The first BWI youth Festival attended by 370 young workers from all over the world has been opened by the BWI President Klaus Wiesehügel who remembered that thirty years ago he was attending at the same venue to a summer school of young trade unionist from Europe to find solution on how to revive the trade union movement in Western Europe.
The BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson has shown in his speech how the youth have actively contributed to the revolutions and social movements around the world. “ It is time for youth to wake up and build the future and BWI will give all opportunity to young workers to join and play a key role in the trade unions in the construction and forestry sectors. “ Said Ambet Yuson
During the Festival, participants have been divided in thematic groups to discuss issues like the key issues faced by young workers in the respective regions, how are they influenced by the political, economic, and social changes, and how international trade unionism could be an answer to these changes. Others have discussed issue on organizing, networking sharing experiences on Campaigning. Parallel workshop also helped to discuss issues like HIV AIDS, organizing public infrastructure, youth vocational training and sports campaigns.
At the same time in an open space sports and others leisure were going on. The evenings of the Festival were multicoloured because every region of the BWI is showing its rich music songs, national costumes, Traditional Attire etc.
The secretariat of the festival has taken this opportunity to grant a return ticket to one youth per region to attend the BWI congress in Bangkok in December. A competition on best photo of young workers launched on Facebook a month before the festival allowed to grand a mini Ipad to the winner of each region.
The Festival was very successful and much educative for the women and man young workers attending for most of them their first international event. These kind of forums and workshop needs to be done in a yearly basis in the regions to help a better networking and solidarity among the youth in the BWI sectors.