It’s International Youth Day! Let’s work together to unlock young people’s full potential
International Youth Day (12 August) is an opportunity to celebrate the world’s 1.8 billion young people and their potential to shape our collective future, while acknowledging the challenges they face growing up in a fast-changing world shaped by digitalisation and urbanisation.
We know that more collaboration and investment is needed to meet the needs of young people worldwide, as well as provide them with platforms and support to share their voice. To realise this vision, Fondation Botnar is proud to support the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health’s (PMNCH) 1.8 Billion Young People for Change Campaign in calling for increased investment in the health and wellbeing of young people.
About the 1.8 Billion campaign
The PMNCH campaign aims to unite the voices of 1 million young people by asking them what they want for their health and wellbeing, and building demand for decision-makers to listen and address their issues in the form of policies, investments and actions. Culminating at the Global Forum for Adolescents in October 2023, we will celebrate new commitments and learn from our partners and collaborators by combining knowledge and action from multiple sectors and domains.
Connecting youth perspectives
We envision a world where young people thrive in every aspect of their lives – physically, emotionally, and socially. But for this to be realised, investment in youth-centred systems is urgently needed. Fondation Botnar is committed to supporting the gaps that currently hinder progress in securing adolescent health and wellbeing, and to raising awareness among policymakers, the private sector, donors, and young people themselves of the crucial steps needed to turn the tide.
Last month at the Women Deliver 2023 conference, we launched Rising Minds, a pop-up radio show co-created by young people to amplify youth perspectives during the conference. This included Connecting Minds, a Q+A forum together with PMNCH, which facilitated a range of thought-provoking conversations, exemplifying that young people already have the solutions to issues relating to their wellbeing. We’ve collated some of the responses in the video below.
Mobilising for action
The Global Forum for Adolescents will unite knowledge and action across multiple sectors and domains. During the two-day virtual event, political and financial commitments for policies and programmes will be mobilised for adolescent wellbeing and amplify the voices of young people.
As a foundation committed to the health and wellbeing of young people and adolescents, we recognise that wellbeing emerges from the interplay of personal, societal, and material determinants across all facets of young people’s lives and experiences. This means working to create supportive digital environments, providing reliable information and promoting safe connections. To achieve this, we have programmes like RIGHTS Click, which calls on decision makers and technology companies to promote safe and healthy online spaces. We also invest in building youth-centred urban environments where young people can express their views, act on them, and contribute to their communities through initiatives like OurCity. Together with partners like the Being Initiative, we focus on supporting mental wellbeing through research and innovative approaches to create positive, lasting change in local communities and beyond.
As part of our commitment, we are proud to support PMNCH’s efforts and call on partners from the private and philanthropic sectors and political actors to build a sustained commitment to adolescent health and wellbeing before, during, and after the Forum.
What’s coming next?
So, on this International Youth Day and beyond, let’s all come together – young people, experts, and organisations – to make space for young people’s thoughts and ideas. Join us in the lead-up to the Global Forum for Adolescents and let youth voices be the driving force for change.
Throughout the rest of 2023, we invite you to join us at events and work together to unlock young people’s full potential, drive innovation, foster growth, and empower our entire global community. Together, we can ensure that policymakers and organisations invest in young people and create a world where wellbeing is a top priority. The time is now!
- Keep updated with our campaign by following @FondationBotnar (X), @Fondation_Botnar (Instagram) or Fondation Botnar (LinkedIn).
- Explore the real-time results from almost 800,000 youth, make connections with a supportive community, and mobilise advocacy efforts using the What Young People Want Dashboard.