The Ecumenical Asia Pacific Students and Youth Network (EASY Net) have been celebrating together annually the Asia Pacific Students and Youth Week [APSYW] since 2002. This year the APSYW will be celebrated from October 16-22, 2005. The APSYW is an opportune time for the National Ecumenical Teams and for its partner organization to celebrate together its Youthfulness and to reflect on the challenges of our times to the young people.
This year’s celebration carries the theme “Knowledge and Discretion to the Youth” inspired by the verse Proverbs 1:4. The theme illumines the current situation of majority of youth and students in Asia Pacific who could barely enjoy their Right to Education as Education is rapidly being commercialized and privatized with emphasis on market-driven educational approaches and processes at the expense of unfolding the creative human potential and holistic development.
In the era of globalization, students from developed countries become heavily indebted before they could even graduate due to exorbitant school fees especially in higher education. While in developing countries, the number of dropouts among students is increasing due to expensive school fees. Education has become a huge business venture, to the detriment of youth and students welfare. In 1995 alone, world trade in tertiary education amounted to US$ 27 billion.
Currently capitalist educators are pushing for the inclusion of Education to be traded within he member countries of World Trade Organization [WTO] under the General Agreement on Trade and Services [GATS]. If successfully included ,students and youth are bound to face further decline of state subsidy to education, privatization and full liberalization of education which would in turn result to even more higher school fees and further inaccessibility of education.
Its negative impact will be borne by students and their parents who are largely spending for their education. Education is a Right and not a Commodity and therefore, the student and youth has to safeguard this Right. “Knowledge and discretion be given to the youth” (Prov 1:4). It is a social obligation to nourish young minds that they may become responsible members of the society.
Instruments of globalization such as WTO drive the market-oriented society. In the coming WTO Ministerial Meeting in December 2005 in Hong Kong, GATS will be one of the major agenda. GATS is the first legal trade agreement focusing exclusively on services as opposed to products. The inclusion of Education to be traded around the world would make Education more competitive and inaccessible to many youth.
In response to the threats brought about by profit-driven education that alienates God’s teachings of justice, peace and love, that negates the holistic approaches to life, covering material, personal, emotional and spiritual dimensions APSYW will highlight the values of holistic education and critique institutions and policies promoting otherwise. The APSYW is an opportune time for the ecumenical students and youth to manifests its solidarity with the people around the region who suffer from the negative impacts of globalization.
This Resource Book contains Liturgy, Poems, Artworks and Stories that were collectively done in the Writing Workshop held in South Korea last May 2005 that was generously hosted by the Korean National Ecumenical Team. We sincerely encourage all National Ecumenical Teams to use the content of this Resource Book in the celebration of APSYW.
We hope that this Resource Book could serve as instrument in moving the young people to take a deeper study on WTO and globalization and its impact on the lives of youth and students. | 
