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Celebrate the youth in your life as those changing our world
Explore ways to support youth achievements this International Youth Day and beyond.
We often describe youth as future world leaders. But each across the globe brings value to the present.
As those who continue to develop their skills and interests, youth rely on guidance from caregivers and other community members to reach their full potential in the future. Yet they also need ways to find their voices now. Young people can contribute more to present society with a say in current global conversations. They can also grow the skills they have to offer in later leadership.
To recognize youth as global contributors of today and tomorrow, we join the United Nations in celebrating Aug. 12 as International Youth Day.
An annual opportunity to raise awareness
Many of us keep up with the school programs youth in our lives engage in. But what about those affecting youth on a global scale?
The UN General Assembly established International Youth Day in 1999 to raise awareness of the World Programme of Action for Youth. According to the UN, the “WPAY, adopted by the General Assembly in 1995, provides a policy framework and practical guidelines for national action and international support to improve the situation of young people around the world.” Many of these youth-related programs led by the UN across the globe involve the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. When celebrating International Youth Day, global community members support the youth in their lives. They also highlight efforts to address the 15 fields of action outlined in the program that affect youth worldwide.
Serving as youth agents of change
Every youth worldwide can act as an agent of change for causes that spark their passion. Yet some may question how and where to start. In their 2023 resource titled Becoming a Youth Agent of Change, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center shares some ideas. These steps can apply to youth looking to create social change surrounding sexual violence, among other advocacy efforts:
- Know your power. Use your unique position as a young person to provide useful information and perspective.
- Engage friends and build a network. Encourage your friends to join you, ask for help from local and national organizations and inspire others to get involved.
- Partner with supportive adults. Develop positive relationships with reliable adults and learn from one another in a healthy partnership.
- Seek out resources. Consider trustworthy online resources, your local library and trusted adults as more resources for information.
- And more.
These steps can apply to large and small-scale advocacy projects. With them, young people can turn their ideas for change into community action. In this sense, youth can serve as recipients of positive guidance and providers of meaningful work and perspective.
Joining the campaign and global conversation
The UN celebrates International Youth Day every year. Yet the 2023 celebration features something new: a first-of-its-kind month-long campaign takeover by youth.
As the UN shares, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth “will hand over its digital channels (social media, website, email) to a different young person each day throughout the month of August … [to showcase] the myriad of intersectional ways that young people are contributing … around the world.” These contributions include efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. In alignment with the sustainability focus, the 2023 theme for International Youth Day is “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World.” The work highlights young people’s role in using green skills and technologies to make sustainability-driven decisions in work and life over the years to come.
The month-long campaign adds the theme of “Celebrating Ways #YouthLead as Agents of Change for the Global Goals.” Youth, plus advocates and allies, can join the campaign in many ways, including:
- Submit content to be featured in the campaign.
- Re-share campaign-related content posted by youth on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
- Create and share your own #YouthLead material.
A campaign communications toolkit is available to all participants.
Those looking to support youth in the United States year-round can take part in implementing the Division of Adolescent and School Health’s 2020–2025 Strategic Plan. The division is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Following the plan, members of the division will take action in communities nationwide over the five years to address various priority health issues among youth. These issues include those related to sexual risks. By joining these efforts, communities nationwide can contribute to helping youth become healthy and successful adults.