World Esperanto Youth Organization

The World Esperanto Youth Organization (Esperanto: Tutmonda Esperantista Junulara Organizo, TEJO) was founded in 1938 under the name Tutmonda Junular-Organizo (World Youth Organization). The current name was taken in 1952. In 1956, TEJO became the youth section of the World Esperanto Association (UEA). In 1971, the finances and administration of TEJO were fully integrated into the UEA.

TEJO is an organization for young speakers of Esperanto. TEJO has individual members as well as member organizations. There are 42+ member organizations plus about 13 national organizations that TEJO has contact with but which are not yet members.

TEJO organizes an International Youth Congress of Esperanto (Internacia Junulara Kongreso) each year in a different location around the world. The IJK is an event of concerts, presentations, excursions, and recreation, usually of one week's duration and attended by a few hundred young people from many different countries.

TEJO also publishes the Pasporta Servo which is a hospitality network of Esperanto-speakers around the world willing to accept Esperanto-speaking guests.

TEJO publishes a magazine called Kontakto, aimed at beginners and young readers.

TEJO organizes several youth seminars each year. These seminars bring together an international group of young people to discuss a current issue. Past seminars have focused on human rights, globalization, language problems, and the Internet. The seminars last for one week and often contain a training component so that participants not only take part in an international discussion, but leave having been taught new skills.

Timeline

• 1920: World Esperantist Youth Association (TEJA) was established (and several years later "fell asleep")
• 1938: During the first International Youth Congress (IJK) in Groet, Netherlands, according to a decision of more than 200 participants from 10 countries the World Youth Organization (TJO) was born.
• 1939: The second IJK took place in Tervuren, Belgium
• 1947: TJO became a special section of the World Esperanto Organisation (UEA)
• 1948: The organization "Native Esperanto speakers" became part of TJO. The third IJK took place in Ipswich, the United Kingdom and it's taken place every year since then.
• 1952: During the 8th IJK in Ry, Denmark, TJO became TEJO (the World Esperanto Youth Organization). In that period TEJO was going through a financial and structural crisis.
• 1956: During the 12th IJK in Büsum, Germany, the committee of TEJO proposed that TEJO become the youth section and an integral part of UEA. A period of internal reorganization started.
• 1960: The reorganization process was concluded during the 16th IJK in Rotterdam, Netherlands. TEJO opened itself to the outside world by starting cooperation with several non-Esperanto YNOs.
• 1963: Kontakto, an international magazine of TEJO, was born. It continues to be published six times a year and is a magazine in Esperanto, but not about Esperanto.
• 1964: PR became the focus of attention. Several brochures and flyers were published in national languages and special group for contacts with other youth organizations was established.
• 1965: First in a serial of seminars was organized in Ljubljana, ex-Yugoslavia, with the goal to discuss the language problem and exchange experience with different YNOs. Seminars soon also got more practical topics, such as exchange of experiences between generations and other issues of youth work.
• 1966: In the same time with the most successful IJK (more than 900 youngsters participated), TEJO went through a serious financial crisis. TEJO became a correspondent member of the UNESCO?s Commission on International Voluntary Service. In Argentina the "Programme Passport" was launched, which turned into "Pasporta Servo" (a network of Esperanto speakers around the globe willing to host other Esperanto speakers for limited time) several years later
• 1979: TEJO was accepted by the Geneva Informal Meeting, GIM.
• 1980: TEJO organized its first seminar at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg (EYC-S).
• 1983: TEJO Tutmonde, another one of TEJO's magazines, related to the movement itself, was launched.

External links

• TEJO's official website, available in over 25 languages