Rio de Janeiro \u2013 Youths from the West and East marked their presence at the 3rd Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, wihch began today (27th) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In the panel \u201cRole of Cultural Routes in Building the Alliance of Civilizations,\u201d anthropologist and founder of the Abraham\u2019s Path project, William Ury, from the United States, talked about the importance of the youth of today in developing a better future.<\/p>\n
\u201cYouths are more open-minded, they are more idealistic and are part of the Internet generation, a generation without borders. These characteristics represent a potential to make a better world,\u201d said Ury, who showed a video to the forum\u2019s participants featuring youths from Palestinian villages who participate in the Abraham\u2019s Path project. According to him, the project aims to promote cultural exchange and create a sustainable tourist route geared towards economic development and the coming together of different peoples.<\/p>\n
Since the beginning of the project, in late 2006, approximately 3,000 people have travelled the route that retraces the steps of prophet Abraham, originator of the three major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islamism), which congregate 3.5 billion people worldwide.<\/p>\n
The path has been travelled by youths from Palestine, Jordan, France, Germany, Britain, Pakistan and Brazil. The young Imad Mansour, from the city of Nablus, in the West Bank, participated in the debate to discuss the project\u2019s importance and the good experience that he amassed after having taken the path. \u201cI got to know other traditions and cultures from other places in Palestine that I was not aware of. It was a great experience,\u201d said he, who is a member of NGO Tomorrow\u2019s Youth, based in the Arab country.<\/p>\n
According to Mansour, the NGO has different programmes to help Palestinian children and youth gain better knowledge of themselves. The programmes include \u201cOur World,\u201d for exchange. \u201cYoungsters from other countries can come to Palestine and gain better understanding of our culture, and Palestinians also get a chance to know other cultures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
These programmes and paths, according to Ury, contribute to sustainable tourism. In the case of Abraham\u2019s Path, for instance, Palestinian families offer lunches and snack breaks along the way at affordable prices, and the families themselves feel good by offering typical food to foreigners, or even to Palestinians from other cities.<\/p>\n
Another NGO of youths that attended the debate was \u201cOne Young World,\u201d which comprises roughly 8,000 young people from 112 countries. The organization is represented by young ambassadors in several cities and is promoting dialogue for peace between different cultures. The forum was attended by the ambassadors of Nigeria, Russia and South Africa.<\/p>\n
Ury\u2019s panel, which counted on the presence of the president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/b>, Salim Taufic Schahin, the organization\u2019s Foreign Relations vice president, Helmi Nasr, and its secretary general, Michel Alaby, moved the participants, who witnessed the growing commitment of youths with the path of alliance between cultures. \u201cThe presence of these youths is very stimulating, because the future is in their hands. It is important to see that they already have notions of respect, tolerance, and peace,\u201d stated Schahin.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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