Fri, 02/08/2024 - 11:39am
International Youth Day was established by the United Nations in 1999. The UN recognized the importance of investing in youth as a means to foster sustainable development, peace, and security. The day was officially designated to be celebrated annually on August 12th, following a recommendation from the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, held in Lisbon in 1998. Since its inception, International Youth Day has served as a platform to amplify the voices of young people and promote their active participation in various aspects of society.
The theme of the 2024 is "From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development” highlighting the importance of young people designing, and using digital solutions to share information, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The theme covers specific digital innovations, including AI, all the way to young people using social media to mobilise and support each other.
To celebrate the day in this spirit, the Orkney Y-LAG, the Outer Hebrides Y-LAG, the Cairngorms Youth Action Team, the Fife Y-LAG, the Scottish Borders Y-LAG and the Forth Valley and Lomond Y-LAG have teamed up with Scottish Rural Action to run an online campaign highlighting the contribution of youth-led local development to rural and island communities, and inviting participation and allyship from other young people and practitioners who work with them.
At the heart of this campaign is the following short film which explains what they are about:
