International Youth Day was first held in the year 2000 following recommendations from the United Nations and has been globally marked and celebrated on 12th August every year since with the purpose being two-fold.
- Empowerment: It acts as a platform to promote youth engagement in public life, policy making, and community development.
- Awareness: The day highlights pressing issues affecting today’s youth, such as access to quality education, decent work, mental well-being, and digital inclusion.
Each year the UN sets a theme and leads discussions and events shaped around this in order to raise awareness and foster a sense of inclusion for young people aged 15-24 around the world. This year the theme is “Different context, same aspirations,” the purpose of this is to help us recognise that while young people’s lives are shaped by different national and local realities, their aspirations are remarkably similar. Across countries and communities, young people seek dignity, opportunity, meaningful participation, decent work, quality education, and a sustainable future.
Why This Is Important.
Although young people experience different realities depending on where they live, many of today’s most pressing challenges transcend borders. Limited access to quality education, barriers to decent work, unequal digital connectivity, climate change, social exclusion, and concerns about mental well-being affect millions of young people worldwide.
