Welcome to the United Nations
Youth Flash Newsletter August 2013
Photo Credit: UN photo
In this issue of Youth Flash, you will find the following:
Feature Article:
- Young people celebrate International Youth Day 2013
News from UN offices
News from UN Information Centers (UNIC)
Youth in Action
Publications
Featured Article
International Youth Day 2013 was widely celebrated across the world on 12 August 2013. Youth and youth-led organizations, Member States and others celebrated the day in context of their local, national and regional realities, to raise awareness among the youth on issues relevant to them. The Focal Point on Youth of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) congratulate youth and youth organizations for their efforts and initiatives to make the celebration a success!!
International Youth Day commemoration 2013
International Youth Day (IYD) was established by the United Nations as a means of raising awareness of issues affecting young people around the world. Every year, in commemoration of IYD, United Nations and other organizations, including youth organizations organize public information activities to promote better awareness, especially among youth, of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY). Like every year, hundreds of youth organizations took actions and organized numerous events across the globe. To celebrate the day, the Focal Point on Youth of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) organized the official United Nations event at the United Nations Headquarters on 12 August 2013.
The Theme: Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward
This year’s theme of International Youth Day was Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward. While number of young migrants amongst total international migration is staggering, very little is known about these young people. The IYD celebration 2013 was hoped to offer some visibility to the lives of these young migrants through organizing commemoration events on the theme across the globe.
We were just amazed by your actions and enthusiasm in celebrating the day to make youth migration issues visible!!!!!
Youth Celebrate IYD at the United Nations Headquarters
The Focal Point on Youth celebrated the day at the United Nations Headquarters with an event that allowed young people to dialogue on issues related to youth migration and development. This year the event was co-organized with the International Labour Organization with support from the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) Achievement Fund.
The purpose of this year’s event was to bring together all relevant stakeholders, primarily youth, to share their knowledge and experiences related to youth migration and to initiate a fruitful dialogue with young people on the topic. Hundreds of young people along with representatives from Member States, civil society, and UN entities attended to the event. The programme was live webcasted on UN WebTV and also featured on UN Radio. The event was live-tweeted and many young people around the world followed and re-tweeted live feeds of the event.
Photo Credit: UN photo
The event presented Secretary-General’s message on the day, featured a series of panel discussions, and screened award-winning videos on youth migration and development. In his message, the Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon emphasized on the importance of “the positive contribution young migrants make to societies of origin, transit and destination – economically and by enriching the social and cultural fabric”.
Click here fro the Secretary-General’s Message on International Youth Day 2013
Youth perspectives at the United Nations
An interactive panel discussion was the core of the day’s programme at the United Nations Headquarters, where young migrants and activists shared their experiences with migration. The panel featured distinguished youth speakers including a young refugee, an undocumented young migrant, a second-generation immigrant youth and a young activist working on migration. The panellists shared their own stories on migration that informed the audiences on the practicality of risks and opportunities young migrants face during their migration process. Presentations from the young panellists were followed by a Q&A session where young audiences engaged themselves in interactive dialogues with the speakers.
Photo Credit: UN photo
Another panel discussion featured the recent research and experiences from Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the situation of youth migrants.
Videos: voices of youth
A number of videos on youth migration were screened in the event, which include videos from the Plural+ Youth video festival, jointly organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM); a United Nations video titled “Akhter’s Story” on a refugee girl from Afghanistan; and the winning video of the International Labour Organization’s contest on youth labour migration. In the event, the International Labour Organization introduced Ms. Laura Garciandia, the winner of their video contest on “Youth labour migration: reaping the benefits, minimizing the risks”.
Links:
Video on Akhter’s Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_rQj8nzbV4
Plural+ video festival: http://pluralplus.unaoc.org/
Winning video of ILO video contest on youth labour migrants: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLbmwuWdAvU
Find your activity!! Global mapping of IYD celebration
The International Youth Day was commemorated globally as many youth organizations took initiatives and organized numerous events in celebrating the day. The focal point on youth created a map to show global actions related to 2013 International Youth Day celebrations. Many youth organizations shared their information on celebration of the day, which was included in the map. The map can be found here:
Link:
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/viewer?mid=zqiguP23afVo.k83UGOLyWzPk
The map currently features many events, and each one is unique in its programme and method for engaging youth. Several of the programmes include photo competitions, where youths were encouraged to takes pictures of their communities and to compete against others for prizes. Some events involved discussions with youth ministers and informative sessions on issues most important to young people. Some events engaged youth population in volunteering in their local communities.
