2015 Global Challenges Youth Music Contest

http://www.glocha.info/index.php/latest-news/266-gymc15launchbonn

The Global Challenges Youth Music Contest is an online music video competition for young people organized by International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches (IAAI), a Civil Society Organization based in Klagenfurt/Austria and partners.

The overall objective of the Global Challenges Youth Music Contest is to engage young people in global challenges action in the context of goals and programs of United Nations system through music.

A first round of the competition – the Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest (GYMC) www.global-rockstar.net – has been organized in the context of United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (the so called Rio+20 conference, www.uncsd2012.org) .

The response has been overwhelming! More than 300 songs have been submitted from more than 40 countries, more than 200.000 unique site visitors participated in online voting.

The Rio+20 GYMC winners of both categories (children: up to 15 years and youth: 15 – 30 years) won a trip to Rio and participated in several events and activities at Rio+20 thus energizing the official negotiations and contributing heartpower and hope to everybody who had a chance to meet them either in Rio or virtually through the many social media activities of Rio+20 GYMC (e.g. 6.000 likes on on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rio20-Global-Youth-Music-Contest/275439455817158 & http://www.facebook.com/GlobalRockstar.net).

See: http://www.glocha.info/attachments/article/201/Rioplus20GYMCjourney_photococumentary13August2012_.pdf for details.

2015GYMC logo

The concept for second round of GYMC – the 2015 Global Challenges Youth Music Contest – has been elaborated at COP21 Youth and Media Workshop 24th of April at UNESCO headquarters in Paris (see photo of participants below) and shall be launched during Bonn Climate Change Conference early June 2015. Link to Draft 2015 GYMC Concept Note (as of 8 May 2015).

GroupPhoto Cop21 Youth Media Workshop UNESCO 24April2015

A. 2015 GYMC Background and Rationale

The year 2015 is an important milestone in human history and a unique opportunity for humanity

– – to improve at UNFCCC COP21 in December 2015 in Paris the international cooperation towards effective climate change mitigation and adaptation and

– – to set the course towards an universal and actionable framework of goals for sustainable development with post2015 sustainable development agenda in September 2015 in New York.

Both UN led processes (COP21 and post2015 agenda) are interconnected and interdependent and will need for its effective implementation an unprecedented mass mobilization effort and a shared global vision of all global citizens being a community united in global challenges action under the leadership of United Nations system.

But how to achieve this as UN system, its processes, programs and goals seem so distant and complex for majority of people?

The answer: 2015 Global Challenges Youth Music Contest (GYMC) !

The Intervention Logic is simple: using Music – the universal language of humanity – as a tool for global community building, innovative science communication and global citizenship education; reducing complexity of global challenges/climate change in a way that ordinary people can relate to.

With global challenges communication through music, there can be established an emotional connection between global citizens and the long-term strategy of United Nations system (post2015 agenda, Paris2015 climate accord, etc) and a shared vision created in which everybody is motivated to act in a culture of shared global social responsibility for global climate action towards successful of global post2015 agenda implementation.

By focusing on young people, their social energy and openness for innovation 2015 GYMC is going to generate hope and social energy in support of the work of UN system and successful COP21 negotiations in particular.

B. Purpose

The overall objective of the 2015 Global Challenges Youth Music Contest is to engage young people in global challenges action in the context of goals and programs of United Nations system through music, youth focused narratives and innovative media partnerships.

A particular aim of the initiative is to provide – by offering a specific 2015 GYMC Climate Change/COP21 Award (Working title) – a communication channel for young people to broaden with their music video clips the perspectives of COP21 negotiations, to create positive momentum towards successful COP21 negotiations and to inspire youth led local and global multistakeholder climate action.

C. Organizers

The 2015 GYMC is being organised jointly by UNESCO Management of Social Transformation Program and International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI) www.glocha.info in cooperation with the UNFCCC secretariat (to be confirmed), WorldWeWant2015 online consultation platform www.worldwewant2015.org and media partners like e.g. European Broadcasting Union.

UNFCCC constituency of youth non-governmental organizations (YOUNGO) has been involved in designing the initiative at COP20 in Lima as well as at COP21 Youth and Media Alliance Building Workshop held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris 24th of April 2015 in Paris (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL07aAmDA8jk1W09QVtz_LTS776Hu89fNX

D. Scope of the initiative:

The 2015 Global Challenges Youth Music Contest consists of 2 main parts:

the 2015 GYMC online competition and
the 2015 GYMC TV Show which will be held during COP21 at UNESCO Headquarters and will be globally broadcasted in cooperation with European Broadcasting Union and other media partners

2015 GYMC initiative is designed to

– Highlight the Paris climate talks to young people;

– Encourage them to think about what actions they can do, or are doing, or have done to combat climate change;

– Invite them to produce music video clips about their vision of a sustainable world and upload it to the voting platform (address to be determined; Rio+20 GYMC example: www.global-rockstar.net);

– Inspire others by watching the films and learning about the visions and actions of entrants;

– online and jury voting

– identifying 2 finalists who will be invited to attend the Paris climate talks and 2015 GYMC TV Show

2015 GYMC Climate Change Award

2015 GYMC Sustainable Development (or post2015 Agenda) Award

– Illustrate to policymakers that young people demand strong global cooperation and bold action on climate change

– provide an enabling international framework for young people to approach local communities, media and philanthropic institutions for globally coordinated local climate action

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