August 19, 2010
St. John’s University Center for Global
Development Partners with International Youth Groups
St. John’s Center for Global Development served as one of the
hosts for the “World Youth Parliament – Towards A Magna Charta Of
Values For A New Civilization,” held August 11-13, 2010 at the
University’s Queens campus and at the United Nations’ Headquarters.
The conference was a collaborative effort co-sponsored by the
Idente Youth Program of the Fernando Rielo Foundation, St. John’s
Center for Global Development, and the U.N. sponsorship of the Holy
See.
St. John’s hosted the first two days of the conference at the
university with activities concluding at the United Nations’
Headquarters on the final day (August 13).
More than 300 young people (including St. John’s
students) participated in the World Youth Parliament (WYP
2010) conference coming together to propose values for a new
civilization. Several dignitaries were on hand highlighted by: His
Eminence Cardinal Edward Egan, former Archbishop of New York, and
His Excellency Ambassador Francisco Carrión Mena, Permanent
Representative of the Mission of Ecuador to the United
Nations.
The World Youth Parliament is a permanent forum made of young
people from all over the world that have been working for the past
two years to ratify a Magna Charta that proposes guidelines
for a new way of life based on a serious commitment for radical
change.
The objective of this Magna Charta is to make known a reality that
seldom comes to light: the great effort that 
many
young people are making in their personal and social lives to reach
their highest aspirations by proposing new models for development,
while fostering dialogue and promoting a more compassionate and
just society. The ratified document was read at the U.N., and later
will be distributed to the delegates of all countries, so that the
voice of the young will be taken into consideration in the decision
making process.
On Saturday, August 14, to celebrate this historical event, all
young people put on an extraordinary performance to a full house in
the Little Theater at St. John’s. From dances from Mexico, Ecuador,
and India, to songs and poems from Spain and Germany and
documentaries from Italy -- the show ended on an upbeat note to the
delight of all in attendance.
For more information on the WYP 2010 conference visit the following
web sites at www.wyparliament.org/index/index.php?lang=en
and
www.stjohns.edu/wyp.
Interested media outlets can contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant
Vice President for Media Relations at St. John’s University by
calling (718) 990-6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.