12 August 2010 – 12 12 August 2011

This year’s International Youth Day is a particularly important day for youth around the world. In December 2009, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/64/134proclaiming the Year commencing this International Youth Day (12 August 2010) as the International Year of Youth.



In line with the theme for the International Year, the theme for this year’s International Youth Day is “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”. The choice of theme reflects the General Assembly’s appreciation of the value of dialogue among youth from different cultures as well as among different generations.

International Youth Day will be celebrated at United Nations headquarters in New York with the global launch event of the International Year of Youth. The event will be a celebration of young peoples’ energy, imagination and initiatives and will recognize their crucial contributions to enhancing peace and development. The event is an opportunity for the international community and the UN system to demonstrate their commitment to young people. But it will also be a fun occasion with musical guests and performances. A photo exhibit entitled “Visual Voices – Youth perspectives on Global Issues” will be inaugurated in the UN visitors lobby. The exhibit will be open to the public until early September.



In addition to the global launch event at UN Headquarters, there will be celebrations all over the world, which will highlight opportunities and challenges for youth throughout the International Year of Youth in different regions and countries.



Join in the festivities and celebrate the International Youth Day and the International Youth Year with other young people from around the globe!

THIS IS YOUR DAY AND YOUR YEAR!



To guide the celebrations of the International Year of Youth, the United Nations has developed the Framework Approach highlighting three key objectives for the Year, namely: increased commitment and investment in youth, increased youth participation and partnerships, and increased intercultural understanding among youth. Use these objectives to guide your activities related to youth. The complete Framework Approach is available athttp://social.un.org/youthyear/


Background of International Youth Day

Think about what you can do in you community and how you can effectively spread the message. Make it fun and relatable and use all your channels to spread the message. Think Facebook, Twitter, university newsletters, local newspapers.



* Educational radio show. Contact popular local/national radio stations to request a slot to have a discussion with distinguished individuals and youth.
* Organize a public meeting or debate to discuss young people’s contributions to global issues.
* Initiate round table discussions among adults and young people to promote intergenerational understanding.
* Organize a youth forum to exchange ideas and discuss cultural backgrounds in order to help young people accept others and popularize a culture of non-violence.
* Organize a concert to promote International Youth Day and the launch of the Year. Invite your local musicians and combine it with a panel discussion or invite a politician or policy maker to hold the key note speech.
* Create an “info point” about youth-related issues in the center of town/village, at high schools, or at university centers.
* Organize an exhibition. Get permission to use a public space for an arts exhibit, which showcases the challenges of young people today or how young people are contributing to development. Try to involve young people in the domains of culture, arts and music, to raise awareness on youth-related issues.
* Write to your Minister of Youth to inform him or her about the challenges young people face in their daily lives and to suggest solutions. A list of Ministers of Youth can be found at www.un.org/youth.

Youth inspiring Youth to celebrate the
International Year of Youth



As the clock ticks by with only a few days until the much anticipated launch of the International Year of Youth on 12 August, it is important to recognize that because of young people’s positive contributions to society, the international community has increased recognition of the significance of youth populations in advancing development. And, through that shift in consciousness, we find ourselves celebrating a year dedicated to addressing youth development with focused attention. As we acknowledge young people as the impetus to this historical event, we cannot help but be inspired by their efforts to jump start the Year with enthusiasm and sustain momentum over the next 12 months.



The upsurge in recent years of the number of youth-led organizations is a testament to the fact that today’s young people are dedicated social activists possessing sophisticated skills and effectively mobilizing for collective action despite the multi-faceted challenges they confront.



As the focal point on youth for the UN system, the United Nations Programme on Youth has the unique vantage point of organizing, participating in and tracking youth-related efforts taking place in every corner of the world. Every day, we learn about initiatives young people are conceptualizing and implementing – often with profound creativity and compassion – which adds great value to and inspires our own work.

Raise Awareness: Share your knowledge on the significance of youth development



When thinking about how to take action to celebrate the Year, remember that a lack of resources need not thwart your efforts. Inexpensive activities can render huge success in raising public awareness, which is a priceless endeavour in itself. Consider the multiplier effect when more people are informed and sensitized to issues of social concern. New ideas and information travels from school yards and community centres to board rooms, chambers of Government, to the podium in the General Assembly Hall. Dialogue first exchanged in your local community can lead to better informed and more targeted laws, policies and programmes for the greater good of the global community.


Identify your talent: Activate your talent for social change

All young people possess unique talents that they may utilize to develop creative activities to raise awareness on issues affecting them and their communities. Talent can be so much more than one might think, and it is sometimes hard to know what talent one possesses. This Year yields an excellent opportunity to find and identify our inner talents by taking action to raise awareness and to contribute something positive to our society. It is when you work together with others to change or improve something in your community that you have a chance to find out what your talents are. Perhaps, you speak several languages, have artistic abilities, are an excellent communicator, are a natural leader, an effective mediator, possesses project management skills including accounting skills, are good at identifying problems and targeted solutions or motivating and mobilizing others. The list can be quite long.



