The Global Sister Schools/Groups International Network for Sustainable Development Programme is intended to help meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Young People We Care (YPWC) is creating a network of organizations where youth can partner together amongst African communities, schools and groups and similar jurisdictions abroad. It is an interesting North-South programme! 

Young people in most countries like Europe and America tend to lack awareness or are apathetic about life and development challenges in some developing countries such as Africa. There is a lack of integration between young people from different cultures.The goals and the objectives of this network of organizations, schools or youth groups is to create an enabling environment through which social and economic development between African schools and other schools and youth groups of countries in other continents can take place successfully. This will be achieved through the sharing of best practices and the implementation of action projects that are geared towards the realization of the eight UN MDGs.  

YPWC believes that collaboration between developing and developed countries is key to achieving the MDGs. In this process YPWC and its partners hope to mobilize youth to become empowered in their communities, by providing opportunities for learning, capacity-building, cross-cultural awareness and self-development. The network will also create opportunities at the local level to share and learn from the experiences of youth nationally and internationally, thus fostering greater collaboration between and enhancing the effectiveness of youth-serving organizations. What the world will be like in 2015 will be a reflection of how developing and developed countries worked together to achieve the MDGs. 

1.  Classroom workshop: Students from university come together with students from high schools and facilitate a conversation exploring key development aid issues. The teacher will have to give their input as to how far the high school class has already discussed the topics raised.  The students have to think about the main problems and then present their conclusions. 
   
   
     

2. Internet based communication: High school students and others get in contact with their sister schools or groups and discuss the topics they wish to work on. For example, gender equality is a problem experienced in both northern and southern country groups. They will think about what they can do and will analyze projects that are taking place in their countries to change the situation. They will have to undertake a project on their own in which they have to think about an interesting topic, what they can do about it and also write a paper. This will be a meeting where the school groups can have fun! 
    

3. During the several stages the young leaders of tomorrow will think about their own projects with the support of school leaders and YPWC’s Youth Action Ambassadors who will mentor their local community projects for them and provide further advice throughout their service project. They have to present a concept paper at the end of this time period to their school or sister group.

In general the school students have to create their own projects on how to improve the lives of their deprived counterparts. They will find out a lot about other cultures and also about themselves. The students studying development aid will have time with others in filtering out the main ways on how to change the situations. The best project idea will be nominated and will get a prize.

Partner Finding

With hundreds of schools and youth groups around the world YPWC staff will find you partner schools or youth groups and work with you to improve any existing links.With years of linking experience and working with international development partner organizations, we will advise you about obtaining funding for your action plans.

Communication

The YPWC website contains all the communication tools you need to communicate effectively collaborate safely with other schools and your community leaders. They can be used at school or at home, and allow pupils and teachers to easily interact with their peers all over the world while improving their local communities and influencing policy direction.

Safety

Our online community and pupil’s safety is one of our topmost priorities. YPWC staff will make sure that the content and communications are recorded and moderated.  A YPWC member of staff monitors the activities of your students and is able to deactivate any of the features for individuals or even the whole class. This gives the group’s mentor complete control over how and when their pupils use their school or youth group blog.

YPWC therefore requires all youth groups and schools to submit current profiles of their group or school to our Secretariat. 

Please click here to download an application form