Learn about International Youth Day 2016 here.

What is International Youth Day?

Every year on 12 August, the world celebrates International Youth Day. The annual occasion – spearheaded by the UN – celebrates young people and raises awareness about issues that affect them. There are events all over the world, and each year has a designated theme. 2015’s theme is youth civic engagement.

What is civic engagement?

Civic engagement is about getting involved in your community to make life better for other people. From political to social activities, civic engagement is the perfect term to cover all the ways in which people work to improve their world.

Why is civic engagement important for youth?

The UN points out that there aren’t many opportunities for young people to get engaged in their communities. This year’s International Youth Day is a step towards changing that.

Not only does civic engagement make people come together and work for a greater good, but it gives young people a chance to build vital skills and feel socially included. The UN is striving to include youth in political, social and economic life – the future depends on it.

Source: UN

Why should I care about International Youth Day?

You should care about International Youth Day because there are more youth on the planet than ever before. The UN Population Fund estimates that the population of people between 10 and 24 is 1.8 billion (check out more facts with our Youth Day Infographic).

With youth unemployment already hitting record highs – with predictions that it will get worse – creating opportunities for young people to build skills and confidence and involving them in conversations about local and global issues is more important than ever.

How can I get involved?

International Youth Day is a day when the whole world is forced to recognise how brilliant and important young people are.

You can harness the energy of the day by organising an event, like a youth debate or a talent show, to an activity, like planting trees around town or holding a community football game.

Find an issue that matters to you, contact your friends and on 12 August, make it happen. Get your activity some traction and/or recognition using #YouthDay or #YouthNow to spread the word. (Tag @PeaceChild/Peace Child International Facebook and we’ll retweet/share!)

What else can I do?

The UN’s pulling out all the stops for this year’s International Youth Day, so there’s lots of ways you can get involved:

• Events are scheduled all over the world on 12 August. Check out the map for what’s going on near you.
• Make your voice heard in online discussions through the Digital Surge.
• Do something that takes 2 minutes, like voting for your representative for the 2015-2017 UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board.
• Get informed and get inspired with the #YouthNow stories featured during the whole month of August.
• Stay informed by keeping an eye on the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.

Have a great International Youth Day, everyone!

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