YOUTH IN THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN CULTURES

According to DOD: Youths from the West and East marked theirpresence at the 3rd Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, wihchbegan today (27th) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In the panel "Roleof Cultural Routes in Building the Alliance of Civilizations,"anthropologist and founder of the Abraham's Path project, WilliamUry, from the United States, talked about the importance of theyouth of today in developing a better future. "Youths are more open-minded, they are more idealistic and are part of the Internetgeneration, a generation without borders. These characteristicsrepresent a potential to make a better world," said Ury, who showeda video to the forum's participants featuring youths fromPalestinian villages who participate in the Abraham's Path project.According to him, the project aims to promote cultural exchange andcreate a sustainable tourist route geared towards economicdevelopment and the coming together of different peoples. Since thebeginning of the project, in late 2006, approximately 3,000 peoplehave travelled the route that retraces the steps of prophet Abraham,originator of the three major monotheistic religions (Judaism,Christianity and Islamism), which congregate 3.5 billion peopleworldwide. The path has been travelled by youths from Palestine,Jordan, France, Germany, Britain, Pakistan and Brazil. The youngImad Mansour, from the city of Nablus, in the West Bank,participated in the debate to discuss the project's importance andthe good experience that he amassed after having taken the path. "Igot to know other traditions and cultures from other places inPalestine that I was not aware of. It was a great experience," saidhe, who is a member of NGO Tomorrow's Youth, based in the Arabcountry. According to Mansour, the NGO has different programmes tohelp Palestinian children and youth gain better knowledge ofthemselves. The programmes include "Our World," for exchange."Youngsters from other countries can come to Palestine and gainbetter understanding of our culture, and Palestinians also get achance to know other cultures," he said. These programmes and paths,according to Ury, contribute to sustainable tourism. In the case ofAbraham's Path, for instance, Palestinian families offer lunches andsnack breaks along the way at affordable prices, and the familiesthemselves feel good by offering typical food to foreigners, or evento Palestinians from other cities. Another NGO of youths thatattended the debate was "One Young World," which comprises roughly8,000 young people from 112 countries. The organization isrepresented by young ambassadors in several cities and is promotingdialogue for peace between different cultures. The forum wasattended by the ambassadors of Nigeria, Russia and South Africa.Ury's panel, which counted on the presence of the president of theArab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Salim Taufic Schahin, theorganization's Foreign Relations vice president, Helmi Nasr, and itssecretary general, Michel Alaby, moved the participants, whowitnessed the growing commitment of youths with the path of alliancebetween cultures. "The presence of these youths is very stimulating,because the future is in their hands. It is important to see thatthey already have notions of respect, tolerance, and peace," statedSchahin.