending the regime in his country. 

ANDREI BARBA
Andrei is a volunteer from Romania involved in Nelson Mandela Day's Campaign
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let's talk about tropics

20/7/2022

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What are the Tropics facing?
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We all hear about the Tropics but do we really know about them?

Firstly, the Tropics are a region of the Earth, roughly defined as the area between the tropic of
Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn.

The Tropic of Cancer is situated at 23.5° towards the northern part of the equator. 36% of the
total earth’s surface is covered by it, and one-third of the total population of earth resides in
this region. While the Tropic of Capricorn is a line that runs from the East to the West situated
at 23.5° south of the equator and less than 3% of the global population live below this line.
The majority of Africa, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Gulf
nations, and a significant part of South America fall between the Tropic of Cancer and the
Tropic of Capricorn (=the nations of the Tropics). The central and the southern parts of India
also fall between the two imaginary lines on the globe.
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​The nations of the Tropics face many challenges like poverty and undernourishment,
population explosion, global warming, social stigmas or terrorism and civil unrest. That’s why
in 2014, after collaboration, 12 leading tropical research institutions and came up with a State
of the Tropics Report. Two years after, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which
called for June 29 to be the international day of the Tropics. The nations of the Tropics are
often forgotten while they are very important for the World: by 2050 more than the half of the
world’s population will live in this region. Moreover, they have a big role to play to achieve
the Sustainable Development Goals. Because of the covid 19 pandemic, the economy, well-
being and life of the tropical nations got much worst.

That’s why, we, as Westerners, have to stop to take advantage of the Tropical regions and to help them to face their challenges.
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CÉLIA DOMEN
Célia is a French volunteer involved in the International Day of the Tropics
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Generation Z "THE FUTURE IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE"

19/7/2022

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The next generation are the most important and most affected stakeholders when talking about our global future – and we owe them more than this. Young people are also the best placed to lead this transformation. The year 2022 is the time to start thinking and acting long-term to make intergenerational parity the norm and to design a society, economy, and international community that cares for all people.

In the past 10 years of working with the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, a network of people between the ages of 20 and 30 working to address problems in more than 450 cities around the world, I’ve seen firsthand that they are the ones with the most innovative ideas and energy to build a better society for tomorrow. Transparency, accountability, trust, and a focus on stakeholder capitalism will be key to meeting this generation’s ambitions and expectations.

Understanding a new generation - Depending on who you talk to, Gen Z consists of anyone born after 1997 or between 1995-2012. “Keep in mind they grew up in a digital world”

Generation Z has always known technology. They didn’t grow into it as Millennials did, it has been a staple since birth. For them, technology is a necessity. They are able to instantly find the information they need or want. Because of this, you need to have a handle on your online presence and advertising. Your business must have a significant presence on social media outlets. Gen Z wants to align with the brands that reflect their values and is purpose-driven, so be sure to highlight the heart of your business.

Gen Z and careers:
The youngest generation has been disproportionately affected by the dire economy, at the height of the pandemic in April, the unemployment rate for teens aged 16–19 was the highest of all groups, at 31.9% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Owing to this, career plans are up in the air and this young generation is learning to pivot, fast.

There are early signs of Gen Zers gravitating towards job security, opting for jobs in the civil service, as well as in health and science sectors. It is also a generation changing the traditional success metrics, shifting it away from fame and fortune to ethics and values. Research found that 82% say it’s important that their job contributes to the greater good and 70% would rather
do something meaningful than make a lot of money.

In my opinion, Generation Z is the generation that will change the world in the best version, being part of this generation, we are responsible for solving the problems created by previous generations. We were born at that time when information technologies began to develop, and we are armed with the best digital skills because we grew up with the technologies!
I am more than sure that we will build a better, friendlier, and more beautiful world and we will not leave so many problems to our descendants.

Andrei Barba
Andrei is a volunteer from Romania involved in World Youth Skills Day
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"I CAN'T DO ANYTHING"- THE GUIDE ABOUT SKILLS

18/7/2022

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The first, and perhaps most complex, task when you are a young working person looking for further study or a first job is to define your skills in order to find the most suitable solution. So how can we know ourselves precisely? How not to underestimate ourselves? 

