PRESS BRIEFING ON 2004 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH ART COMPETITION

PRESS BRIEFING ON 2004 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH ART COMPETITION

The 2004 International Youth Art Competition was being launched to promote cultural diversity and build a world where people lived together in peace and harmony, Nancy Rivard, President of Airline Ambassadors International told correspondents today.

The competition was announced at a Headquarters press briefing this morning, sponsored by the Mission of Spain.  Also participating in the event were Joaquin Antuna, President of the non-governmental organization Peace and Cooperation; and Airline Ambassadors International California Youth Representatives, Chelsea and James Norell.

The speakers were introduced by a representative of Spain, Faustino Diaz Fortuny, who said that his Mission’s support for the project was a tradition of at least 10 years.  The project connected youth and art in an effort to promote peace and understanding around the world.

Mr. Antuna said that the competition endeavoured to bring important international issues to ordinary schools around the world.  For instance, last year’s competition on sustainable development and environment had taken the message of the Johannesburg Summit to schools in 35 countries.  In 2004 –- the year when Barcelona would host a Universal Forum of Cultures to advance sustainable development, cultural diversity and peace -- the theme of the competition would be “The Universal Dialogue of Cultures”.

In these volatile times, he said, it was important to go back to the basics of the culture of peace, which promoted the concepts of cooperation, non-violence and love for the planet.  Organizers of the event sought entries from many countries, and the response so far had been very good.  The competition was in its nineteenth year now, and for the last nine years, it had been co-sponsored by United States-based Airline Ambassadors International and Spain-based Peace and Cooperation.

Ms. Rivard added that since its start nearly 10 years ago, the competition had reached almost 1 million children from 70 countries.  Each year, a global issue was chosen for the youth of the world to reflect upon.

The award ceremony traditionally took place on 30 January -– the anniversary of the death of Ghandi.  This year, the winning entry -– issued as the official poster of the competition -- had been designed by a group of seven-year-old boys in Sarajevo, who depicted the Earth as a green planet covered by flowers and people.  A prize had also been awarded to a girl and her father in Brazil who had entered a song as their contribution to the competition.

Explaining the terms of the competition, James Norell said that it would include five levels:  drawing for children up to seven years old; a story for ages eight through 12; a play for ages 12 to 16; a project for a youth or peer group for ages 16 and older; and a school party in the teachers’ category.  The objective of the project was to spread awareness and spark debate in a quest for possible solutions.

The works would be presented in the six official languages of the United Nations, with submissions in Catalan also allowed, he said.  All the entries were to be submitted by 1 July to the offices of Peace and Cooperation in Madrid or Barcelona.  The prizes would include four diplomas in each category and five cash prizes of €200 each.  Two plane tickets would be offered by the Airline Ambassadors International.

His sister, Chelsea, described her family’s community service experiences, saying that she wanted to do her part to educate her friends in America and overseas about the importance of cultural diversity and mutual understanding.  It was important for the voice of peace and cooperation to be heard, she stressed.

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