Posts Tagged ‘#youthaction’

WILL YOU MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE? by Co-Founder and Executive Director Alessandra Gorini

Written by alessandra.gorini@y4pt.org on . Posted in All Y4PT Chapters

I was lucky enough not to be confronted by any terrible, catastrophic event throughout my life unlike the ones my parents and many other people around the world have experienced.

I was also lucky enough not to see any of the Y4PT Youth around the world suffer because of war since the beginning of our organization which was founded 16 years ago.

Unfortunately, I am devastated to say that I am no longer lucky. Four of my dearest Afghan friends, colleagues and volunteers who did so much for the world, are now stuck in Kabul, Afghanistan where the rules now is no rule. 

We have all heard about Afghanistan, Iraq, and many horrible wars and violent actions all over the world; we have all heard the news many times distantly during our lives, sympathizing with the poor populations who were going through hell. We have also, at times, met refugees and have heard stories from families and people close to us. We were moved for a little while, at that little glance of despair but then we all went back to our regular lives.

However, today is the day that you must not abandon their cries for help, because that one friend, that one youth, that one smile, that one collaboration is part of your world. You cannot turn your eyes away and you must not want to turn your eyes away because they need us now more than ever.

Day by day, moment by moment, through time, through the lack of intelligence of our societies, the craziness of our divisions, you are the missing puzzle piece that gives us hope about how much we are all united. Each of us have different life experiences and unfortunately, some of us are not privileged enough to have peaceful life experiences but we must unite in order to make sure they do. With all the atrocities , separations, deaths , scissures and deathly wounds happening as a result of war, we must not stay silent and accept them.

This is why we are calling upon you to pick the side of those who yearn to seek protection and peace. They need us to give them hope with a capital H , the right to live a proper, serene life without war and calamities.

My dear Afghan friends are living a life of hell right now; whilst you, me and many others are laughing, eating , sleeping , loving,  working and moving around without any interference. 

They are fearing for their lives, with no proper income, a safe place to sleep and are terrified of making the wrong move. Their chance for a proper life lies in the hands of any person who is willing to provide them with documentation, visa and a plane ticket to live a safe life abroad. Their only misfortune is being born in a place that will never allow them to lead a normal and safe life full of prosperities and that is just unacceptable.

Will you make the impossible possible? Will you give them life? 

They were all studying to learn more, to have that chance of illuminating other paths, other lives, to help their country, to help  their people and nation grow.

Now,  because of the cruelty of the people who created this war and the deadly games played, they are separated from their spouses and away from each other with a tiny red thread binding them that can break any moment. 

Project yourself in that hell, project your children in that hell; what will you do for your children, what will you do for your parents? You’ll do  EVERYTHING to make the impossible possible

I’m asking you to help us make the impossible possible, through; 

Searching for chances, contacts , possibilities and if not possible help with a donation; so they’ll have to cross that frontier to another country to save their lives. They will then need to wait for days and maybe months for securing a visa which is still dependent on somebody willing to make that effort to bring them out.

I still remember when I met them, their smiles , their respectful and demure attitude, a sign of great humbleness and dignity.  Will we all give them a chance to live? 

So far, we have heard  loads of useless words on social media from politicians in different countries.

So far, bureaucracy and long listing priorities are threatening their lives. 

So far, my Afghan friends are counting on us in this world  of ours, where legality and respect for the weaker are constantly at risk.

Will you make the impossible possible?

This is a heartfelt appeal to all  and each of you to use all your abilities and possibilities and to make that move , jump higher and help them with us.

If you cannot find any chance of contact, please do support their escape , as banks are not open in Kabul and they will need to be accommodated somehow, somewhere maybe for long. 

