International Youth Congress

This will take place in Chiapas, Mexico this summer (2006) with a theme of 'Peace, Justice and Sustainability'. It will involve a small group of older high school students from both the UK and Mexico who will meet for twelve days with the aim of:

• Increasing Mutual Understanding across nations.
• Better understanding the interconnectedness of the natural world.
• Explore a vision for a positive and just future for local and global communities.
• Develop participants' global awareness through shared, first hand experience of each other's culture.

There will be practical opportunities to experience the natural environment, the people and historical sites which are the great richness of this area. In addition, the young people will form into a community of enquiry for the time they are together. there will be regular opportunities to explore questions about the earth and our future as a global community through the process of philosophical enquiry.

Towards the end of the conference te participants will be encouraged to work together with one or two others to explore one particular issue in great depth. In developing a special interest and knowledge, the participants will bring back to their home situation practical plans and possibilities for change.

This conference will be the to take place. It is a brand new angle to our linking and many of the UK students are returning to Mexico City to spend time with students they have become friends with in the linking.

The conference will be co-facilitated by:

Eugenio Echeverria - who established the Latin American Centre for Philosophy for Children in San Cristobal in 1993. San Cristobal has been an important centre for philosophy for children since this time. Professor Echeverria, formally of the Mayan University, has extensive international experience in Philosophy for Children and has participated in over 40 of the IAPC Summer seminars at Mendham with Matthew Lipman. His new book, 'Philosophy for Children' was published in Spanish in 2004.

Pat Hannam - who has been involved in developing a linking project over the past 5 years with a school in Mexico city. She is Head of Belief, Philosophy and Ethics at Ulverston Victoria High School in Cumbria and has wide experience of working with young people in both formal and informal settings over many years.