World Youth Alliance Ushers in 'Springtime of Evangelization'

By Irene Lagan
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 5/8/03)

When the Holy Father promised a "springtime of evangelization" within the Church, few people could envision what form it would take. But, vision is necessary, and "springtime" suggests youth and a flourishing of new life.

The World Youth Alliance appears to be that harbinger of the new springtime, not only in the life of the Church, but in the United Nations and in the hearts and minds of thousands of young and not-so-young people across the globe.

Despite being only four years old, the World Youth Alliance (WYA) has grown into an international organization run by 20y-somethings that has offices in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa and, soon, the Asia Pacific. Although the WYA has no explicit religious affiliation, its members communicate a vision of the human person that is consistent with a Christian understanding of human rights and dignity.

The success of the upstart group, which began with a mere 25 young people and is now the "chosen representative" for more than one million youths worldwide, can be measured by their effectiveness in winning hearts and minds by appealing to what is true.

The organization’s president and visionary is Anna Halpine, a 25-year-old woman whose warmth and wisdom is impressive in someone so young. A musician by training, Halpine has become savvy in the international politics of the United Nations, and together with friends who share her vision of youth and hope for the future, has begun to make inroads in the way human rights are communicated anf understood at the highest levels. As a youth in her native Canada, Halpine became familiar with some of the politics of the U.N. through working as an intern for a non-profit organization. Through experience and training, she has come to understand how the nuances of rhetoric can be translated into actions that foster and protect the intrinsic dignity of the person and promote a free and just society or, conversely, how language can be used to push the radical agendas of a few that fail to safeguard the rights of many. When she moved to New York to study piano several years ago, mobilizing the world’s youths into an organization that works with the European Union and United Nations was not on her radar screen. However, Halpine understood the implications of what she observed taking place at the United Nations and knew that the youth caucus did not speak for a majority of young people.

The WYA began in 1999 when Halpine and several friends, disturbed by the stated agenda of a youth caucus purported to represent the world’s 3 billion youth, organized an overnight coalition to oppose their agenda.

The youth caucus consisted of 32 young people, drawn from different organizations worldwide, who served as the mouthpiece for the UNFPA and Western countries at Cairo+5, the five year review of the 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development. Their demands included radical reproductive rights, including unlimited access to abortion and contraception, comprehensive sex education courses at all levels in the schools, and the elimination of parental rights from the documents. More than securing access to basic needs such as food and shelter, children needed the right to choose sexual orientation and freedom of sexual expression. In addition, the youth caucus demanded mandatory education of religious leaders to raise their consciousness concerning such rights.

Halpine and company acted quickly to produce and distribute flyers rejecting the youth caucus’ vision and affirming the importance of parental rights and healthy behavior.

As Halpine tells the story, their action "caused pandemonium" and stalled negotiations among U.N. delegates. Many delegates of the developing world, she said, later thanked them for their courageous action, and invited them to maintain a presence at the U.N. Thus was born the WYA.

"Many delegates from developing nations simply thanked us," Halpine said. "They were not able to stand up to the wealth and power of the Western nations." Halpine explained that in the politics of international organizations, non-governmental lobby groups, such as International Planned Parenthood have tremendous influence on the conditions for aid to developing nations. As a result of hard-ball tactics on the part of non-governmental organizations, developing nations are often bullied into adopting "population control" measures to which they are opposed.

The mission and focus of the WYA since Cairo+5 has continued to evolve. With each passing conference, Beijing+5, the World Summit for Children and, most recently, the World Conference on Sustainable Development, Halpine and her associates in the U.S., Africa, Europe and Latin America have become more visible, experienced and numerous. Their successes at the U.N. seem to be subtle, yet have tremendous impact. For instance, the document that was ratified at Beijing+5 maintained the language ratified five years earlier, barring inclusion of abortion as a right and more ambiguous terms such as sexual orientation.

"The success of the World Youth Alliance has been dramatic," Halpine said. "Documents at the U.N. and European Union now contain language suggestions made by the World Youth Alliance, and delegations and states have consulted with us on many occasions." Halpine says that U.N. delegates have welcomed the presence of young people who are articulate, passionate about their beliefs and who come from long distances to propose to them a better vision of the human person and society. Moreover, many of the delegates discover that what these young people say resonates with their own deeply held convictions or sentiments.

"When these young people say to them, 'we want to work with you to build societies based upon respect for the dignity of each and every person', the delegates are pulled along by their passion and conviction," Halpine said.

In addition to maintaining a constant presence at the E.U. and U.N., the WYA sponsors training seminars and hosts cultural events. Part of building a culture of life is appreciating and enjoying the beauty and goodness of creation. Learning to waltz or tango, appreciating a well-made film or hiking, express the heart of the young and contribute to building a "culture of life."

"The World Youth Alliance has clearly responded to the needs and desires of this generation. To have grown so quickly — to over one million members in three years — is an indication of the pulse of youth around the world today," Halpine said. "Young people are waiting for a challenge; they are waiting for the invitation to give of themselves fully in order to build the culture of life. They are the ones who have built the World Youth Alliance and are at the heart of every success that we have."

For more information about the World Youth Alliance, visit the Web site at www.worldyouthalliance.org.  

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