You can send your support to our Y4PT Bank Account with the mention:

Afghani Support 

Y4PT BNP PARIBAS

BE82 0016 9153 1668

They will thank you from the bottom of their heart

With love,

Alessandra

AFGHANISTAN AND ITS HISTORY

If you want to have a first reading about Afghanistan and its rich variety of population from the Prehistoric Era , you can just start with Wikipedia to become more friendly with this important population and country.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic Era, and the country’s strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. The land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by Alexander the GreatMauryasMuslim ArabsMongolsBritishSoviets, and in 2001 by the United States with NATO-allied countries. It has been called “unconquerable” and nicknamed the “graveyard of empires“,though it has been occupied during several different periods of its history. The land also served as the source from which the Greco-BactriansKushansHephthalitesSamanidsSaffaridsGhaznavidsGhoridsKhaljisMughalsHotaksDurranis, and others have risen to form major empires.

Read more on Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan#Demographics

Y4PT YOUNGEST VOICES FOR THE WORLD!

Written by alessandra.gorini@y4pt.org on . Posted in All Y4PT Chapters, Y4PT Media, Y4PT World

Anna Movsesjan and Nina Ebel:  16years old, among our new youngest voices : we are glad the real world is not only bad news but is committed and dedicated!

These 2 young ladies are not awaiting to be old and bold to get more involved in the environmental protection and in our Y4PT Hackathons to generate a transformation.

They have clear ideas on how the world is driven and where we are heading to: their first participation to a Y4PT local Hackathon in Menden, South Westphalia, has been an incredible opportunity that gave them access to the Final Y4PT through in Stockholm, during the UITP Summit,  last June 2019.

The famous African say, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, it means you have never spent a night in a room with a mosquito”, well represent the strength and the determination of these two young girls willing to start making this difference with us and embracing the position of Ambassadors for Y4PT.

Every morning Anna and Nina they go to school knowing that every action they make has a profound impact on their community and on the planet. Nina often asks her parents to let her take the public transport system, instead of using the car, to reduce the emissions in the atmosphere. Anna is very concerned by plastic use on the planet and she has been educated by her family to reduce the plastic and garbage waste, at the point that she is now training her younger sister to do so too.

They are both extremely concerned about the fall of numbers of plants and animals, they are extremely conscious on how the loss of endangered species, is already troubling the life on the planet and, at the long term, will continue to trouble and produce nefarious effects on our human societies.

They have been impacted by the Y4PT experience and pleasantly surprised by the possibilities of belonging to a committed community where thousands of young people are thinking the same and are able to generate real transformations.

Now, they are bringing forward two important projects, and one of them has won the First Prize during the Y4PT 3rd Global Hackathon Final in Stockholm June 2019 , at the UITP Summit, the worldwide oldest and most prestigious event on Mobility around the world. www.uitp.org

Anna participated in implementing a project related on how to improve mobility in war zones where cities life is affected: where locals are still living and confronted to a lack of services and public utilities. Anna was helping Ahmad and other participants to improve the Start-up Ahmad has created in Damascus, Syria, to help its fellow concitizens.

Nina, has been generating, within a group of young people from South Africa, Colombia, Ecuador, The Netherlands and Germany, an innovative project on recuperating food waste via public transport, for biogas production.

“We are sure we can impress people and we can give life to a transformation, we need to start from bottom up to influence and provoke the decision makers to take different steps and embrace different directions“ , Anna and Nina said; “we want to reach the schools, everything starts from there, education is fundamental, creating workshops and with the help of Y4PT (www.Y4PT.org ) we know we can make it! We are just going forward and Y4PT is giving us strength! “

Y4PTis proud to have reached many young people all around the world in all these years, spreading seeds and see them growing: Anna and Nina will represent this positive voice in a “sea of unsustainability”, bringing all of us, Humans, hope.

The first pills of wisdom of Anna and Nina are here!

https://youtu.be/i2ImKiv19Q4

https://youtu.be/PUyeOlCT6nE

and follow our YouTube Channel for more youngest voices videos! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDeS_gINnZHgVFVMEF4SwlA

Alessandra Gorini

Head and Founder Y4PT

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