Congratulations to all of you your initiatives!
For more Information on IYD:
http://undesadspd.org/Youth/InternationalYouthDay/2013.aspx
More information on the Focal Point on Youth
Website: http://undesadspd.org/Youth.aspx
Face book: facebook.com/UN4Youth
Twitter: twitter.com/UN4Youth
Email: youth@un.org
Youth Flash Newsletter
UNESCO
Regional MOST School in Brasilia with Focus on the Youth Subject (7-12 October 2013)
UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations Programme (MOST), the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), the Organization of Ibero-American Youth (OIJ) and the Brazilian Youth Secretariat (SNJ) invite postgraduate, master and doctorate students of social and human sciences – as well as youth leaders from the civil society of Latin America and the Caribbean involved with research or activities related to the youth issue - to apply for the Brazilian edition of the MOST regional school to be held in Brasilia, Brazil, from 7 to 12 October 2013.
The MOST regional summer school will debate on initiatives taken by the Brazilian government on youth policies, while will also discuss a regional approach for the youth issue and foster regional networks and academic synergies around that topic. This will also reinforce the possibility of a regional “Youth Latin-American Observatory”, a joint initiative of the above-mentioned partners.
Applications are limited to 20 researchers and 20 youth leaders. Deadline for applications is 30th August 2013. More information on how to apply at:
Contact: f.eon@unesco.org
Chile to host the First Interdisciplinary Diversity, Sexuality and Gender meeting
The Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV), with the support of the Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago), has organized this first meeting to be held on 4 and 5 September 2013 in Viña del Mar.
The First Interdisciplinary Diversity, Sexuality and Gender meeting has been organized by students of the Faculty of Differential Education in the PUCV with three objectives: first, to generate an instance of debate and discussion on issues of gender, sexuality and diversity open to students and teachers from different disciplines and universities; second, to create a platform that fosters the development of students' work around the themes of diversity, sexuality and gender in education; and, third, to enable the sharing of knowledge on the construction of sexual identity and gender among students and teachers from different disciplines and universities through lectures, rounds of questions and student exhibitions.
More information:
Post-Disaster Damage Assessment: Uttarakhand Initiative
In response to the devastating flash floods in Uttarakhand, India, which resulted in significant damage to the cultural heritage of the region, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) India, in partnership with UNESCO New Delhi, initiated a pilot project to assess damage in the area in order to determine priorities for salvage and recovery. On 25 July, fourteen architecture and engineering students underwent training at a workshop designed specifically for the project to develop a tool kit for field workers engaged in damage assessment. On a subsequent eight-day mission to the flood-affected region, these heritage volunteers conducted field surveys of movable and immovable cultural heritage, including cultural objects, temples, vernacular residences and sacred landscapes. The field work, completed at thirty different sites, involved recording damage and engaging with various stakeholders to identify the challenges for recovery of cultural heritage. At the debriefing session, students shared lessons learned and expressed enthusiasm about the mission and the opportunity to participate in future field surveys and to expand the volunteer base.
More information: http://www.icomosindia.org/
Patrimonito’s World Heritage Adventures
The latest, episode 12 – Patrimonito in China: The Great Wall and Youth, has been produced in July 2013 based on the national Patrimonito storyboard competition in China held in 2012. The project encourages young people to envisage and propose solutions for the World Heritage preservation to their peers by creating storyboards, where they introduce a World Heritage site, the threats it is facing and suggested solutions. The best storyboard is selected, developed and professionally produced as a cartoon series.
To see all twelve episodes please consider: http://whc.unesco.org/en/patrimonito/.
Contact person: Ms Carmela Quin, Focal Point for World Heritage Education Programme.
