International Day of Youth Celebration

Youth for Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and Communities: Tuesday, August 13, 2019

An exciting buzz as the youths settled in to celebrate another day in observance of International Youth Day. A delegation of three youths represented the Brahma Kumaris at the second event held at the UNHQ, NY, on Tuesday, August 13.

This is what the youths had to say:

“Attending the United Nations International Youth Day event this year was inspiring, fostering a creative outlook on how we can each be catalysts for change in the fight for a sustainable future. The panel gave us a platform to learn from a diverse group of speakers, ranging from a 7-year-old child activist to an established entrepreneur. What unified the speakers was the passion they had to transform the course of the future and the actions they were taking to initiate this change.
We really appreciated the intersectional lens that the panelists and speakers took regarding this complex issue of climate change. Many spoke about the unequal burden placed on women, especially those of lower socioeconomic status, in areas where the effects of climate change are already significant. They described how various outreach programs focus on empowering women through climate action. They highlighted that in order to serve a community of people, it is necessary for them to be a part of the conversation. Instead of assuming what a community wants, they will say what they actually need and it is our job to listen.

We enjoyed the casual tone of the discussion. It allowed us to grasp the ideas and feel that we too could accomplish similar goals. Despite the informal conversation, the speakers made sure to emphasize the importance of immediate action. It was amazing to hear about the importance of youth in the movement for sustainability and climate action from actual youth taking action. By learning from our peers, we are both impressed and confident that we can inspire necessary change to achieve a prosperous future for us all.
–Kinnary Shah, Pramity Shah, and Rhea Shetty.”