"Youth should be given a chance to take an active part
in the decision-making of local, national and global levels."  United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon.

In an effort to harness the energy, imagination
and initiative of the world’s youth in overcoming the challenges facing
humankind, the United Nations proclaimed an International Year of Youth
starting on 12 August 2010 and ending 12 August 2011.

In its resolution proclaiming the Year, the General Assembly called on
governments, civil society, individuals and communities worldwide to support
activities at local and international levels to mark the event. The theme is
‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding’.

The Year of Youth aims to encourage
dialogue and understanding across generations and promote the ideals of peace,
respect for human rights and freedoms, and solidarity. It encourages young people to dedicate themselves to fostering progress,
including the attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

(Source: UN – click here for full press release)

So what have Soroptimists been doing to mark the Year of Youth? As always, Soroptimists
all over the world are taking action to support and work with the youth of
today, encouraging them in their actions and helping them to achieve their
potential.

One such example is that of our SI UN Representatives in Paris who helped to organise a very successful Young Persons
Forum on the theme: ‘Women, Africa and Development’. The event
focused on  raising awareness amongst young people aged 15-25, focussing on human rights, education and culture within the context of the broader theme of ‘Women, Africa and Development’. Over 300 young people attended to
share their experiences and discuss pressing international issues.

This event was attended by two of the SI representatives to UNESCO,
Dominique Mertz and Madeleine Gorse. During a brief round table, three
of UNESCO’s sector directors or former directors, all from African
countries, gave their point of view on the theme of this important meeting.
There were then breaks for attendees to tell their stories, show short
films and share music.

The main
topics were:

1. Education and cultur;
2. Access to medical care and
   human development, particularly illustrated by photos provided by
   Marie-Christine Gries de La Barbelais (SI UN representative) from the village of Mboro (Senegal) where a local NGO is
   supported by two clubs of the French Union;
3. Violence against women;
4. Income generating activities, illustrated
   by Dominique Mertz with photos from SI Agadi in Morocco.

Focusing on
the role of education in promoting human rights and on the importance of
learning about culture for shared international understanding,
the young people’s forum allowed stories and lives to be shared.
It was clearly demonstrated to the participants the importance using this understanding to help others,
respect their rights and to campaign for the extension of rights where
they are lacking.

This meeting
highlighted the immense passion and commitment of the young people who want to
see the world changed for the better. At the end of the event, 300 young people
had been inspired to campaign for human rights and the rights of those who
struggle to make their voices heard.

This is
just one example of how SI has joined in the celebrations to mark the Year of
Youth. On Friday we will be sharing a SoroptiVoice Blog from Chris Knight, SISWP, on local SI partnerships with young people.

Visit the International Year of Youth website for more information. In the meantime: Happy International Year of Youth!