Exposure to violence is increasing worldwide. Young people are often the ones most affected by it. Violence is not only an action or a practice. There are many dimensions to violence. It is a perception. It is an expression. A way to be seen or heard. A form of domination. A mode of discrimination. A lack, absence or decline of communication. All these dimensions are interdependent: violence is a process that prevents young people from developing their full potential as it impacts negatively on development. Violence is a social, economical, cultural and political issue, instilled in language when it acts as a map that mediates and educates reality through everyday communications. TakingITGlobal in partnership with UNESCO and the support of the Salesforce.com Foundation is developing a range of initiatives around the theme Language as Violence, Violence as Language:

• A Creative Magazine (in collaboration with UNESCO)
• An Online Art Collection;
• A Multimedia Short Video.
These initiatives aim to enable young people to discuss the manifold forms of violence that young people encounter, perceive and express in their daily social environment and, most importantly, to actively explore and develop alternative languages to violence. Key themes to be explored are: 1) Violence as a Daily Language in Youth Reality 2) Violence and Media 3) Expression of Violence as a Substitute for Communication and 4) Alternative Languages to Violence. Throughout the past months images have been gathered globally, online, and locally together with partners in: - Lebanon - Kenya - Sierra Leone - Uzbekistan - Afghanistan Young people within these countries participated in a range of vibrant workshops and training sessions facilitated by local partners and then worked on producing photographs (thanks to digital cameras made available through the support of the Salesforce.com Foundation) on their perspectives on the theme. TakingITGlobal is currently producing a multimedia video with the content that will be launched at the UNESCO Youth Forum and will be downloadable from this page. The creative magazine will also be presented at the Forum and then produced by the end of 2005. The goals of the project are to spotlight the manifold forms of violence that young people encounter, perceive, and express in their daily social environment with the ultimate aim of actively exploring and developing ‘alternative languages to violence.’ The primary objective is therefore to shed some light on the multiple dimensions of the causes, contents, nature, and consequences of violence(s) and contribute to intercultural understanding between peoples of different races, cultures, ethnicities, gender and backgrounds. The project furthermore fosters skill-gaining experiences in local communities and knowledge sharing around common challenges. A vibrant umbrella page collecting all information and components of the project will be launched soon.