Young people against violence: "Global Action Month" in November also in Switzerland

Media release - Violence against individuals and groups is a worldwide problem and must stop. Young people from three continents and five countries - including Switzerland and Basel - are tackling the root of the violence problem. With the "Global Action Month" (GAM) in November, they make themselves strong for diversity and against discrimination. With virtual actions and physical events, GAM 2021 runs under the motto "No Excuse To Violence". For this year's GAM in Switzerland, the International Youth Network IYN and the MePower project of terre des hommes schweiz are teaming up with imagine in Basel.

"When all people are connected, we make violence disappear. Integration helps against violence."

This says Jeyani Thiyagaraja by terre des hommes switzerland. Jeyani Thiyagaraja came to Switzerland from Sri Lanka two years ago and could not speak German. Today she is studying at the University of Basel. Jeyani Thiyagaraja is a member of the First Swiss Refugee Parliament; she coordinates the International Youth Network (International Youth Network, IYN) of terre des hommes switzerland in Switzerland. In the IYN, young people from Africa, Latin America and Switzerland stand up for a worldwide culture of tolerance. Free and self-determined.

Jeyani Thiyagaraja: "When we know each other and listen to and understand each other, the differences disappear. That helps against violence and promotes good coexistence."

Violence an absolute no-go

Global Action Month (GAM) is the campaign of the IYN and takes place every year in November. For GAM 2021 under the motto "No Excuse To Violence - Nothing Justifies Violence", young people from five project countries of terre des hommes switzerland have joined forces. They live in Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua and Switzerland. With buttom-up actions and events, in social media and live on site, they stand up for respect and peaceful coexistence. They stand up against all forms of violence - and show how it can be done.

Actions and events in Basel

For GAM 2021 in Basel, the multicultural Swiss IYN group from Brazil, Eritrea, Cuba and Sri Lanka is making common cause with imagine and MePower. imagine is an autonomous youth project with terre des hommes schweiz and known for its music festival for diversity and against discrimination in Basel. MePower is a project of terre des hommes switzerland with young people with a refugee background.

On November 6 imagine invites with two other NGOs to the interactive workshop "Übersee.en" in the Markthalle Basel. Still in the imagine planning is the installation "Living Room" to imagine, MePower and the IYN, which will probably take place at Klara. The project MePower organizes a blood donation campaign during GAM 2021 and is currently developing an online photo exhibition on the topic of integration.

A youth campaign of the Terre des Hommes movement

Global Action Month - Young People Act for Change" is a partnership campaign of terre des hommes switzerland and terre des hommes Germany within the framework of the international Terre des Hommes movement.

In the photo above: (from left) Beatriz Iane Pereira Silva and Cieliis Bravo Gonzalez, Delegate Switzerland in the International Youth Network of terre des hommes switzerland. Photo Jeyani Thiyagaraja

Links to Content in German

GAM 2021 on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/internationalyouthnetwork_tdhs/

https://www.instagram.com/internationalyouthnetwork/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/imaginebasel/

GAM 2021 on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/youthnetworktdh

Website GAM 2021:

http://gam-tdh.org

Actions and events in Basel

Blood drive:

https://www.blutspende-basel.ch/termine/ (org. MePower)