8th UNESCO Youth Forum Online Discussions: going LIVE on 21 August 2013
Whilst UNESCO Member States are currently involved in the final nomination of their youth delegates to the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum, all young people throughout the world can participate in the pre-Forum discussions online from 21 August 2013. By participating in the online discussion community, young men and women will be able to shape the way in which UNESCO’s Operational Strategy on Youth is to be implemented from 2014 to 2021.
In line with the three main axes of this Strategy, the topics for discussion are:
- Policy formulation and review with the participation of youth
- Capacity development for the transition to adulthood
- Civic engagement, democratic participation and social innovation
The preliminary debates will take place online, providing the blueprint for nine strategic recommendations that are to be presented by the youth delegates during the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum, held at the Organization’s Headquarters, in Paris, France, from 29 to 31 October 2013.
These discussions are open to all young men and women, not only those coming to Paris in October! This is a chance for youth from across the world to come together and share their concerns, local and global, and to put forward their solutions.
All discussions will be led by young people, about young people, and for young people!
For youth to participate in the discussions online, one can sign up to the pre-Forum discussion community: 8th Youth Forum Online Discussion Group
Contact: youth@unesco.org
The World Heritage in Young Hands Kit (WHYH)
The WHYH Kit is an educational resource for secondary school teachers and aims to sensitize young people to the importance of preserving their local, national and world heritage. Hard copies presently exist in 37 national language versions. A new version of the interactive DVD WHYH Kit in French has been published in July 2013, following the first version in English.
For more information: http://whc.unesco.org/en/educationkit/
UNFPA
Commemoration of International Youth Day in Mauritania
The region of Hodh El Chargui in Mauritania, which borders with Mali, hosted this year’s commemoration event of the International Youth Day on 12 August 2013 under the theme "Youth Migration: moving development forward." The choice of this area was not accidental and was due to the high number of young people tempted by migration to countries in Africa and Europe.
As part of the commemoration, young people were mobilized around various cultural and sports activities. Facilitators, peer educators and young people were able to share and talk about the phenomenon of migration and the opportunities available to young people. They also discussed on social cohesion and the consolidation of national unity as well as issues related to Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Youth.
The organization of this event symbolizes the commitment of the Government, supported by UNFPA, to put youth at the centre of development strategies and policies.
ILO Youth Employment Programme
The ILO calls for good practices on youth employment
Has your organization implemented a programme to support young people in accessing decent work? Do you want your practice to be recognized and widely disseminated?
This is your opportunity! The ILO Youth Employment Programme is launching a call for submissions of good practices that have proven effective in promoting decent work for young people.
All applications will be assessed based on 6 specific criteria: (i) relevance, (ii) effectiveness and impact, (iii) sustainability, (iv) innovation, (v) replicability, (vi) efficiency. An evaluation committee composed of experts and young specialists on youth employment will identify the good practices from the programmes submitted. The best submission will receive prizes and three of them will be featured in an MTV video.
The deadline to submit proposals is the 5th October 2013.
For more information visit: www.youthpractices.org
WHO
Contribute to a report on adolescent health!
Why is health important? What do you do to stay healthy? What health issues are you and your friends concerned about? Have you been affected by ill health? How? We want to know – your voices matter!
Are you aged between 10-19 years? Or you are a health worker working with adolescents? We want to hear from you!
The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a report called “Health for the World’s Adolescents”. The report will look at the health and development of adolescents, present summaries of what is known about adolescent health—including what promotes or undermines their health—and how communities and countries meet adolescents’ health needs.
Please visit our web page http://www.who.int/adolescent_health2014/
And give us your input! You can:
•Take a survey
•Enter a photo competition
•Send us your story
•Get creative! (Send in poems, drawings, songs etc)
Menarche, menstrual hygiene and menstrual health of adolescents in low and middle income countries
As part of WHO’s work on improving our understanding of the needs and problems of young adolescents (10-14), a systematic review on Menarche, Menstrual Hygiene and Menstrual Health among Adolescents in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) was carried out.
The review sought to answer six questions:
1. How knowledgeable are adolescent girls in LMIC about menstruation and how prepared are they for reaching menarche?
2. Who are young girls’ sources of information regarding menstruation?
3. How well do adults respond to girls’ information needs?
4. What negative health and social effects are experienced by adolescents?
5. How do adolescents respond when they experience these negative effects and what practices do they develop as a result?
