ENCATC supports the UN’s International Youth Day
On 12 August 2017, the UN International Youth Day is dedicated to celebrating young people’s contributions to conflict prevention and transformation as well as inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace.
According to the UN’s statement for this year’s International Youth Day, “young people’s inclusion in the peace and security agenda and in society more broadly, is key to building and sustaining peace. The process of social inclusion for youth, including participation in decision-making as well as access to quality education, health care and basic services promotes their role as active contributors to society and affords young people with opportunities to reach their potential and achieve their goals. When youth are excluded from political, economic and social spheres and processes, it can be a risk factor for violence and violent forms of conflict. Therefore, identifying and addressing the social exclusion of young people is a precondition for sustaining peace”.
ENCATC would add to this the active participation of youth in culture. Culture has long been recognized for its important role in fostering mutual understanding, tolerance, social inclusion, and community building. Going even further, by young people taking an active role in the management of our heritage, arts, and cultural organisations, they are ensuring the cultural sector is strong and sustainable and can continue to be part of building peaceful and cooperative societies. Being open to other cultures to foster mutual understanding is also crucial. This is why ENCATC strongly believes in supporting student mobility to gain international professional experience in different countries and cultural contexts.
The PRAXIS e-magazine was launched in 2008 to help students access such opportunities more easily and get a jump-start on their careers in cultural management. ENCATC is very proud since its launch of PRAXIS to have shared 1,036 internship opportunities in the cultural sector in 65 countries around the world.
Usually reserved for students studying cultural management and policy at ENCATC member institutions, on the occasion of the UN's International Youth Day, the network is releasing a free copy to the public. ENCATC wants to share internship and job opportunities for young people to gain work experience abroad in new cultural settings.