Celebrate youth: “When young people take the lead, everyone wins”

But after a decade of armed conflicts and in the midst of a serious economic depression, imports of educational toys have become far too expensive for many classrooms in Yemen.

Shadia and Fatima, two young entrepreneurs in Yemen, identified This gap after participating in a training course managed by the United Nations Development Program (Predict). They decided to create a business led by young people called Dorri which would create sensory learning tools from wood and fabric of local origin.

Alone, Dorri will not bring peace to Yemen, and he will not alone solve the fact that more than a third of young people in Yemen are unemployed. But, according to one of the directors whose kindergarten has received toys, Dorri represents the creative potential of Year’s youth.

“When young people take the lead, everyone wins – children, families, schools and entire communities,” said the director.

Young people in peace consolidation

August 12 is the International Youth DayA day that highlights the full role that 1.9 billion young people play worldwide in the creation of a sustainable future.

This year, the day is particularly important according to Felipe Paullier, the UN General deputy secretary For young cases, because it coincides with other notable dates, including the 10th anniversary of a Security advice Resolution affirming the vital role that young people play in the progress of peace.

“Young people are leading to the objective of local campaigns to world peace efforts, strengthening confidence between cultures and creating a lasting impact,” said Paulier.

Create prosperous livelihoods

By 2050, people who are currently under 25 will represent more than 90% of the world workforce, which makes their training and education vital for the economy and a prosperous peace.

However, in contexts plagued by conflicts or in communities that face a trip, this training and this education can be almost impossible to achieve.

Elijah, a Sudanese refugee who is now 27 years old, arrived in a refugee camp in Kenya in 2015 after having fled violence in his country of origin. Education turned out to be impossible for him – while he was trying to go to school for a few years, he finally abandoned because he could not afford the costs of tuition.

But the training was very feasible: in his informal establishment – who specializes in electronic reparation – he has already formed 15 young people like him. He always hopes to do more.

“My dream is to open the largest electronic repair center in Kakuma which will serve the community and will also autonomize young people without a source of livelihoods to take care of themselves,” said Elijah.

An intergenerational approach

Mr. Paullier stressed that the empowerment of young people at a local level must involve more than simple support initiatives like Elijah – rather, real empowerment lies in “real confidence”.

“The significant participation of young people means to engage young people as equal partners.

In Myanmar, this type of intergenerational knowledge exchange has taken on a unique form – the theater. Conflicts in progress in this country have reversed many means of subsistence and created mature conditions for sexist violence.

A group of 18 young people from the state of my has trained a performance group which is coupled with an educational initiative. Together, they write, direct and display parts for neighboring communities of all ages who discuss themes such as domestic violence.

During a performance on current domestic violence, an elderly woman in the front row turned to her neighbor.

“It’s also my story,” she said.

Thanks to these performances, young people have created a forum for an intergenerational conversation: “We are not only artists-we are community educators, and this stage is our change platform,” said Min Cho, one of the artists.

Danger of tokenism

Despite the resolution of the Security Council, young people tend to remain excluded from decisions to develop policies. Or if they are included, their participation is sometimes “tokenist. “”

Areej Hussein, the founder of a basic feminist organization in Sudan, experienced the frustration of having her plea simply a symbol for people in power.

“Women and girls are not only victims of the war – we are peace manufacturers … enough to use women as slogans. It’s time to really listen to their leadership, “she said.

Ms. Hussein worked to change this in Sudan by mobilizing women from all walks of life and allowing them to tell their stories.

And she is not alone – many young people work around the world to change this. But for each of them, their approach to affecting the real change is slightly different.

For Shadia and Fatima, it was touch toys. Elijah inspires refugees… and for Yie Tone, the answer was theater. “We may not have the power to change politicians, but we have the power on this scene to change our communities to a safe and equal society,” said Tone.