UN Declares the International Year of Youth
Thousands of youth organizations around the world had been invited by the UN to participate in making this a better world for the youth.
The UN identifies issues that the youth are facing such as unemployment, lack of opportunities, and health risks throughout the world. More than the 50% of new HIV infections are people under 24 years of age for example.
" This year we were faced with a most terrible environmental disaster - the BP Oil Spill - that threatens the effort of these organizations," says Global Youth Action Network (GYAN), one of the largest networks of youth organizations known for its role in increasing youth participation within the United Nations System.
"The spill creates an opportunity for youth to ask government to commit more funds to developing sustainable energy, collective transportation, and alternative ways of living," GYAN said further.
This declaration of the United Nations offers a great opportunity for the youth around the world to collaborate and forge partnerships in order to address the most pressing youth problems around the world.
"Now is the time to speak up and to act at all levels to empower youth movements around the world to develop a secure and better future with better opportunities for youth," GYAN concluded.
To know more about GYAN you can visit their website at http://gyan.tigweb.org/. For one of the youth-serving organizations in the Philippines, you can check out Brotherhood of Destiny (BROOD).
This is our year and our planet and our future.
Let's make it count!
