CISV

CISV International (formerly Children's International Summer Villages) is an international youth organization, founded on the aim of achieving world peace through cross-cultural understanding and friendship. The organization operates international programs on an annual basis to bring together participants from member countries.

CISV was founded in 1951 by Dr. Doris Twitchell Allen. Since then, the organization has expanded into 80 countries, and over 150,000 delegates have participated in more than four thousand international CISV activities.

For Dr. Allen and the CISV organization, children and youth were seen as the ideal starting point for peace education. Programmes were developed which offered young people opportunities to meet their peers from other countries and to form intercultural friendships. Locally, programmes give people the chance to learn about the cultures in their own communities and explore important themes related to peace and understanding.

Global Youth Action Network

The Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) is an international network of youth NGOs spanning 180 countries, and headquartered in New York, near the United Nations. GYAN is a youth-led not for profit organization (registered in 2001, New York [USA], under section 501[c]3) that incubates global partnerships and increases youth participation in decision-making. GYAN has registered chapters in Brazil, Colombia, France, Ghana, Mexico, and South Africa, with teams working out of an additional eight countries.

GYAN catalogs and helps to connect youth groups to each other, to information, resources and opportunities that empower their work for social change. Membership is open to any organization that does not promote hatred or violence towards others, and that is youth-led, youth-serving or youth-friendly. GYAN's 600 member organizations help determine future priorities for the Network, working to implement a "5-Level Model of Effective Youth Organizing", based on Integral theory and 10 years of organizing experience.

Through a partnership with TakingITGlobal, an active Internet community of student organizers, vounteers and activitists, GYAN has helped to catalog more than 10,000 youth organizations on-line. GYAN's YouthLinkExpress e-newsletter reaches 12,000 subscribing individuals, institutions and leaders in the youth development and other sectors.

GYAN is known for co-coordinating Global Youth Service Day, a program of Youth Service America, since its launch in 2000. These have grown into the world's largest annual celebration of young volunteers, with millions of participants. The organization has also worked to increase youth participation and channel youth voices into policy-making at international institutions, such as the United Nations, where it holds Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and Affiliate Status with the Department of Public Information.

British Columbia Youth Parliament

The British Columbia Youth Parliament (BCYP) is a youth service organization that operates in the guise of a "parliament" in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BCYP fulfills its motto of "Youth Serving Youth" by means of "legislation" enacting community service projects and other youth-oriented activities. The BCYP is the successor to the Older Boys' Parliament of British Columbia, which first met in 1924.

During the week that the BCYP meets in the Legislature, the members elect a new Premier, Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Speaker for the next legislative year.

On the last day of the annual sitting of the BCYP, a Prorogation ceremony is held. As part of the ceremony, the Lieutenant Governor (a person appointed by the Premier, usually a prominent person in the community) signs all approved bills into “law”. After the December sittings, the members become the organization’s own “civil service” and implement the community service projects legislated at the session.

For most of the BCYP’s history, the legislative year was referred to a “session”; however, in the mid-1990s the BCYP began referring to the annual session as a “parliament”, in keeping with Parliamentary tradition.

The BCYP models itself on the Westminster Parliamentary system. The BCYP is sponsored by the Youth Parliament of B.C. Alumni Association, a charitable organization registered with the Canada Revenue Agency. In keeping with the parliamentary structure of the BCYP, the board of directors of the Alumni Association is referred to as the “Senate”.

The BCYP itself is lead by a cabinet appointed by the Premier-elect. The Premier-elect also appoints various other officers, such as a Lieutenant Governor, a Speaker, a chief clerk, and a Sergeant-At-Arms, among others. The legislative year for a Premier and his or her cabinet runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. The Premier and Cabinet plan the “government’s” legislative plan and prepare the bills for consideration at the December sitting of the BCYP.

Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade

The Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade is a Church of England youth organisation with branches in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Barbados, Bermuda, Kenya, South Africa, Newfoundland and St Helena. It was founded in 1891 as the Church Lads' Brigade with its sister organisation, the Church Nursing and Ambulance Brigade for Young Women and Girls, later the Church Girls' Brigade, founded in 1901. The two Brigades amalgamated in 1978 to form the Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade.

The Brigade's Patron Saint is St Martin of Tours. A banner depicting St Martin, which was presented by the Brigade in 1921 to honour those members who lost their lives in the First World War, is kept at Westminster Abbey.

Members will arrive and be instructed, subs will be taken before moving onto badgework. This can last between 10 minutes and an hour depending on the age of the children (see Sections). The members are then instructed to fall in and do drill before moving onto games. Lastly, the Brigade Prayer is said before any notices are given out. Sweets are available at the end of the night.

Taking groups away is a large part of the Brigade, while there may be only two or three camps a year at company level, there are many more when escalated through battalion, regimental and national levels.

There are several national camps available, one being a trip to Butlins and another being 'spring adventure' (the location varies), these are both early in the year. While in these examples members are not in tents, many brigade companies choose to take their members on expeditions, sometimes working towards their Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Members are taught how to put a tent up, to cook for themselves and campsite etiquette.

European Youth Forum

The European Youth Forum (YFJ) is a platform that brings together tens of millions of young people from all over Europe and represents their common interests. Independently established by youth organisations, the YFJ is a platform made up of more than 90 National Youth Councils and International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations, which are federations of youth organisations in themselves.

As the biggest regional youth platform in the world, the European Youth Forum works to deepen European integration while also contributing to the development of youth work in other regions of the world.

Presidents: Ms Bettina Schwarzmayr (2007-today); Mr Renaldas Vaisbrodas (2005-2006); Mr Giaccomo Filibeck (2003-2004); Mr Henrik Söderman (2001-2002); Mr Pau Solanilla (1999-2000); Ms Pauliina Arola (1997-1998).

Secretary Generals: Mr Diogo Pinto (2005-today); Ms Johanna Tzanidaki (2002-2005); Mr Kim Svendsen (2001-2002); Tobias Flessenkemper (1999-2001); Ms Hrönn Pettursdorttir (1997-1998); Mr Stephen Grogan (1997).

Increase the participation of young people and youth organisations in society, as well as in decision-making processes;
Positively influence policy issues affecting young people and youth organisations, by being a recognised partner for international institutions, namely the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations;
Promote the concept of youth policy as an integrated and cross-sectoral element of overall policy development;
Facilitate the participation of young people through the development of sustainable and independent youth organisations at the national and international level;
Foster the exchange of ideas and experience, mutual understanding, and equal rights and opportunities among young people in Europe;
Uphold intercultural understanding, democracy, respect, active citizenship and solidarity.

Centre for the Talented Youth of Ireland

Alibata feature The Centre for the Talented Youth of Ireland (CTYI) is a youth programme for students between the ages of six and sixteen of high academic ability (generally scoring at the 95th percentile on assessment tests for 6-13 year olds and 97th percentile for 12-16 year olds) in Ireland.

CTYI was founded in 1992 and is based at Dublin City University in Glasnevin, Dublin 9. Colm O'Reilly has been its director since 2005. The centre offers various courses for gifted students as well as conducting research and promoting the needs of the talented in Ireland.

Some of the students at the summer programme come from overseas, mostly from the United States. Owing to the intensive nature of the programme, most of the 250-300 students who attend each session are residential, living in college accommodation for the duration of the course.

Weekdays in the summer programme are highly structured. Classes run from 9am to 3pm, with an hour's break for lunch. Activities take place from 3.15pm to 5pm, supervised by the residential assistants (RAs). Between 5pm and 7pm students have dinner and are required to attend a meeting with their RA group. 7pm to 9pm is taken up by the study period, which is supervised by the teaching assistant. Social hour takes place between 9pm and 10pm, with lights-out at 10.30pm. On weekends, social activities such as discos, shopping trips, visits to the cinema, excursions to various interesting sights in Ireland, talent shows, casino nights and so on are organised.

The centre runs correspondence courses throughout the year for 12-16-year-olds and also for Transition Year students who do not have to fulfil any aptitude test requirements. Courses include Creative Writing/Writing By Mail, Journalism, Psychology, Philosophy and Legal Studies.

These are once-off days at DCU, usually Saturdays, which feature a lecture or series of lectures on a particular topic of interest, e.g. "The Science behind Superheros".

Baybayin or Alibata

Baybayin or Alibata (known in Unicode as the Tagalog script) is a pre-Hispanic Philippine writing system that originated from the Javanese script Old Kawi. The writing system is a member of the Brahmic family (and an offshoot of the Vatteluttu alphabet) and is believed to be in use as early as the 14th century. It continued to be in use during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines up until the late 19th Century. The term baybayin literally means syllables. Closely related scripts are Hanunóo, Buhid, and Tagbanwa.

European Free Alliance Youth

European Free Alliance Youth is a youth organisation made up of members who belong to organisations, movements or political parties that safeguard and promote the cultural, linguistic and national diversity of Europe. The EFAY therefore is an alliance of the youth branches of nationalist and regionalist political parties and organizations throughout Europe, who are actively engaged at the State-Regional and European level. Our members work towards a greater recognition of European diversity.

Secretary General: Tijl Vereenooghe (Jong Spirit, Flanders)
Treasurer: Harkaitz Millan (Gazte Abertzaleak, Basque Country)
Vice President: Philippe Sour (Partit Occitan, Occitany)
Vice President: Reinhild Campidell (Junge Union, South Tyrol)
Vice President: Andreas Dahlén (Aland Framtid, Aland)
Vice President: Jura Novotny (Moravane, Moravia)
Vice President: Michael Schulz (Upper Silesian Youth, Silesia)

Federation of Student Nationalists.
Student Federation (Plaid Cymru).
Meybyon Kernow - the Party for Cornwall.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth.

The children are called "Little Brothers" and "Little Sisters", or collectively, 'littles' contrasting to the 'bigs' used collectively to refer to the adults. Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors children, ages 6 through 18. Matches are (Big)male-(Little)male, female-male, and female-female.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Kent Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and the Big Brothers movement. By 1916, Big Brothers had spread to 96 cities across the country.

In its most recent review, Big Brothers Big Sisters was selected by Forbes Magazine as one of its top ten charities, making the publication’s “gold star” list of charities worthy of donor consideration. The magazine surveyed 200 non-profits and rated them on how efficiently they collect and distribute dollars. Forbes looked at three categories: charitable commitment; fundraising efficiency, and donor dependency.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is rated a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator. The top rating reflects organizational efficiency and capacity.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America meets the BBB Wise Giving Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability.

Big Brothers Big Sisters received the American Institute of Philanthropy's highest rating, an A+