Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 13, 2018 Editorial
Yesterday, youths in Guyana joined with youths around the world to observeInternational Youth Day (IYD) which was first observed on August 12, 2000. International Youth Day was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 17, 1999 on the recommendation by the World Conference of Ministers for Youth held in Lisbonin 1998. Since 2000, International Youth Day is being celebrated by youths around the world on August 12, every year.
Youth Day was designated by the UN for governments, organisations and the business sector to draw awareness to the issues affecting youths around the world and to help find solutions to their problems.
It aims to remind the public of the importance of young people at a very exciting stage of their life. During this period, youths go through adolescence, the process of finding their own identity, finish school and leave their parental homes to travel or build their own career.
On this day, youths in several countries attended workshops, cultural events, seminars and meetings to exchange ideas and freely express themselves. International Youth Day 2018 is dedicated to celebrate young people’s contributions to society, social justice and sustainable peace worldwide.
This year’s theme “Safe Spaces for Youth” is meant to encourage youths to come together, engage in activities related to their diverse needs and interests, participate in decision- making processes and being involve in their communities.
Safe spaces also ensure the dignity, safety and the contributions of youths and the provision of leisure activities as essential to their psychological, cognitive and physical development. As more youths aspire to engage deeper in political, civic and social matters in a technological connected world, the availability and accessibility of safe spaces for them becomes even more crucial to make this a reality.
Since the adoption of IYD in 2000, there has been growing recognition in Guyana that youths are the agents of change and the future of the country. IYD is celebrated each year in Guyana with great joy and enthusiasm to recognise the efforts, achievements and contribution of youths to society.
It is to promote ways to engage youths to become more actively involved in the decision-making process and to make positive contributions to their communities. It is a national event that includes youth conferences on issues such as education, healthcare and employment.
Other activities include concerts to showcase the talents of youths, and various sporting events, parades, rallies and exhibitions to highlight their achievements and contributions to society.
In Guyana, participation in IYD includes a number of paramilitary youth organisations such as the scouts, majorettes, guides, youth core and other youth groups from the ten administrative regions. International Youth Day also focuses on the rights of youths to have access to education, adequate healthcare, employment opportunities, financial services, and full participation in public life.
More than 60 percent of the population aged 14 to 30 years in Guyana are youths, which means that they are the majority of voters in the country, yet, only a few of them have senior positions in the government. In the broadest sense, this negates the important role youths can play in electing a government and in the development of the country.
It is important for youths to be integrally involved in decisions that would affect their future and the country. Yet they are not given the opportunity to reach their potential or achieve their goals. Excluding them from the decision-making process and not creating opportunities for them to improve their lives, can be a risk factor for violence and crime and a precondition for an unsafe society.
Youths of today face more serious problems than previous generations. The majority are poor and many live in abject poverty and cannot afford post-secondary education, health care and basic necessities of life. Partnerships with several stake-holders should be established in Guyana to address issues affecting youths. Society must educate and empower them to be productive, creative and law-abiding citizens.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
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