Have you heard about International Youth Day? Why has there been a need for such a day?
Many people see that young people are responsible for the community’s backwardness, regress, and corruption, and that is due to the lack of attention to the youth issues and their desire to migrate out of the country. These people forget that young people are currently the most affected by all global crises, and they do not realize that young people are the most capable of facing and Overcoming challenges and circumstances.
“It was just a black cloud. The war changed my life completely. I’ve changed where I live, my ambitions, and all my plans. All my memories have changed.” Rami, a Syrian young man [1, p. 2]
There is no universally agreed international definition of the youth age group. However, the United Nations defines ‘youth’ as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years.
Many countries also draw the line on youth with regard to the age at which a person is given equal treatment under the law—often referred to as the ‘age of majority.’ This age is commonly 18 in many countries; Nonetheless, the definition of the term ‘youth’ varies from country to country, depending on relative sociocultural, institutional, economic, and political factors.
Today, the youth account for 16 percent of the global population, as there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years. By 2030 the number of youth is projected to have grown to nearly 1.3 billion. [2]
Youths are the building blocks of the present, the future power, and the cornerstone of society’s building and progress; as young people are the segment most capable of facing the challenges and circumstances, as well as the most energetic, impulsive, and self-confident. They are always able to provide the best solutions to the challenges in the society they live in. By cooperating with each other, they can advance society and motivate others to help in its development, in addition to increasing their influence on others and being affected by others.
Young people contribute to building and developing societies through several aspects, the most important of which are voluntary initiatives that often seek to provide solutions to huge problems in societies and help provide assistance to the rest of the people. In addition to making donations, participating in blood donation campaigns, and establishing workshops of various content in order to expand the circle of knowledge. [3]
Also read: World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
In Syria, as a result of the war that has been going on for more than ten years, it is obvious that the reality of the Syrian youth does not meet the same standards that apply to the rest of the youth around the world. Therefore, their problems and responsibilities have become greater than those borne by the youth category, which led to the fact that the youth category became the most affected category by the repercussions of the war. This war left deep scars on an entire generation of young men and women; many of them were forced to leave their homes and had to interrupt their education.
The most important effect was because of the actual war, as seven out of ten young people were wounded during the conflict. In addition, the family and social ties have been sundered due to the loss of people as a result of the war or the loss of communication.
For mental health, the impact was great and severe as a result of the suffering of a large number of Syrian youth from depression and sleep disorders. On the economic front, the biggest problem has been accessed to food, as three-quarters of Syrian youth struggle to meet their household’s basic needs. [1, p.4]
The United Nations has recognized the global importance of the youth. Due to their infinite dreams and energy which are vital for the continuing development of societies. Member States of the United Nations acknowledged this in 1965 when they endorsed the Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect, and Understanding between Peoples.
The United Nations General Assembly observed 1985 as the International Youth Year: Participation, Development, and Peace. In 1999, the United Nations declared August 12th International Youth Day, with the aim of drawing the international community’s attention to the importance of young people and their effective ability to change societies.
In addition, the youth category is closely related to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Especially the 4th goal that represents Quality Education, education is a fundamental right for youth everywhere. There is a need for concerted efforts to ensure that young women and men have access to free and quality education. Reaching this goal is essential to creating a qualitative shift in society, securing job opportunities for the workforce, and achieving suitable job opportunities for young people.
SDG 8th “Decent Work and Economic Growth” contextualizes the call for decent work for youth because the spread of unemployment and underemployment led to the deterioration of the economy. [2]
Uplifting Syrian Women emphasizes the importance of the youth and their essential role in changing and developing countries and societies, and they are not the cause of the deterioration and backwardness of the Arab communities, but rather they are the most affected by these crises; as they constitute a barrier to youth to achieve their dreams. Therefore it is necessary to pay attention to their issues and to seek out solutions for their problems, in order to provide them with good conditions that enable them to develop and build themselves and become leaders who lead their societies to development in all fields.
♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.
References:
[1] ICRC
[2] UN
[3] Mawdoo