On July 22, 2016, AYUDH will host a Symposium to engage young people in a discussion on how they can contribute to building peaceful and inclusive societies. July 22nd marks the date of the 2011 Utøya and Oslo massacres, in which 77 people—mostly youth—lost their lives in these tragic attacks in Norway. AYUDH supports efforts to establish July 22nd as a day to remember the victims of hate speech and hate crimes and launch initiatives—like this Symposium—focused on creating intercultural understanding and social cohesion.
Bringing together leading voices in the fields of politics, diplomacy, activism, education and countering violent extremism with 400 young participants, this gathering aims to shift attention from personal and cultural identities to our fundamental human identity, and our shared need to be respected, understood and loved for who we are. Speakers include Swami Amritaswarupananda, Vice Chairman, Mata Amritanandamayi Math; Martine Reicherts, Director-General of Education Culture, Youth and Sports, European Commission; Anne Brasseur, Council of Europe No Hate Speech Ambassador; Bjørn Ihler, Kofi Annan Foundation Fellow for Countering Violent Extremism; Indra Adnan, Founder of the Soft Power Network; and Ernesto Marinelli, SVP, Head of HR for SAP Middle East, Africa & Europe.
Focusing narrowly on our differences often leads to hatred, violence and exclusion. Focusing broadly on our shared humanity can foster solidarity, compassion and peace. We will explore these issues through the lens of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #16, dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice for all and building effective, accountable institutions. The efforts of political leaders and institutions to establish and ensure peace on national and global levels must coincide with local efforts to nurture a culture of peace in younger generations around the world. The Symposium will also play host to the official launch of the No Hate Speech Movement digital campaign and website in Germany.
This event is being organized by AYUDH, an international youth movement founded and inspired by renowned spiritual and humanitarian leader Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi). AYUDH seeks to empower young people to make social and political change for more inclusive and peaceful societies through self-development, inner transformation and collective action, developing compassionate leaders with a sense of tolerance, solidarity and global responsibility.
The One Humanity Symposium is part of AYUDH’s 12th annual European Youth Summit ‘One World, One Home’. This summit is supported by the Council of Europe’s European Youth Foundation, SAP SE and the Kloster Eberbach Foundation, carried out in partnership with the United Nations Inter-Agency-Network on Youth Development, the No Hate Speech Movement, the Lebenshilfe e.V. Offenburg and the German municipalities of Brombachtal and Michelstadt.
