Youth have the creativity, drive, potential, and capacity to make change happen and this is what International Youth Day celebrates. International Youth Day will be taking place on August 12, 2015 and it aims to engage youth in discussions about what is important to them and highlight the challenges that youth face internationally. International Youth Day is also designed to celebrate the positive impact youth have on a national and international level.
What Is International Youth Day?
International Youth Day was designated as such by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 at the recommendations made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Youth Day serves as, “an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners in change, and an opportunity to raise awareness of challenges and problems facing the world’s youth.”
International Youth Day 2015
This year, thematic discussions and information campaigns will take place on International Youth Day across the world to engage both United Nations Member States and the general public. This year’s theme is youth civic engagement. According to UNESCO, the goals are:
– To help people understand the needs of young people
– To implement policies to help youth overcome the challenges they face
– To encourage young people to participate in the decision-making process
These objectives will be echoed in the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum, taking place October 26-28, 2015 in Paris, France.
For more information on International Youth Day and UNESCO, contact the UNESCO Youth Team.
How Youth Can Celebrate International Youth Day 2015
Youth should contribute to the building and shaping of their future. Youth can help do this by showing their civic engagement in whatever form that takes. That might be volunteering at a political campaign office, doing outreach to homeless people in the community, or reading to children at the local library. If youth have done it, the United Nations wants to hear about it. Here is how they recommend participating:
– Tweet about the positive impact of youth participating in youth civic engagement activities.
– Post photos of young people portraying how they engage in and promote civic engagement activities for change.
– Spread the word about International Youth Day – share materials via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #YouthDay.
– Organize an event to celebrate International Youth Day in your community, school, youth club, or workplace.
Get more ideas on celebrating International Youth Day using their toolkit.
According to UN.org, selected photo entries will be chosen for the #YouthDay
For more in International Youth Day celebrations, click here.
“This article was written by award-winning mental health writer and speaker, Natasha Tracy.”
http://natashatracy.com