Youth inspire us everyday and we would like to share with you some innovative initiatives we recently learned about. We hope they will also serve as sources of inspiration for you to celebrate the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.

Messages on occasion of International Youth Day:

From:

Mr. Ban Ki-moon,

Secretary General of United Nations (UN)


This year's commemoration of International Youth Day also marks the launch of the International Year of Youth, under the theme "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding".



Today's challenging social and economic environment warrant a special focus on youth. Eighty-seven per cent of people aged 15 to 24 live in developing countries. The global economic crisis has had a disproportionate impact on young people; they have lost jobs, struggled to find even low-wage employment and seen access to education curtailed. As economies slowly begin to stabilize, the needs of young people should be paramount.


This is a moral imperative and a developmental necessity. But it is also an opportunity: the energy of youth can ignite faltering economies. I am regularly inspired by the good will, talent and idealism of the young people I meet across the world. They are making important contributions to our work to eradicate poverty, contain the spread of disease, combat climate change and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. I call on Member States to increase their investments in young people so they can do even more.



During the International Year, the United Nations and its youth organization partners will focus on the need to encourage dialogue and understanding across generations, cultures and religions. In a world in which different peoples and traditions are coming into closer, more frequent contact than ever before, it is crucial that young people learn how to listen intently, empathize with others, acknowledge divergent opinions, and be able to resolve conflicts. Few endeavors are more important than nurturing these skills, and educating young people about human rights, for in them we not only see the next generation of leaders, but also crucial stakeholders of today. Let us also recognize that older generations themselves stand to learn a great deal from the experiences and examples of young people as they come of age in a world of accelerating interconnectedness.



As we launch this International Year, let us acknowledge and celebrate what youth can do to build a safer, more just world. Let us strengthen our efforts to include young people in policies, programmes and decision-making processes that benefit their futures and ours.

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Message from:



Mrs. Irina Bokova,

Director-General of UNESCO


Today marks the launch of the UN International Year of Youth centred on the theme of dialogue and mutual understanding. It has been 25 years - more than one generation - since the UN dedicated a special year to youth. A force of 1.2 billion between ages 15 and 24, young people have the energy and motivation to propose innovative solutions to today's global challenges and the aspiration and tools to build bridges of dialogue across cultures.


This Year aims to raise awareness about young people's contribution to society, to help them address the challenges they face and encourage them to participate in development initiatives, from community to global level.


We have to open more spaces and opportunities to nurture civic engagement and enable youth to participate in shaping their future. Five years away from the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it is more important than ever to encourage young people to dedicate themselves to achieving a more just and sustainable world.


Our goal is to harness the potential of youth as partners for development and peace. The UNESCO Youth Forum, held since 1999, is now an integral part of all sessions of the UNESCO General Conference, the Organization's highest decision-making body. The Forum gives young people from all Member States the opportunity to learn about UNESCO's programmes and be more actively engaged in tangible action in their respective countries. The 2011 UNESCO Youth Forum will provide space for all UN agencies and other partners to report on their activities carried out during International Youth Year and chart a future course of action.


Public investment in youth provides lasting dividends for all society. The global economic and financial crisis has made the world more insecure for young people, especially for those from vulnerable or marginalized groups. Youth policies that promote equity and directly engage with young people must be strengthened. Development assistance policies should be better geared to address youth's needs and concerns.


UNESCO is committed to empowering youth and ensuring that their voices are heard. We are currently co-chairing the United Nations Interagency Network on Youth Development, which was formally set up in February 2010 at UNESCO Headquarters. The establishment of this network marks an important step towards better coordinating our knowledge, reflections and actions on youth, in order to improve the impact of our work. The Organization will reinforce support to Member- States in developing effective policies and programmes affecting youth, running from access to quality educational opportunities, the empowerment of young women and partnerships for HIV and AIDS prevention to the promotion of cultural diversity, measures to address youth violence, and sports for development and peace.


By recognizing the manifold contributions that youth can make in promoting mutual understanding, the International Year of Youth embraces UNESCO's vision of "building peace in the minds of people" and aligns with the objective of the International Year for the approchement of Cultures, which UNESCO is leading.


Young people must be given opportunities to participate as respected partners in decision-making and action at all levels. It is in everyone's interest to empower youth with the skills they need to build more sustainable future. I call upon governments and the international community to act hand in hand with youth, and encourage young people from across the world to seize the opportunity this Year offers to network, share ideas and launch initiatives that promote peace, mutual understanding and development for all.