4/27/2007 - Worldwide Petition Calls for Increases in Student Exchanges Programs
Oslo, Norway, April 27, 2007—A petition asking world leaders for increased support of intercultural student exchange programs will be launched today in a ceremony at the Nobel Peace Center beginning at 6:00 PM. AFS, which has been offering intercultural education exchange programs for 60 years, is sponsoring the initiative and invites all organizations and individuals who believe in promoting peace and understanding through youth exchange programs to join. The petition has a goal of gathering more than one million signatures and calls upon the world’s leaders to “enable young people everywhere to live and study in cultures other than their own by significantly expanding youth exchange programs.” The on-line petition can be found on the web at http://www.exchanges4peace.org.
“Intercultural student exchange programs foster mutual understanding and acceptance among different cultures,” said J. Brian Atwood, chairperson of the Board of Trustees of AFS International and the dean of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, “these exchanges help teach our youth to be citizens of the world and provides them with the tools to advance intercultural understanding in their communities, regions, countries or in the international arena. The exchange programs also help to educate the next generation of leaders to be advocates for a world in which peace and understanding replace conflict and ignorance. This petition will send a message to our leaders to support intercultural student exchange programs to create a better future.”
Among the notable guests that will participate in the event are Mr. Odd Einar Dørum Member of the Norwegian Parliament and Ms. Christina Weimar Lager, head of the Norwegian Red Cross Youth. Ambassadors from countries that exchange students with AFS in Norway will attend the launch as well as the Board of Trustees of AFS International and former and current international exchange students. Rein Alexander, a popular and talented Norwegian singer will entertain the distinguished guests.
Pernilde Vikanes, director of the AFS office in Norway said that, “I am very pleased that AFS Norway is hosting the launch of the petition drive and that this event coincides with the 60th anniversary of AFS programs in our country. This petition is bringing together numerous organizations that have an international presence or headquarters in many countries of the world. It is also capturing the interest of individuals across the cultural, governmental, civilian and business sectors. The simple message of peace and understanding that this petition carries is hard to ignore and easy to understand. I think that the world is ready to welcome this type of call to action.”
Text of the Petition
We, the undersigned, know that peace and justice require that we extend the hand of friendship across borders, cultures and religions and that knowledge and understanding are needed to nurture these friendships.
The nations of the world can promote peace by helping the world’s youth build these friendships.
Therefore we call upon the world’s leaders to enable young people
everywhere to live and study in cultures other than their own by significantly expanding youth exchange programs.
Friendship leads to understanding. Understanding leads to peace. We call on all to grasp this opportunity.
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