International Youth Day

DESCRIPTION

International Youth Day is celebrated annually on 12 August to bring youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrate the potential of youth as partners in today’s global society. The day was designated as International Youth Day by the United Nations in the year 1999 and it is being celebrated every year to highlight the importance of youth people as the driving force of change in the world.

To observe the day, various activities like concerts, workshops, cultural events, and meetings are organised worldwide by schools and other educational institutions to engage the youth and in order to bring their voices, actions, and initiatives to the mainstream.

CHALLENGE

The Intergenerational Solidarity is a theme for the International Youth Day 2022. Without the solidarity across all generations, the world won’t be able to tackle the global issues we are facing in this century. We need to leverage the full potential of all generations collaborating together in the society where ‘no one is left behind’. One of the ways to achieve that is to overcome ageism that affects both younger and older generations and intersects with other forms of biases such as racism and sexism. According to the World Health Organization defines ageism as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) directed towards others or oneself, based on age”. It can create age-related barriers in different areas of life (health, employment, political participation, justice) and affect individual’s wellbeing and livelihood starting from the youth years.

For this year’s International Youth Day’s celebrations, we suggest the activities encouraging and promoting intergenerational solidarity. Suggested activities (choose one or link them all together):

• Create an awareness campaign to promote and celebrate intergenerational solidarity in your local community.

• Create an opportunity for intergenerational activities or a dialogue in your local community.

• Present a story of successful intergenerational cooperation and solidarity from your life or your local community (e.g. women of different ages sharing knowledge and experience, supporting each other etc.)

Form: a short essay/report with photos; an interview with photos; video; your own idea for a mix of narrative and visual elements.

TIPS

You may want to work an intergenerational conversation about climate change or explore how different environmental issues have been understood over the last 50 years.