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Festival Updates

October 6 2013, Issue 1

The purpose of this newsletter is to communicate logistical and preparatory information to delegates and supporters as the Pan-Canadian delegation prepares to attend the 18th WFYS.

Preparatory Committees formed across Canada!

Report-backs to the first planning meeting of the pan-Canadian delegation to 18th World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) shows good steps organizing for what is expected to be a very politically important festival debating peace, solidarity and social transformation! Throughout the summer and into the fall, festival organizing has been picking up across Canada. There have been local preparatory committees formed in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Guelph-Kitchener, Hamilton, Edmonton, Kamloops and Vancouver, with continued interest from potential delegates in Windsor, Victoria, Nanaimo and Winnipeg. A Quebec National Committee has also been formed, based in Montreal. Endorsing groups of the festival now include CUPE Toronto District, the Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario, several Quebec student unions, the BC Federation of Labour, the Young Communist League of Canada, the Vancouver District Labour Council, the Kamloops Socialist Club, Occupy Edmonton, and others. The Pan-Canadian delegation will be between 50 and 100 participants. The size of the delegation really depends on the outreach efforts of the local committees over the next couple weeks! Fundraising efforts are already underway with a series of events such as karaoke nights taking place in Vancouver, a large hip hop show in Montreal put on by the Qubec National Committee, raffles in Guelph- Kitchener and a large-scale fundraiser in Toronto in early November. Committees are also asking for endorsements and financial support for the delegation from unions, student unions and progressive organizations. The Pan-Canadian delegation has lots of materials to help with this outreach like draft endorsement letters, fundraising letters, detailed information on the Marty Skup Fund, and information packages -- much of which is available at the main festival website: www.18wfys.tumblr.com. With 60 days left until the Festival, we are switching into high gear!

Inside this issue:

2 Fundraising and Logistics 3 Plane Tickets and Links to More Info 4 International Call and Contact Info

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Fundraising and the Marty Skup Memorial Fund

The Pan-Canadian Preparatory Committee is again working with the Marty Skup Memorial Fund. This is a central bank account, which allows organizations and individuals contributing to the Festival to receive a charitable receipt. When you are fundraising you can have the money sent to the account in the name of your local committee. In order to ear-mark the money that your committee is fundraising p lease get fundraisers to write the city in the notes on the cheque. Also, it is essential to please help keep track of this money. Dont forget to send an email to 18wfys.canada@gmail.com so everyone is on the same page!

Update on WFYS Logistics

The third International Preparatory Meeting was held in India this September. The Pan-Canadian delegation was unable to attend but did receive a report from the meeting from WFDY and a good overview of logistical information from the Spanish delegation. Here is the information, most of which is a direct translation from the Spanish materials. Rough Agenda of the Festival: The Festival will have a format similar to that of previous festivals. There will be 8 days: the inauguration/ opening ceremonies (the 7th) and then a day dedicated to each region (Asia, Middle East, Europe, America and Africa), another to the host country (Ecuador) and the closing ceremonies (the 1 3th). Each day there will be different seminars, workshops and talks with cultural and political content varied predominantly to publicize the struggles and situation in each country. This rough program is finalized but still needs to be translated and sent out. There are cultural, sports, musical performances every day (it is expected that the opening act be Calle 13 a well known Puertorican progressive group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= rA2FAVRAO2Y ), experience sharing activities (forums on the labour movement and student movement, etc...) and the Anti-Imperialist Tribunal. This will be at the end of the festival, which will symbolically judge the crimes of imperialism against humanity. Before the Festival: The Big Quito Festival (a celebration of the foundation of the city) is running from late November until December 6th, the day before the Festival. In principle there should be no problem, but it should be taken into account to contextualize any "overflow" in the City of Quito if something is not on time, or if the city is dirty because it has not had time to be cleaned. (This holiday is very popular, so if someone has desire and time, you can go a few days prior to Quito and enjoy these parties). Location of WFYS: The Festival will take place in Bicentennial Park , the old airport in Quito now converted into a park.

Marty Skup Memorial Fund - Fonds Commmoratif M arty Skup c/o S. Skup, Treasurer - 56 Riverwood Terrace Bolton, Ontario L7E 1S4
Who was Marty Skup? In 1980, at the age of 24, Marty Skup died. All who knew, loved and worked with Marty were not able to reconcile to his absence. As a fitting tribute to his memory, the Marty Skup Memorial Fund was established. Martys outlook was truly international. He grew up in three countries Canada (Ontario and Qubec), Cuba and the United States. One of his most memorable experiences was his participation in the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students at Berlin in 1973. His knowledge of Spanish allowed him to form especially close friendships with the Chilean delegation. Learning of their and so many others brutal murders in the soccer stadium (where many supporters of the elected government were arbitrarily detained by the military coup) caused Marty much sorrow. It strengthened his resolution to work against injustice everywhere. A charter was drawn up describing the objectives and procedures of the fund and then registered with Revenue Canada as a charitable organization in 1980. The aim of the Marty Skup Memorial is to assist youth, regardless of their affiliations, to participate in future World Youth Festivals and international conferences.