6. How well do adults respond when girls face these negative issues?
The review found out that in many cases, girls are uninformed about and unprepared for menarche and menstruation. Often the information that adults – primarily parents – provide adolescents are too little and too late, and sometimes incorrect. A small number of small scale and time limited projects have shown that menstrual health education by young workers in community settings and teachers in schools can improve knowledge and understanding, and promote menstrual hygiene.
Youth Employment Network (YEN)
2013 Youth Summit, World Bank Development Case Competition
The Youth Employment Network (YEN) and the World Bank are seeking young innovators to compete in a Development Case Competition. The case proposed by YEN asks young people to design a better financial product for young entrepreneurs. The World Bank invites individuals and teams of up to five creative thinkers ages 18-35 to submit their most innovative solutions by September 8.
For more information and registration for the competition: www.bit.ly/WBGYouthSummit
YEF Regional Knowledge Sharing Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya (Sept 9-11, 2013)
The Youth Entrepreneurship Facility (YEF) will organize a regional knowledge sharing meeting (a) To showcase and communicate some of YEF’s results, (b) To facilitate policy dialogue by regional level stakeholders, and (c) To facilitate learning and sharing of experiences, strategies and initiatives.
For more information about the meeting: http://yefks.wikispaces.com/
For more information about YEF: http://www.yefafrica.org/
Evaluation Clinic in Amman, Jordan (August 20-22, 2013)
The Youth Employment Network (YEN) and the Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI) will co-organize an Evaluation Clinic in Amman, Jordan. The Clinic will be hosted by the Institute for Sustainable Development Practice at the Columbia Global Centers, Middle East. The Clinic will provide a venue for evaluation specialists to collaborate with youth employment project teams for the development of evaluation plans.
For more information about YEN Evaluation Clinics: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/yen/whatwedo/projects/clinics.htm
UNICEF
Youth Advocacy Group and Malala Day
The Youth Advocacy Group (YAG) of the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) took a leading role in supporting Malala Day on 12 July 2013. The YAG helped mobilize over 500 youth to urge world leaders to respond to the demand for education. They spearheaded the preparation of the “The Youth Resolution: The Education We Want” and presented it to world leaders on the day and will continue to use the Resolution in their advocacy efforts. In addition, YAG members helped organize Malala Day events in other countries including Moldova, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. To view photos of the YAG involvement in Malala Day, visit GEFI’s Flickr site. To learn more about about the YAG, check out their video: “Young people at the vanguard of global change.”
For more information, contact Daria Ng, GEFI communications focal point at dng@unicef.org.
IOM
International Youth Day Google+ Hangout
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) marked International Youth Day with a collaborative Google+ Hangout, having experts from five continents tune in to talk about various youth migration and development issues. This geographic diversity helped paint a vivid picture of the different circumstances facing young people on the move today. The conversation ranged from broad concepts such as the causes and evolution of youth migration, to the specific details of IOM’s current projects for youth.
The key messages that the panelists delivered highlighted ways to enhance opportunities for youth migrants while mitigating the challenges and risks that still endure. The need to accurately inform young people about their migration choices is the most pressing matter right now. In the future, youth migrant networks, information campaigns, skills training, and institutional support for inclusion of youth in policy making can help to enlighten, prepare, and protect those youth who decide to move.
The discussion can be found at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MZxLusXYdA
Questions about IOM and Youth Migration can be directed to Evelien Borgman at eborgman@iom.int”
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (GITC)
The 2013 Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (GITC) will be held during 9 -11 October 2013 in the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand. The event is being organized by ESCAP, the Government of the Republic of Korea, LG Corporation and the Korean Society of Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities.
The 2013 GITC’s aim is to reduce the digital divide, expand social participation of youth with disabilities and promote the implementation of the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific.
Approximately 170 participants from 20 countries, including government officials, experts in IT policy and youth with disabilities, will attend the 2013 GITC. The programme includes an IT competition for youth with disabilities and an IT Policy Seminar; Governments are requested to submit nominations for these to the organizers by 20 August 2013.
