Young people who have experienced natural disasters in the Asia Pacific region will gather in Christchurch next month for the "Looking Beyond Disaster: UNESCO International Youth Forum 2011."

The forum will see young survivors come together in a world first to share stories of best practice and create realistic action plans. The participants have all lived through tragedy, from the deadly earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan, to the floods that devastated Queensland , as well as our own quake ravaged Christchurch and Canterbury region. Organised by the NZ National Commission for UNESCO (within the Ministry of Education's International division) in association with the UNESCO Bangkok Office, the planning committee is made up of young Cantabrians, led by Sam Johnson of the Student Volunteer Army.

Looking Beyond Disaster: UNESCO International Youth Forum

9th - 12th December 2011

Christchurch, New Zealand