LIFE-SKILLS INITIATIVE FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (LIFYEAD): 4th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON YOUTH AND INTERFAITH DIALOGUE

4th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON YOUTH AND INTERFAITH DIALOGUE

Welcome to the website of the 4^th Annual International Conference on Youth and Interfaith Dialogue. This year’s International Conference will be held at the ELIEL CENTER, Gold and Base, Jos, Nigeria, from 25-27 October 2012. The Conference will be hosted by New Era Educational and Charitable Support Foundation, in collaboration with The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, the United Religions Initiative, and the Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group.
The Conference brings together citizens, including representatives of CSOs and Faith-based Groups within Nigeria and around the world to promote and improve mutual respect between faiths and cultures and to support civil society and individuals who intend to reject violence and build our common future. Since its launch in October 2009, the annual International Conference on Youth and Interfaith Dialogue has introduced and supported actions expanding mutual perceptions among individuals of different religions, cultures, genders, and ethnicities.

The Conference will offer new tools of a successful Interreligious and Intercultural Model for Dialogue and Peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, and Strategy for overcoming the misunderstandings and stereotypes which affect relations between and within the societies. The women and men will provide recommendations to decision-makers, institutions and individuals for dignifying everyone and our shared values. In a safe space, the Conference will be a living model for creating prosperity, coexistence beyond war, and restoring friendships and trust. This year, we are newly partnering and working very closely with the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions and the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) to host a pre-parliament event to create awareness about the global interreligious movement and mobilize towards The Brussels, Belgium 2014 Parliament Event . New Era Educational and Charitable Support Foundation is an active NGO Participant of the United Nations Global Compact.

REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION

Everyone attending the conference is required to complete an official registration form. As space is limited, participants are strongly encouraged to register for the conference as soon as possible. Registration for the conference opens January 1, 2012 and closes October 15, 2012. There will be no extensions and Registrations sent in after this closing date will NOT be considered. All completed Registration Forms MUST be accompanied by the appropriate Registration Fees to be considered. Click to Download and Complete the 2012 INTERFAITH CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE

All registrants must pay the registration fee to be confirmed as a participant for the conference. The registration fee provides for a conference program, accommodation, entrance to all conference sessions, including workshops, entrance to the exhibition hall, daily tea break, and all official conference meals. The Conference Registration Fee for Nigerian and International Participants is stated below. Each participant is responsible for making and paying for their own travel to the conference.

Early Registration ((Jan. -July 2011)	Late Registration (After July –Oct.15)
Nigerian Participants - N9,000	N12, 000
International Participants - $300	$350

METHODS OF PAYMENT OF REGISTRATION FEES FOR NIGERIAN PARTICIPANTS

By Direct Bank Deposit for Nigerian Participants (In Nigerian Naira)

Participants based in Nigeria should pay their appropriate Registration Fees, using the following Bank Account Details:

Account Name: New Era Educational and Charitable Support Initiative

Account Number: 1012019497

Bank Name: Zenith International Bank Plc (ZENITH)

Jos II Branch, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

METHODS OF PAYMENT OF REGISTRATION FEES FOR INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS

a. Payment of Registration Fees by Electronic Wire Transfer (In US Dollars)

Account Name: New Era Educational and Charitable Support Initiative

Account Number: 5070092919

Swift Code: ZEIBNGLA

Bank Name: Zenith International Bank (Jos II Branch)

Terminus, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

b. Online Payment, using Credit Card for International Participants (In US Dollars)

International Participants wishing to make Online Registration payments can do so at

SECURE AMMADO ONLINE REGISTRATION CENTER . Please, kindly note that all Bank and Credit Card charges will be borne by participants.

CONFIRMATION AND ACCOMODATION

Registered participants, who have fully paid the appropriate Registration Fees and completed the Online Registration Form, will receive a Customized Confirmation ID (CCID) by email and phone.

Conference Venue:

The October 2012 International Conference on Youth and Interfaith Communication will be held at the 250-capacity, air-conditioned, multi-purpose Conference Hall of the ELIEL CENTER, located at GOLD AND BASE, behind Nigeria Air force Base, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

The City of Jos:

Jos, the Capital City of Plateau State, Nigeria’s

“Home of Peace and Tourism” was established in 1915, as a tin transportation camp. Its early history was closely linked to the prosperity of the mining industry. In 1967, Jos became the capital of the defunct Benue-Plateau State and was transformed into the capital city of Plateau State in 1975, thus becoming an important administrative and commercial center. With a population of over 1,000,000, Jos remains one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Nigeria today, with people of different religious and cultural backgrounds living together. It is adjudged the “Home of Peace” and the safest city to live in Nigeria.

Jos is situated almost at the geographical center of Nigeria and lies less than 300 km from Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital. Jos is linked by road, rail and air to the rest of the country. It has an equable climate with its average monthly temperatures ranging between 21⁰ and 25⁰ C, average humidity of 60%, and average rainfall of 1,400mm (56”). Other points of interest in Jos include an open–air museum of traditional architecture, and the Jos Museum, which displays artifacts of the Nok Culture. In the early 1900s Jos was built by the British at the site of the pre-existing village of Geash. Tin mining began in the area in about 1907, and developed rapidly following the completion of a railroad in 1914. Jos also grew as a resort town, attracting tourists to its cool climate.