International Youth Day is commemorated every year on August 12. This year’s theme is “Youth Engagement for Global Action,” and it highlights the youth’s engagement at local, national, and global levels, and how they enrich national and multilateral institutions and processes.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the population, the United Nations acknowledged the key role of young people in the management of the outbreak and the recovery that follows, ensuring that the youth sector is heard alongside other community efforts in the rollout of interventions in response to the pandemic.
According to the United Nations, the role of the government, community groups, and youth organizations are all essential to ensure proper information dissemination.
The youth is full of hope, creativity, and desire to make the world a better place to live, making them good vessels for change. From youth organizations such as the World Youth Alliance to UNICEF Youth Ambassadors to strong-willed individuals like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai, there is no doubt how far the youth can go to affect change.
In the Philippines, for instance, non-government organizations and youth groups such as #MentalHealthPH, Visayan Youth Matters, and other Wellbeing Clusters are utilizing online technologies to promote mental and physical health during this time.
This #UsapTayo session is brought to you by our #MentalHealthPH Cebu team, together with Wellness Clusters Ph.
Invitation
This August 10, at 7pm to 8pm, join us on Twitter as we discuss the role of the youth on a larger scale by answering these questions:
Questions
- Do you think it is important to give the youth a voice to participate in formal politics and activism for the purposes of responding to global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Why or why not?
- As part of the youth sector, what youth initiatives or responses to COVID-19 are you familiar with? Have you participated in any of these initiatives?
- As a member of the youth sector, how do you wish to be supported by the community?
