[asia-apec 651] Children's Workshop in APPA

[tpl at cheerful.com]

Announcement & Invitation

Asia Pacific People's Assembly (APPA)
November 10-15, 1998
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

DON'T TOY WITH OUR FUTURE!
Children's Forum on Globalization and Children's Rights
November 11-12, 1998

Dear Friends,

	The Children's Forum on Globalization and Children's Rights: Don't Toy
With Our Future! will be one of the issue and sector forums of the Asia
Pacific People's Assembly to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this
November. The APPA is being convened by Malaysian people's organizations
and other non-governmental organizations as a parallel people's summit to
the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 1998 Leaders Summit where
heads of state of APEC member countries/economies will formalize
commitments in line with the trade liberalization provisions of the World
Trade Organization (WTO).

	Participants to the children's forum will be streetchildren, children of
migrant workers, and child victims/survivors of child labor, bonded labor,
prostitution, physical and/or sexual abuse, and displacement due to
militarization/situation of armed conflict, demolition of urban poor
communities, land-use conversion and maldevelopment projects.  Their ages
should range within 11-15 years old.  Adult child development workers,
child rights advocates and representatives of organizations working with
children can attend the forum as observers.

	In this connection, we would like to invite your organization to help send
at least one or two child delegates from your country to the forum.  The
child delegates should be accompanied by an interpreter-guide, preferably a
child development worker or social activist.

	The objectives of the children's forum are:

-  to highlight the social and economic impact of APEC and globalization on
the lives of grassroots children;
-  to provide a venue for children to share their actual experiences along
specific children's issues and be able to contextualize them within the
globalization trends in their country;
-  to foster child-to-child international solidarity in addressing the
impact of globalization on the lives of grassroots children of the Asia
Pacific peoples; and
-  to link up with and mobilize development of child-focused organizations
and child rights advocates in forging stronger unity and cooperation in
resisting globalization.

	Convenors of the Children's Forum are Philippine organizations such as
SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, GABRIELA, Parents Alternative
Inc. (PAI) and Children's Rehabilitation Center (CRC).  They will work with
Malaysian child-focused organizations.

	Within the children's forum, there will be five (5) workshops composed of
10-15 children each.  Each workshop will be facilitated by a child
development worker and a junior-child educator/animator.  We are working on
having at least five (5) Malaysian children and 5-10 children delegates
from other countries in each workshop.  Attached is the concept paper so
you can get a better idea of the children's forum, but below is the basic
schedule:

	Nov 10 (whole day)	Registration to APPA and
				the Children's Forum
		(evening)	APPA Opening Ceremony
	    11-12		Simultaneous children's
				workshops
		13		Presentation of children's
				resolutions and unity
				statement in APPA plenary
		14		Media event with Malaysian
				public; Theatre presentation 
				in APPA solidarity night
		15		APPA people's action 

	There will also be sharing sessions and consultations among child
development workers in the forum.

	Please ensure that the delegation from your country bring advocacy and
information materials on the children's situation and issues for
distribution to the adults and children in the forum and the people's
assembly.

	Because of financial limitations of the Malaysian Working Committee (MWC)
and the convenors of the children's forum, we request you to source funding
for your country's child delegates and the interpreter-guide. Expenses will
include plane fare, visa and passport fees, travel and airport taxes, food,
accomodation, and registration fee of US$50 per delegate.  Food and
accomodation will be around 150 Malaysian ringgit per person (~US$38.00)
per day but we have requested the MWC to negotiate for a lower rate for the
children.  We are also negotiating with the MWC if the registration fee of
the interpreter-guides can be waived.

	Those of you who are in worse financial strait can communicate with us if
you need partial or full subsidy for the cost of the plane fare,
registration fee, food and accomodation.  Please shoulder the expenses for
passport and visa fees, travel and airport taxes and transportation to and
from airports. We will respond to the requests based on the funds that the
convenors are able to raise. 

	Please attend to the application for permit to travel of the children as
soon as possible as there might be additional requirements by your
government in this regard (per regulations against child trafficking). In
the Philippines, we need a certification from the Department of Social
Welfare and Development in addition to the regular travel requirements
asked of adults. Other forms for child delegates would be the parental
consent forms and the sample excuse letter for school absences during the
conference.

	The APPA information kit and the children's registration forms will be
sent by the APPA Secretariat as soon as you communicate your desire to
participate in APPA and the Children's Forum. Please write to the
secretariat copy furnished Salinlahi at these addresses:

	The Secretariat
	57 Lorong Kurau
	Lucky Gardens
	59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
	Telephone (60-3) 283 6245
	Email <appasec at tm.net.my

	Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns
	15-A Marilag Street, UP Village
	Quezon City, Philippines
	Telephone (63-2) 435 4258
	Fax (63-2) 920 5641
	Email <slhacc at pworld.net.ph
	  
We look forward to your positive response.

In solidarity,

Percenita J. Sanchez
Secretary General
SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns