THE HISTORY OF THE
World Youth Alliance
THE HISTORY OF THE
World Youth Alliance
WYA TODAY
A flawed vision of the human person threatens human dignity on a global scale.
This is evident in policies that promote abortion, tie foreign aid to population control policies, and prioritize ideology over more effective prevention strategies in addressing HIV/AIDS.
WYA works at international institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organization of American States, as well as with young people from around the world to build a culture that supports and nurtures the dignity of each human person. We bring young people to international conferences and into dialogue with ambassadors, diplomats, and political leaders.
Ideas have real world effects.
WYA trains young people to advocate for the dignity of the human person in:
• international policy and human rights
• economic development
• social development
• global health
• education
THE FOUNDING OF THE
World Youth Alliance
While observing the 1999 Conference on Population and Development, Anna Halpine witnessed a group of thirty two young people take the floor, claiming to represent all three billion of the world’s youth.
They demanded that the following policies be put into place: abortion as a human right, sexual rights for children and the deletion of parental rights.
At a conference on Population and Development, needs such as clean water, education, and employment were completely ignored. This spurred Anna to action.
The next morning, she returned to the Commission with a few others and distributed bright pink flyers offering an alternative view of the needs of youth.
The development of the whole person includes the moral, spiritual, emotional, intellectual as well as the physical dimensions. Please do not reduce us to our sexual faculties. Our main concerns are issues relating to education, family, employment and development. Please don’t “reserve and move on”. Hold fast to principles for our future.
– Excerpt from the pink flyer
With human dignity as her focus, Anna called on delegates to discuss topics addressing basic human needs and rights. Her statement was so well-received by delegations that she was asked to maintain a permanent presence at the United Nations and work with youth from developing countries.
The debate: who is the human person?
The debates at the United Nations are, fundamentally, debates about who the human person is. How we understand the human person lays the foundation for what policies and initiatives are implemented. Is the human person the object of various policies, programs and end goals, or a subject with inviolable dignity, who stands at the center of all policies and initiatives? How will our answer to this question impact policy and culture?
‘Is the human person an object to be used or a subject with inviolable dignity, who stands at the center of all policies and initiatives?’
