08 Mar Mediterranean youth dialogue
The seventh Mediterranean Forest Week, which places an important role on the next Mediterranean generations, offers an opportunity and platform to promote youth exchanges on ecosystem and forest restoration by ensuring a bottom-up approach.
The dialogue invites Mediterranean youth to express challenges and exchange ideas and best practices in the forest sector. It is a great opportunity to define goals and objectives and to make youth voices heard and recognized.
The outcomes of this discussion will be key for the High-Level segment of the Committee of Mediterranean Forestry Question Silva Mediterranea that will take place during the seventh Mediterranean Forest Week. This Mediterranean youth statement will also provide a valuable input for the Youth Declaration of the XV World Forestry Congress.
The Mediterranean region unifies southern Europe and northern African countries and the dialogue promotes exchange among young people that share common challenges in two different continents. This can be a first step to the foundation of a strong and active engagement of regional youth to promote further exchanges for the seventh Mediterranean Forest Week, the XV World Forestry Congress and to join forces with the #GenerationRestoration Youth Task Force of the UN decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
In addition, the workshop will promote knowledge sharing and networking opportunities for young Mediterranean people.
Register
The objective of the dialogue addressed for Mediterranean youth is to:
- Provide a platform to bring youth from the Mediterranean region, including rural youth and youth organisations, together to discuss common challenges and opportunities, showcase success stories and share experiences, good practices and lesson learnt for forest and ecosystem restoration.
- Through a bottom-up approach, contribute to the participation, recognition and visibility of youth in the forestry sector and present opportunities to find a unified youth regional voice to share recommendations to High-Level practitioners and decision makers through a statement, signed by the participant organizations and youth-led organizations.
- Contribute to the foundation of a contact list of regional youth leaders to promote further exchanges for the seventh Mediterranean Forest Week, the XV World Forestry Congress and to join forces with the #GenerationRestoration Youth Task Force of the UN decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the World Food Forum.
- Prepare two young Mediterranean representatives that will deliver the regional youth statement at the Silva Mediterranea High-Level segment and deliver a short speech during the seventh Mediterranean Forest Week in Antalya, Turkey.
Register
The dialogue is expected to:
- Collectively develop a youth statement on the forest sector, including recommendations for decision makers and high-level practitioners, that will be presented by a youth representative during the High-Level segment session at the seventh Mediterranean Forest Week and that can be integrated into the Youth Declaration of the XV World Forestry Congress.
Participation
Participants from the Silva Mediterranea Committee member countries are invited to join.
The virtual workshop will take place during the seventh MFW on 22 March 2022. It will last 2 hours (11.00 – 13.00 CET).
Languages
The workshop will be held in English and French. Breakout groups will be divided by languages.
Agenda
| 10 min |
Opening remarks Welcome and explanation of the objectives of the workshop by moderator. |
| 10 min | Interactive Mentimenter |
| 50 min |
Breakout groups (by languages – English and French) Through guiding questions, breakout groups will discuss the challenges and will provide an opportunity to share best practices, innovative solutions and highlight key needs for the promotion of employment, entrepreneurship and capacity building opportunities for Mediterranean youth in the forest sector. |
| 35 min |
Wrap-up session The moderator of each session shares a summary of the key points discussed during the break-out groups. Additional inputs can be shared by participants. |
| 10 min |
Identification of key volunteers Identification of key volunteers to review the draft Mediterranean youth statement that will be delivered during the High-Level segment of the 7MFW. |
| 5 min | Closing remarks |
The workshop is co-organized by the Forestry Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (XV World Forestry Congress and the seventh Mediterranean Forest Week), the Major Groups Children and Youth to the UNFF (MGCY) and the World Food Forum.
