The Power of Art for Peace and Respect

The Power of Art for Peace and Respect

Thursday 26 June 2008, ‘Theater Zwembad De Regentes’. Weimarstraat 63, The Hague, Free entrance

DEBATE:

The number of youth in large urban areas is growing worldwide. According

to the World Development Report 2007: Development and the Next

Generation of the World Bank, the current percentage of unemployed yet

educated youth is unprecedented. Their frustrations, lack of opportunities

and increasing poverty are causing civil unrest, discrimination and violence.

At the same time, some youth manage to escape from this situation and

even manage to stimulate their peers to remain positive. Art has shown to

play an encouraging and important role in this. To date, the link between art

and violence does not receive much attention, however.

The debate ‘The Power of Art for Peace and Respect’ will focus on the role

that art can play in transforming a culture of violence into a culture of peace.

Which factors contribute toward this? What role does art play exactly? How

can we strengthen this positive transformation? And what role do youth

play? These are all relevant questions when looking at cultures of violence

and peace among youth in the Netherlands and internationally.

The debate is a continuation of the conference ‘Stop Violence Against Children’, which was held in November 2007. Plan Nederland and the Institute of Social Studies/International Centre for Child and Youth Studies havetaken the initiative to organize the debate and are doing so in cooperation with the ‘Violence against Children Knowledge Forum’. Other participating organizations in the forum are International Child Development Initiatives, Defence for Children International/End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes, UNICEF, Save the Children, International Research on Working Children and International Centre for Children & Youth Studies.

If you are interested to participate in the debate

please inform Joëlle Vollebregt at

debate@plannederland.nl.

Programme:

09.00 Arrival

09.30 Welcome by Mr. Michael de Roo (director De Regentes)

09.33 Column by Mrs. Yvonne Heselmans (Plan Nederland)

09.35 Speech and musical event of the Devastators (youth band)

09.50 Presentation of Mrs. Alcinda Honwana (Prins Claus Chair)

about the roles of children and youth in the transformation

from conflict to peace (nyc)

10.00 Presentation of Mrs. Rona Jualla Ali (Education Sociologist

and Independent Consultant for ICDI) about her research carried

out in cooperation with the Instute of Social Studies concerning

‘Transformation of a Culture of Violence into a Culture of Peace’

10.10 Presentation of Mr. Mathijs Euwema, (director of ICDI and

children’s psychologist) about the intrinsic meaning of art for

youth when participating in civil oriented art projects

10.20 Questions

10.30 Column by Mrs. Simone Bommeljé (UNICEF)

10.32 Mr. John Leerdam (Parliament, PvdA), Mrs. Luisa Quiroz

(IREWOC) and Mrs. Jantien Hadders (director Kosmopolis) discuss

the power of art for peace and respect in society

11.00 Coffee and tea break

11.15 Column by Mr. Theo Noten, DCI/ECPAT

11.17 Final debate between youth and professionals present

12.00 Lunch break

13.00 Participatory art workshops

Workshop 1 Do’s and don’ts of research in a context of

violence’. Facilitated by Mrs. Rona Jualla Ali and

the Institute of Social Studies

Workshop 2 ‘Art as a way to raise your voice in campagnes and

lobby’. A participatory workshop involving rappers

Stenniz & Solo.

Facilitated by Plan Nederland/Rap4Rights

Workshop 3 ‘Limits to youth participation and peace processes

through art’. Facilitated by Mr. Erwin Schellekens,

Mundial Productions

14.15 Feedback from the workshops and conclusion of the day

15.00 Launch Special ‘Culture and Conflict’ on The Power of Culture website

15.10 Drinks

16.00 End

For further information about the subject ‘Culture and Conflict’ please

see the ‘Power of Art’ website www.krachtvancultuur.nl.

Theater Zwembad De Regentes

Weimarstraat 63, Den Haag

It is accessible with public transport by taking Randstad Rail 3 from The Hague Central station. Alternatively you can take tram number 11 or 12 from The Hague Holland Spoor. For full details about accessibility, please refer to the route description on the website www.deregentes.nl.

Moderator Mr. Ruben Maes

Initiators Mrs. Yvonne Heselmans and Mrs. Joëlle Vollebregt

Contact Mrs. Joëlle Vollebregt debate@plannederland.nl

020-549 55 01

Plan Nederland

Van Boshuizenstraat 12

Postbus 75454

1070 AL Amsterdam

Telefoon: 020 - 549 55 55

Fax: 020 - 644 40 65

E-mail:

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Internet: www.plannederland.nl