International Youth Day

This year’s theme is “The road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production. Clearly the international community is at this time recognising the critical importance of the youth population with regard to future developmental goals. This theme focusses on the leadership roles that young people are expected to play in these areas.

The United Nations 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development states “This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity.

It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom.” The countries around the world recognise that poverty eradication is the greatest global challenge facing our people. The UN’s 2030 agenda seeks to build on the Millennium Development Goals and complete what was not achieved. Young people are being called upon to lead as equals in our global development.

Gone are the days when the youth contribution was merely expected to be in the areas of sports and music. There has been a significant expansion of the scope and level of expectations that the world has placed on the role of youth and leadership. This is a welcomed development by youth organisations as they continue to demand their space to demonstrate their potential.

There is no excuse for our youth population to not actively take a leadership role in their communities, country and their world. Youth have the power to attract youth.

This is something that I have experienced time and time again. The channelling of the energies, talents, creativity and perspectives of youth hold tremendous possibilities for providing solutions to many of our social, political and economic challenges.

Ronald Huggins St Joseph