Youth

Introduction

Young people represent a vital force with the potential and energy to initiate change. Their full participation in society as useful and valuable partners is crucial to shaping our world. According to the United Nations World Youth Report 2007, youth, defined as people between 15 and 24 years of age, make up approximately 18% of the world's population. Since there are nearly 1.2 billion young people today, there should be no less than 72 million additional young people on the planet by 2025, making the current generation of youth the largest in history.

UNESCO's commitment to youth dates back to the foundation of the Organization in 1945. After World War II, UNESCO contributed to the organization of international volunteer youth work camps to help rebuild Europe. Today, UNESCO's objective is to help empower young people by reaching out to them and responding to their expectations and ideas to foster useful and long-lasting skills. To do so, UNESCO encourages the following:

• The participation of young people in UNESCO's actions and those of partner organizations;
• Partnerships between UNESCO and young people;
• Integration of young people's concerns and expectations into choices made by Member States concerning the fields of education, science, culture and communication.

UNESCO's strategy for acting with and for youth was developed based on the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995.

UNESCO Youth Forum

In this regard, the institutionalization of the UNESCO Youth Forum held every two years since 1999 is a unique event within the United Nations system. This forum is an integral part of all sessions of the General Conference of the Organization, and constitutes an important mechanism in allowing the voice of youth to be heard and giving young people the chance to submit their work proposals to UNESCO Member States.

In preparation for the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum, which was held in Paris (France) from October 17 to 20, 2011 and with the assistance of its Provincial Youth Advisory Group (YAG) Coordinators, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO organized provincial youth consultations.

Young Canadians, representing a broad range of experience, contributed their experiences, identified common concerns and contributed to the work of the Commission. Participants shared their vision and innovative ideas on this year’s Forum’s main theme: “How Youth Drive Change” as well as on five sub-themes corresponding to UNESCO’s sectors.

The final consultations report thus encapsulates the many perspectives of Canadian youth who participated in this year’s consultation process. These youth-led recommendations served, among other things, to develop Canada’s position at the 2011 Youth Forum and provided a framework to the work of the two youth delegates representing Canada at the Forum, Victoria Lesau and Yassen Tcholakov. The recommendations are also meant to guide the activities of youth at the Commission in Canada in the upcoming two years

UNESCO’S Strategy for Action

Since 1988, the Section for Youth, Sport and Physical Education of the Social and Human Sciences Sector has been responsible for providing momentum and consistency to UNESCO's action with and for youth. UNESCO maintains direct communication with young people through a wide network of non-governmental youth associations and organizations, and through active participation in many youth events.

For more information on current activities and projects, visit the Youth section of the UNESCO website.

Canadian Commission for UNESCO's strategy for action

Since the 1990s, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO has been highly involved in issues regarding young Canadians (15 to 30 years old) and has been ensuring that they participate fully in its activities. In 2002, the Commission adapted its structure to incorporate youth more fully by creating the position of Programme Officer, Youth, and by facilitating youth participation in the activities of the Commission's three Sectoral Commissions and its Executive Committee.

Today, more than 400 youth organizations and individual members across Canada make up the Youth Network that works in partnership with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. This network ensures that young people's views are an integral part of the Commission's work, and that young people are given the opportunity to participate on an ad hoc basis in various consultations, activities, etc. undertaken by the Commission or in connection with UNESCO's mandated fields.

Members of the Youth Advisory Group ensure ongoing youth commitment within the Commission. Through liaising with the Programme Officer, Youth, members of the Youth Advisory Group help identify the issues and concerns of youth in their communities, provide recommendations and support the Programme Officer in developing new local initiatives and activities. 

The Youth Advisory Group has liaison, advisory and participation functions that meet the Commission's mandate. For a complete overview of the Youth Advisory Group’s role, functions and action area, please consult the following document.

youth advisory group videos

In the context of the International Year of Youth 2010 (IYY), the Canadian Commission for UNESCO launched the video project, "Do you See What I Think?", created by young Canadian members of the Commission's Youth Advisory Group (YAG).

The Canadian Commission for UNESCO believes that the messages conveyed through these creative works touch the major themes promoted by UNESCO. This is the beginning of a dialogue that we hope will continue in the future and lead to greater mutual understanding.

The 8 Youth Advisory Videos of the "Do you see What I Think?" project can be now viewed on the Canada Council for the Arts YouTube® channel by following these links:

• Vancouver

• Toronto
• Saskatchewan
• Québec
• Ottawa
• Nova Scotia
• Manitoba
• Alberta

All videos can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/CanadaCouncil