Our schooling, our professional experiences or our associative experiences have probably allowed us to acquire a certain number of operational skills. We are capable of know-how, of practical skills that allow us to carry out tasks that an average person would not be able to accomplish. Learning these skills is at the heart of the high
education system. These competencies are what we call "
hard skills", it means specific operational skills held by someone and which allow to accomplish a set of tasks inaccessible to another person.  
Defining what your hard skills are should not be complicated: just look at your university education, the tasks you have performed in your previous jobs, your associative missions ... All these experiences allow you to quickly identify your hard skills. First you have to list them. Then, rank the hard skills in order of mastery (from the one you are most confident in to the one you are least confident in) or in order of value (from the most sought after in the job market to the least sought after). The result gives you a global vision of the skills to highlight on your resume and on your motivation letters. 

However, these skills do not allow us to effectively identify someone's profile: the person's character, the way they work, and the way they relate to others are not taken into consideration
. A lot of other skills come into play, such as the ability to listen to others, communicate clearly and concisely in several languages...

All these skills that play a role of "facilitators" for the hard skills are called “
soft skills”. Let's be clear: without soft skills, hard skills cannot be applied properly. A designer who is unable to listen to his customers' opinions will never be able to create good prototypes. A doctor who cannot reassure his patients will not be a good doctor... While hard skills define specific competencies for which a person will be hired, soft skills will be the competencies that allow a person to succeed in their new job. They are not to be neglected and must be developed as much as the hard skills. 
Defining one's soft skills can seem very complex: how can I know precisely if I am charismatic, a good listener... The best way to know your soft skills can be either to compare the various possible traits and list them in the same way as for hard skills. Another method is to use a third party: ask a co-worker, a friend or a person with whom you used to collaborate to define which soft skills stand out in your personality. The result is doubly interesting. On the one hand, understanding your soft skills will allow you to know which characteristics to emphasize during an interview while being realistic. Also, knowing your soft skills allows you to better understand which professional experiences would be most suitable. 
 The purpose of this assessment is not only to help you complete your job or internship search: knowing your strengths and characteristics also allows you to understand what you can and must improve in the future. Being aware of one's weaknesses is already half the way to solving them. 
 
                                                                      MAXIME DUMAX-VORZET 
Maxime is a volunteer involved in Youth Skills Day's Campaign.
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the power of kindness

18/7/2022

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Picture
All cultures and religions have valued kindness throughout history, and it is likely the only quality that will continue to be valued in the future. Qualities such as generosity, benevolence, altruism, civility, goodwill, positive conduct, good intentions, and good-heartedness are some that make up kindness.We may express our gratitude, appreciation, or the smallest deeds of kindness to members of our family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, or even to complete strangers. Whoever
they are, just make a commitment to share it with at least one person each day.
​
But why should we be kind?
First, kindness releases upbeat hormones. Being good to others makes us feel better about
ourselves since serotonin levels increase, which are the hormones in charge of our pleasure
and fulfillment.

Second, kindness is good for our heart and mind. Have you ever heard the term "having a
warm heart"?
When we do something kind for someone, we can produce a hormone called
oxytocin, which aids in widening blood vessels and, as a result, lowers issues like high blood
pressure and constricted heart veins. Additionally, kindness has the added benefit of
reducing pain and anxiety. When we offer to help, we feel good vibrations like happy mood,
inner joy, and self-alertness.

Third, kindness reverses stress and depression. It has been demonstrated that when we
treat someone kindly, we may resolve our stress-related issues. Our actions of kindness
tend to relieve symptoms of sadness, anger, loneliness, and several other ailments.
Additionally, our immune system gradually strengthens and our happiness increases.

Fourth, kindness improves relationships. Being kind can have a profound impact on how we
feel about ourselves, the people around us, and the person we helped. In the end, it
promotes respect and stronger emotional bonds.

Fifth, kindness is contagious. Being kind and friendly not only benefits those around us, but
we can also anticipate reciprocal goodwill. Additionally, we undoubtedly melt the hearts of
many people around us, inspiring them to do nice deeds.

Acts of kindness can be both an action or even the absence of action. Simple acts of
kindness can go a long way. For instance, assisting an elderly person cross the street or
smiling and aiding someone when they are in need, are pure acts of emotion. Without
caring what others think or acting selfishly, this kindness can fix numerous issues at once.

Additionally, you are being kind to someone when you do not intentionally engage in
wrongdoing. For example, if you refrain from participating in gossip groups that promote
bullying or other actions, you are keeping things in control. You can quell the storm by being
silent.
We should recognise the importance of empowering oneself through the power of kindness.

"You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action"
                                                                                                                                         - Nelson Mandela

                                                                                Marcel Gutenberger 
Marcel is a volunteer from Germany involved in Nelson Mandela International Day's Campaign
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