Teens gather online for peace

The world's largest virtual gathering is taking place this weekend to mark the UN International Day of Peace.

Fittingly in the era of Web 2.0, Habbo, a virtual world social-networking website, is staging an online gathering in conjunction with the charity War Child.

Thousands of teens from all over the world are expected to congregate online at the Habbo Global Peace Gathering on Friday 19 September.

To raise awareness of the occasion, Habbo and War Child surveyed over 1,200 British teens for their thoughts and opinions on conflicts such as the war in Iraq and issues such as government aid, asylum and military service.

The poll revealed that UK teens have a particularly pessimistic outlook; more than half expect a third world war in their lifetime while three quarters of UK teens support military intervention to quell conflict.

As part of today's online events teenagers from Uganda that have worked with War Child will share their experiences of living and working through conflict.

"According to our survey, over 50 per cent of teens globally think that social-networking sites should be used to raise awareness of important issues, and are more effective than real-world marches or petitions submitted to governments," said Phil Guest, managing director of Habbo UK.

The British leg of the event will take place at 16:30 BST.

www.habbo.co.uk/groups/peacegathering
www.warchild.org
www.internationaldayofpeace.org

will be commemorated

marked by an online gathering




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Thousands of teens to take part in the Habbo Global Peace Gathering to mark the UN International Day of Peace

1,245 UK teens participate in global Habbo and War Child research to reveal:

Half of UK teens believe they will experience a 3rd World War in their lifetime
78 per cent of British teens feel it is important for governments to intervene to stop existing conflicts
A third of UK teens think military service should be compulsory

London, September 18th, 2008. Habbo, the world’s largest virtual world for teenagers, and War Child are staging the world’s largest online gathering on Friday 19th September. Raising awareness of the impact of conflict on young people, the gathering will allow teens to show their support for the UN International Day of Peace on Sunday 21st of September.


To mark this day Habbo and War Child conducted a worldwide poll to explore young people’s views on conflict. 1,245 teens took part in the research in the UK, revealing the importance of this issue to young people in Britain. The poll explored the fears and concerns shared by teenagers, and their awareness of conflicts such as war in Iraq, and opinions of issues such as government aid, asylum and military service.


The 41 per cent of all teens asked thought that they would see a Third World War, in their lifetime. However, the opinions of teens in the US and UK were most pessimistic when asked this question. 56 per cent of UK teens think they will live to see a third world war, the figure rises to 58 per cent in US teens. While a third of UK teens are personally worried by global conflicts, 42 percent don’t think that their parents and friends are safe.


The survey also revealed that 92 per cent feel it is import for their governments to intervene to stop existing conflicts. 78 per cent of UK teens thought that the government should be acting to stop current conflicts, and 90 per cent think the government should help prevent war having an effect on children.


Seven teens with whom War Child have been working with in Uganda will also take part in the virtual event, and will share their experiences of living and working in regions that have encountered conflict.


“We work with young people who have been impacted by conflict and who often do not have a platform to make their own voices heard” comments Nivi Narang, Campaigns Director, War Child. “This survey has given teenagers a platform to voice their opinions and understanding of global issues. 55 per cent of teens who took part in the survey in the UK were aware that people as young as seven are fighting as soldiers in some conflicts in the world; this was lower than the global average of 68 per cent.”


As well as giving young people a platform to discuss their worries and concerns, the survey revealed teen opinions on how governments can work together to tackle these problems. According to the survey, the majority of teens think that the UN is the most responsible for helping to stop children become victims of war (57 per cent). A third of UK teens thought military service should be compulsory.


The research was commissioned to coincide with the Habbo Global Peace Gathering, an event that will allow teens around the world to unite in support for the UN International Day of Peace.


“According to our survey, over 50% of teens globally think that social networking sites should be used to raise awareness of important issues, and are more effective than real-world marches or petitions submitted to governments,” comments Phil Guest, MD, Habbo UK. “Teens around the world are passionate about serious subjects and they are using new communication tools, such as virtual worlds and social networks, to make their voices heard.”