The World Youth Alliance has continued to grow and develop throughout 2006. The first Global project organized by the Alliance, the Viviamo - Habitat project, which partnered with other initiatives to improve the living environments on the ground and highlight best practices at the UN, was a success.  Members in the regions of the World Youth Alliance worked locally to help others live in a manner commensurate with their dignity.  The project will be continued in 2007 with opportunities for members to travel to other regions and work with young people there in the Viviamo projects.  The WYA continues to train young people around the world through seminars, conferences and our On Track training program.  The WYA also continues its advocacy projects, and WYA members were present at the UN commissions on women, population and development, social development and sustainable development. We participated in the final negotiations for the Convention for Persons with Disabilities (UN), the European office has been recognized as a leader in the bioethics debates at the European Parliament, and the WYA is now accredited with the Organization of American States (OAS).

Would you consider giving the World Youth Alliance a gift this Christmas Season?
We would greatly appreciate a gift of books blankets or pots as we prepare fore a new batch of interns this January and as we expand the training program in the new year.

For your convenience we have developed two wish lists.
1. The Amazon.com wish list includes some books that we use in our training programs around the world to help young people learn about the dignity of the person and human rights. These texts are prohibitively expensive outside the U.S.
2. Our registry list at Bed Bath and Beyond includes pots for our home and winter blankets for our interns. Items are available online at bedbathandbeyond.com or in their stores.
 
www.amazon.com Find Gifts/ Wish List/ Find someone’s Wish List/ World Youth Alliance 
Bed Bath and Beyond in store or at www.bedbathandbeyond.com /Gift Registries/ Find a Registry/ First name: Anna/ Last name: Halpine

Campaign of 1000:
Please join the WYA’s Campaign of 1000. This is an initiative to find 1000 new donors each giving $250 or more to the WYA. You can donate online at www.wya.net or by Check made payable to ‘World Youth Alliance’ and sent to WYA, 228 Eat 71st Street, New York, NY 10021.

Alumni:
We invite all Alumni of the World Youth Alliance to participate in the 3 for 1 Campaign. In commemoration of Anna's birthday and her final year as the President of the World Youth Alliance, we are setting up a scholarship fund. Our goal is to raise $30,000 by September 2, 2007.

Due to the generosity of two donors who have agreed to match alumni contributions dollar for dollar, we are challenging the alumni to raise $10,000. In essence, each dollar you raise is worth three.  Please visit our website to make a donation or contact Maria Grizzetti at maria@wya.net.

Africa      
World Youth Alliance Africa would like to thank all of you for the great support and encouragement you have shown us throughout the year. 2006 was a year full of action for the World Youth Alliance in Africa.  Many members were recruited and many more were trained in the ideas of the Alliance through training events held in different parts of the region. We were so encouraged by the enthusiasm of the young people we met in different countries. Many of you have shown great potential to change situations around you. We hope 2007 will be full of great achievement for the World Youth Alliance with your help.  Click here for more 2006 highlights.  We would also like to take this chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2007.  We look forward to working with you next year.  In Solidarity,  World Youth Alliance – Africa.

Asia Pacific
This past year has been one of growth, learning and lots of excitement. The second year of the World Youth Alliance in the Asia Pacific has proven to be one of the most fulfilling experiences in the lives of the staff and national committee members. WYAAP has continued to work with Gawad Kalinga, inviting members and friends to live the charter out in a very specific, concrete way – building homes and relationships with families from the urban slums in Manila. On Saturday, 16 December, WYAAP will be celebrating the holiday season with these families at the Castaneda Village in Mandaluyong. The community builds and workshops with the young people of Castaneda will definitely continue throughout the new year. Asia Pacific is also looking forward to working with more young people in deepening their understanding of dignity and development, bringing them to the UN Commissions in the Spring and providing them with more opportunities to learn more about themselves and others.

Europe
Regional conferences and advocacy work in Europe in 2006 have attracted high level interest and enabled us to develop close working relationships with leaders, academics and officials at the European institutions. We have met and trained  hundreds of young people from all over the continent and our unique contribution to crucial bioethics debates at the EU has been very welcome.

Major 2006 Projects included our Poland conference and our VIVIAMO Summer School in Romania. The two week Summer School programme of seminars, workshops and cultural trips successfully highlighted the practical importance of each of the Track A themes in considering 'The Art of Living'. Our conference in Warsaw on ' Human Dignity and the Future of Europe' attracted the finest speakers, patrons and participants. We are delighted to have developed relationships with so many institutions and future leaders in Poland. The consolidation of Track A materials and the launch of WYA online training has been important for formation of Committee members. Track A trainings, Strategic planning sessions and introductory workshops continue throughout the Region.  We congratulate new Chapter members in Slovenia and Poland and look forward to developing WYA Chapters in Rome, London, Munich and Paris over the coming months!

Latin America
This 2006 year has been full of work, thanks for what we have achieved together! Highlights include the World Ethic Forum we organized the youth section of the World Ethic Forum in Mexico City, where we were able to engage in a dialogue about the problems in society, guided by the light of principles derived from human dignity. A new Central American Office we are still growing! We now have the support of World Youth Alliance Central America, with the office based in San José, Costa Rica.  Viviamo! We understand the value of developing our own habitat and our communities, that’s why the Guadalajara based project Viviamo! with Acortar Distancias A.C. has united our members and volunteers efforts. UN Commissions and International Solidarity Forum In March, we took a Latin American delegation to each Conference and Commission in the UN. We are getting ready for the next ones! They start in February, as well as the International Solidarity Forum. Training Several of our Latin American members are about to finish their training. Thank you and keep up the good work! We hope to see you during the Commissions and the ISF. And International Internships We had great members joining us for their internship in New York! José Angel Torres from Monterrey, Lourdes Villanueva from Guadalajara, Lupita Garcia from Ciudad Obregón and Marianne Gerhard from Hermosillo; have attended conferences at the UN and they have been of great help developing international projects. Thank you! Congratulations to Lourdes Villanueva who has taken up the position of regional director and Marianne Gerhard who will be the regional director of operations. We are excited to see what 2007 holds!

North America
In October, WYA North America welcomed its new Director, Simon Fung from Canada.  November saw the launch of the WYA online Training Zone for North American members.  Here, members from across North America have access to WYA training materials and practice articulating the message of the dignity of the human person. 

North American members will be participating in the 2007 UN Commissions and the 2007 International Solidarity Forum at the United Nations, WYA North America is currently inviting members to send in their ideas for local cultural projects that they can help organize. The aim of these events is to bring the dignity of the human person into the forefront of North American culture, Road Trip 2007 will be happening in the fall of 2007. If you would like WYA to speak at your club, school, or community please contact us.