19 June 2020

Dear Friends,

During the last few weeks we have witnessed the world rise up in protest against racial inequality, sparked by the murder of George Floyd on 25 May in the United States. For many of us, it has opened old wounds; bringing up feelings of sadness, anger and frustration at the deep racial injustices that still occur in every corner of the world. Others are only now beginning to understand the realities of systematic and institutional racism, and the role that bias and privilege has played in perpetuating racism.
In light of this, we invite you to join Youth Voices: A Future Without Racism, a global online event hosted by World YMCA on Saturday 27 June:

Geneva, Switzerland 16:00 CET
Chicago, USA 09:00 CDT
Calgary, Canada  08:00 MDT
Hong Kong, Hong Kong 22:00 HKT

This event will be live streamed on YouTube and Facebook, or people can register to join via Zoom. The event is open to everyone, no matter age or status.
In the first event of this series on racism, Senait Brown, a Black Lives community organiser from Seattle, USA, will moderate a panel discussion on understanding racism with a diverse group of young people from around the globe. Following the panel discussion, participants will be invited to join a Virtual Café, to share personal experiences and continue the conversation on how we can collectively get to a future without racism.
I would like to reiterate that the global YMCA Movement is united in the fight against racism. We are committed to amplifying the voice of young people as they lead us towards a more just and inclusive world.
Thank you for sharing this event with your network and for giving Youth Voices your full support.
In Solidarity,

Carlos Madjri Sanvee
Secretary General, World YMCA

#YMCAYouthVoices #FutureWithoutRacism #BlackLivesMatter