World Scouting is proud to support the Global Youth Summit to address impact of COVID-19 on young people
A Global Youth Summit, held virtually on 23- 25 April, will see thousands of young people, leaders, policy makers and changemakers come together in one space to discuss the issues facing young people across the world.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General will open the Global Youth Summit alongside Youth Representatives of the Global Youth Mobilization Board. It will feature youth activists from hundreds of countries, three plenary sessions with high-profile speakers, include over 70-hours of content, delivered by 150+ expert speakers and from 40+ partner organizations. The Summit will be available to anyone, via broadcast on www.globalyouthmobilization.org and in five core languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian.
As we look towards a post-pandemic future, the Global Youth Summit is a critical moment for young people to share experiences and solutions that will inspire and support young people to take an active part in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery within their communities and beyond.
The Summit is organized by the Global Youth Mobilization, an initiative by the world’s six largest youth organizations and supported by the World Health Organization and United Nations Foundation.
An initiative of young people and voluntary organizations taking action to improve their lives now and in a post-COVID-19 world, the Global Youth Mobilization and its supporters are calling on governments, businesses, and policy makers to back the initiative and commit to prioritising young people in their policies and investing in their futures.
Hundreds of millions of young people have had to put their lives on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 90 per cent of young people have reported increased mental anxiety during the pandemic; more than one billion students in almost every country have been impacted by school closures; 80 per cent of young women are worried about their future; and one in six young people worldwide have lost their jobs during the pandemic.
The mobilization is being supported by Governments, UN agencies and Royal Families including, the Queen of Malaysia, the President of Kenya, President of Ghana, the Vice President of Nigeria, the Government of Fiji, the Prime Minister of Belgium, the Government of Singapore as well as the European Commission, USAID, UNICEF and UN Population Fund. More details, and further Government support, will be announced at the Global Youth Summit.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: “WHO is committed to ensuring the voice, energy and solutions offered by youth are at the centre of the world’s recovery from COVID-19. Our collaboration with the Big 6 and the United Nations Foundation will fuel wide-ranging actions led by young people to address the challenges their own communities face, and will also provide global platforms for their wisdom and ideas to be heard and acted on.”
To support youth development around the world, the Global Youth Mobilization is investing in national and local projects to support young people to recover from the pandemic. The Global Youth Mobilization Local Solutions funding will by-pass traditional funding and support streams to invest in young people and community grassroots organizations anywhere in the world. A world first at this scale and level of ambition, young people and community organizations are able to apply for funding via one centralised platform, available in multiple languages. These local solutions will be judged and decided on by young people, for young people.
From education disruption and job losses, to a decline in mental health and rising gender-based violence, the Global Youth Mobilization will support young people to overcome the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. An initial $2 million of funding will be available in four tiers, from $500 through to $5,000 and an ‘accelerator’ program will scale and replicate the most promising solutions, with further funding lined up over the coming months.
For more information, please visit: www.globalyouthmobilization.org
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About the Global Youth Mobilization
The Global Youth Mobilization is led by the Big 6 Youth Organizations, an alliance of leading international youth-serving organizations:
World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and a leading programme for youth development, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (The Award).
Together, the Big 6 actively involve and engage more than 250 million young people, contributing to the empowerment of more than one billion young people during the last century.
The Global Youth Mobilization is led by a diverse Board made up of youth representatives drawn from across the Big 6, alongside CEOs of the Big 6 and representatives from the World Health Organization and United Nations Foundation.