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The park has a size of 125 hectares (that is very big!). All Festival activities will take place within this park, and there will be a camping area where the 5,000 Ecuadorian youth participating in the Festival will sleep. (There will be a place where they camp with their own tents and also large military tents provided). The park is located in the north central part of the city, which is a safe and quiet area. Hosting international delegates: The 7,000 international delegates expected will stay in hotels or in a space created especially for that purpose (the National Preparatory Committee of Ecuador are finalizing this right now, there was concern at rd the 3 IPM that this hasnt taken place yet). They were looking at the

possibility of a large convent now vacated that, if allowed, could accommodate quite a few people, or some other possibilities. What seems unlikely is that international delegates will stay in dormitories (as was the original plan) because this is now impossible. When information is finalized, it will be sent out. Other logistical issues: Plans for food are quite advanced (with different m enus, also vegetarian options). Public washrooms and showers and other logistical issues have been sorted out, so there is generally better preparation than in the previous Festival in South Africa at this stage. There are plans to arrange city sightseeing for delegates who are interested. Weather: Temperatures are stable throughout the year between 10 and 27 degrees, so it is a generally temperate climate, but December is a m onth of rain. In general, it is usually wettest m onth. Bring a variety of clothes to wear, including a raincoat and some warm clothes, especially for the night.

Links to check out!

As organizing for the 18th WFYS continues there is more information available online every day. Pan-Canadian info: http://18wfys.tumblr.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/1 63335900362463/ (Facebook group for Pan-Canadian d elegation share updates here!) Ecuadorian Preparatory Committee: http://www.18fmje.org https://www.facebook.com/pages/C

Registration for bulk-buy plane tickets is looming!

We have an excellent opportunity to bulk buy plane tickets through a connection to a Latin American airline. To do this we require $50 per delegate registered 45 days before our departure (around October 20 ). We are in the process of setting up a system to collect the money and to register delegates. This will probably give us a very reduced rate on tickets, possibly in the hundreds of dollars less per ticket, unfortunately we will not know the deal until we do the registration. If you are going to the Festival, and havent yet bought a ticket, please have $50 handy as well as your passport number and the name that appears on your passport. Watch your email as we will have to do the registration in a hurry to have tickets reserved for the end of October! More details to come as soon as possible.
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NP-18-Festival-Mundial-de-la- Juventud-y-los- estudiantes/572425536103299 US Preparatory Committee: http://usa18wfys.tumblr.com

 Pan-Canadian Preparatory Committee

Spring 2016, Issue 4

Lets build the Festival delegation!

Section of the international call for 18 WFYS Adopted in March 2013 For 65 Years and in 17 Festivals, the Worlds Youth have united its voice and its struggle against fascism, dictatorships, anti-democratic regimes, colonialism, war, occupation, discrimination and demanded peace, freedom, solidarity, equality and the overthrowing of imperialism. It is for all these reasons that we call every young man and woman to join our struggle in the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students. We call Youth and students to join us for the overthrown of imperialism because our prosperity and happiness cannot be found within this system, that only gives birth to poverty, exploitation and unemployment. We call them to join us to fight for the right for work and for dignity in our working rights. We call them to fight for our right for Free and Public Education, against privatizations, tuition fees and class barriers. We call the Youth to fight against imperialism, which destroys the environment, which creates class, racial and gender discriminations. We call the youth to fight for democracy and against the repression of reactionary forces. We call the Youth of the World to express their solidarity with the peoples who are fighting for their freedom against occupation as in Palestine, Western Sahara and so many other countries. We call the Youth to support the peoples who have chosen their own path of development and are threatened by imperialist forces. Today more than ever, it is necessary for the Youth that its struggle is identified with the struggle of the workers and peoples; to intensify the struggle to overthrow capitalism and its higher stage of development, imperialism, and construct the new world, of peace, equality, solidarity, friendship, and revolutionary social transformation, where the wealth created by the work of the peoples will belong to the people and will benefit their needs.
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Pan-Canadian Preparatory Committee

FACEBOOK: WEBSITE: EMAIL: PHONE:

http://www.on.fb.me/19pYE2q http://www.18wfys.tumblr.com 18wfys.canada@gmail.com Drew Garvie at 519 767 8411

Organizations Endorsing the Pan-Canadian Delegation:

Association des travailleurs Grecs du Qubec - lAssociation gnrale tudiante du Cgep du Vieux Montral - BC Federation of Labour - Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario - Canadian Network on Cuba - Canadian Peace Congress - Le Comit Jeunesse militante, Montral - CUPE Toronto District Council - Kamloops Socialist Club - Kamloops and District Labour Council - Marty Skup Memorial Fund - Occupy Edmonton - Vancouver District Labour Council - Young Communist League of Canada