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA (ECA)
More Focus on Youth
This year’s International youth day celebrations comes at a time when, the ECA has also taken steps to reposition itself and refocus its programmes to make them more responsive to the transformative agenda of Africa. Young Africans over the last couple of years have always demanded for a dedicated office on youth issues and the ECA has responded by creating a full fledged Population and Youth Section within the Social Development Policy Division. Given Africa’s youthfulness, the ECA will continue to work towards strengthening policy and strategic approaches of member States to integrate demographic changes and emerging population and youth issues into development policies and programs. Special attention will also be given to harnessing youth resources for development in the continent. The youth office will continue among other things, to support member States to periodically review and assess progress on development goals stemming from regional and global programmes, including The World Program of Action for Youth, the UN System-Wide Action Plan on Youth and the African Youth Charter.
For more information contact: Hassan Yousif (hyousif@uneca.org )
UNO Tashkent
International Youth Day 2013
United Nations in Uzbekistan has widely celebrated the International Youth Day with a range of activities lined up for August 12, 2013.
The Day kicked off with a Press Briefing hosted by the UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan in the largest National Library named Alisher Navoi. The briefing was attended by a number of journalists, youth activists, national partners and representatives of the greater UN Family in the country.
Following the brief, all guests were invited by the UN Resident Coordinator to observe the inauguration of the UN Resource Centre in the Library. The new Resource Centre houses the latest UN publications and a wide range of significant documents enabling youth and the larger public to learn about the work of all agencies operating in the country.
Following the inauguration, a national youth exhibition was kicked off on the topic “Volunteering for Development”. The exposition features works of young photographers and volunteers from around the country featuring diverse facades of development, activism, and youth engagement in social and cultural life.
Also in the run up to the Day, the Communication Group collaborated to put together a documentary detailing the stories of success in United Nation’s work with Uzbekistan’s youth both in English and Russian.
UNO Baku
UNO Baku Highlights Achievements and Challenges for Migrant Youth on International Youth Day
Young people, civil society representatives and youth activists strolled into the UN House in Baku, Azerbaijan to jointly celebrate International Youth Day. Welcomed by UN Department of Public Information (UN DPI) Representatives in Azerbaijan, and joined by guest speakers from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), more than 40 young enthusiasts gathered to hear from the specialists.
The day’s presentations focused not only on the plight of those facing hard conditions away from their homes, but also highlighted the contributions of young migrants globally, with a special look at the contributions of young Azeris studying and working abroad. They were also excited to get a chance to take a peek at the 2013 World Youth Report on Youth Migration and Development and to discuss the recommendations of the ILO Report for Azerbaijanis seeking employment in Azerbaijan.
The room was filled with exuberance when the discussion period started, and the Azerbaijani youngsters simply did not want to leave. “What a great day and such a useful discussion", said Ulviya Gahramanli of “Ireli” youth NGO. “This was such great ‘food for thought’ and we look forward to come back for more,” Ulviya whispered smilingly.
IREX
Community Solutions- Applications now Open!
The application cycle for the 2014 Community Solutions Program is now open.
The Community Solutions Program is a professional development program for the best and brightest global community leaders working in Transparency & Accountability, Tolerance & Conflict Resolution, Environmental Issues, and Women & Gender Issues. Selected candidates will participate in: a four month U.S. fellowship with a local nonprofit organization or government agency; structured virtual learning and networking via the Online Community Leadership Institute; and, the design and implementation of follow-on projects in their home countries.
More information:
http://www.irex.org/application/community-solutions-information-applicants
Disclaimer: Reference herein to any organization, view, or event is intended for explicit description only and does not constitute or imply endorsement or recommendation by the United Nations, or anyone else.
Pew Research Center
A Rising Share of Young Adults Live in Their Parents’ Home
In 2012, 36% of the nation’s young adults ages 18 to 31—the so-called Millennial generation—were living in their parents’ home, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. This is the highest share in at least four decades and represents a slow but steady increase over the 32% of their same-aged counterparts who were living at home prior to the Great Recession in 2007 and the 34% doing so when it officially ended in 2009.
Full report here:
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2013/07/SDT-millennials-living-with-parents-07-2013.pdf
