New York City, N.Y., Jul 28, 2011 / 03:56 am
“Usually when that sort of thing is read there's booing or hissing. But it was all applause,” said Tyler Ament, director of the International Youth Coalition, about the initial reaction to the presentation of his group’s “Statement of Youth to the U.N. and the World” at the U.N.’s General Assembly.
“There was a voice missing from the discussion when this (U.N.) International Year of Youth started,” said Tyler Ament, director of the International Youth Coalition, in a July 26 press conference. “We wanted to make sure, through the International Youth Coalition, that the voice which promotes life, and family, and integrity would be heard in the conversation.”
The International Youth Coalition gathered in New York from July 24 to 26, for three days of events that coincided with the United Nations' High-Level Meeting on Youth and included a presentation of the group's statement at the General Assembly.
On July 25, the group announced that its founding statement had received the endorsement of 57,000 individuals under 30 years of age. The document, formulated at last year's World Youth Conference in Mexico, became a part of the discussion at the U.N.'s General Assembly on July 25 and 26, as organizations and state officials from around the world gathered to discuss issues facing young people.