International Youth Day Highlights Global Action
By Mallorie Rast
The 21st International Youth Day, celebrated on August 12th, is making its 2020 focus “Youth Engagement for Global Action.”
Originating with the United Nations (UN) in 1999, International Youth Day was created to support, empower and improve the situation of young people. In order to fulfil this worthy goal, the UN sought, among other goals, to provide political fairness, restore broken trust in public institutions and equip youth with empowering knowledge.
Twenty-one years later, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years-old in the world and the UN is encouraging a focus in engaging today’s youth with community, national and global action. From the humanitarian concerns resulting from conflicts in Syria and Myanmar to the world-wide pandemic of COVID-19, there are many issues which concern young people from every corner of the world.
As a world-wide example, COVD-19 has drastically affected the job opportunities for young people. According to UN statistics, the first quarter of 2020 saw a 5.4% drop in global working hours, the rough equivalent of 155 million full-time jobs. In view of those statistics, World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY), is encouraging young people to empower themselves with knowledge regarding personal and public health, and disease transmission in order to help their communities recover and cope during these challenging times.
Today’s young people are not just a wealth of resources in the workforce, but they can also play a key role in the changing face of world and workplace technology in view of COVID-19 safety measures. With their almost uncanny ability to understand and manipulate technology, young innovators are needed throughout the world to aid economic recovery from the pandemic.
In order to impact the world tomorrow, young people can start by impacting their community today. By taking responsibility for their own actions, empowering themselves with knowledge and looking out for others in the community, youth can ensure that their voices are not only heard but are making an impact on shaping the world around us.
From services such as running grocery errands for high-risk persons in their community to joining a team of innovators in response to humanitarian crises and world pandemics, today’s young people hold the keys for a better and more productive tomorrow.
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