27 May 2010

BRAZIL / YOUTH WALK

Ahead of the Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, young participants take part in a Cultural Walk in the SAARA, one of the most culturally diverse neighbourhoods in the city. UNTV

Posted at: May 27, 2010 4:22 pm

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STORY: BRAZIL / YOUTH WALK
SOURCE: UNTV
TRT: 1.58
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 26 MAY 2010, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

SHOTLIST:

1. Various shots, buildings
2. Med shot, banner, AOC Forum
3. Various shots, young participants dancing
4. Various shots, local population of SAARA and AOC participating youth
5. Various shots, group of event attendees with guide
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Farzeen Ferdous Alah, Student and Activist:
"It's been amazing, I got to meet so many different people from so many different countries. It's been a mini United Nations, but on the road. And more than that, the walk in itself has just given me a whole lot of ideas about how in practicality cultures can actually interact and integrate together into one community."
7. Med shot, young participants walking through neighbourhood 
8. Various shots, attendees observe market and discuss with guide 
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Tayyaba Khan, activist and founder of Young Muslim Women's Association in New Zealand:
"I think that cultural dialogue is very much about that. So I learned that throughout the walk, I learned how people can just live their lives side by side and not really emphasize on their differences. And I want to take that away with me and be able to apply to the work that we do back home."
10. Various shots, young participants with Jorge Sampaio
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal and High-Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations:
"The issue really, about youth and the Alliance is - and I would put it under a major heading - in other words, hope. In a world where problems are so complex; where cultural diversity is becoming an issue on the agenda that has to be tackled very carefully, youth is a driving force."
12. Wide shot, young participants and locals in market

STORYLINE:

As a side event to the Third Alliance of Civilizations Forum - taking place in Rio de Janeiro Brazil - 120 youth from all over the world visited the most culturally and religiously diverse neighbourhood in the city.

Many of the young participants come from areas torn by religious and cultural intolerance. The walk aimed to show how a neighbourhood filled with cultural diversity can live in a peaceful coexistence.

Farzeen Ferdous Alah, a student and activist from Bangladesh, said that the walk gave him many ideas about how cultures can "interact and integrate together into one community."

The walk was guided by many local volunteers, who explained the history of the SAARA neighbourhood, and how it was formed by many waves of arriving migrants.

Many participants related the event to their own experiences, like Tayyaba Khan, who was born in Pakistan but has since moved to Japan and later founded the Young Muslim Women's Association in New Zealand.

The group later met with Jorge Sampaio the former President of Portugal and High-Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations.

Sampaio said that cultural diversity was becoming a major issue in the world and has to be tackled very carefully – "youth is a driving force, " he said.

During their stay in Rio, the young participants will participate in various workshops and roundtables, where they will decide on a list of priorities and recommendations to be presented to the Heads of State attending the annual Forum of the Alliance.