Young people leading the way to a brighter post-COVID world

From The World Health organization

 

Media www.rajawalisiber.com – Young people everywhere have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their education has been disrupted. Many have lost jobs. Their mental health has suffered and too many have experienced gender-based violence.

However, a significant number of young people remain optimistic that an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable recovery from the pandemic is possible. With ingenuity and determination, they are helping develop solutions to ensure their communities emerge from the pandemic stronger than before.

The newly released Global Youth Mobilization progress report, Powering change: Young people leading the COVID-19 response and recoverydemonstrates the power of collective action and decision-making by young people, for young people.

The report includes case studies of global youth-led projects and outlines recommendations, developed from discussions with young people and youth-led organizations, to help multinational agencies and institutions, governments, policymakers, and the private sector to address and prioritize the needs of young people and future generations.

National project and local solutions

The National Project and Local Solutions, an initiative that began in early 2021 has already resulted in 200 000 young people actively engaging in addressing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in their local communities. They have been at the forefront of the pandemic recovery, delivering over 260 projects to-date, in 77 countries and supporting 800 000 community beneficiaries.

These projects have been developed and implemented around four key themes:

  • supporting COVID-19 prevention measures and tackling misinformation
  • physical and mental health challenges
  • disruption in education and improving employment prospects
  • overcome gender inequality and combat domestic and gender-based violence

Investing in health and well-being of young people

“WHO is proud to support the global movement to engage and empower young people as a driving force in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Working with the Big Six and the United Nations Foundation provided a unique opportunity to learn from millions of young people and be guided by their enthusiasm and ideas to help communities build back better,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

He added: “What the Big Six have achieved in a year through launching and implementing the Global Youth Mobilization is phenomenal and unparalleled in the youth development sector. We look forward to continuing our support and encourage other partners to join the mobilization and invest in the health and well-being of future generations.”

 

Note to Editors

About the Big Six Youth Organizations

The Big Six Youth Organizations are an alliance of leading international youth-serving organizations: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and a leading programme for youth development, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

The Local Solutions initiative still has funding available to support youth-led projects. All young people, regardless of background or location, can submit their solutions to tackle the health and challenges facing youth and their communities. All applications are judged and decided by young people.

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