International Youth Day

“Young people are on the frontlines of the struggle to build a better future for all. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the dire need for the kind of transformational change they seek – and young people must be full partners in that effort.”- António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. The United Nations defines ‘youth’ as persons aged between 15 and 24. However, this definition is flexible. According to the World Youth Report (2018), there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population. The experience of being young can differ significantly across the world, between countries and regions, and ‘youth’ is therefore often a fluid and changing category. The theme of International Youth Day 2021 is, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”, with the aim of highlighting that the success of such a global effort will not be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people. It has been acknowledged that there is a need for inclusive support mechanisms that ensure youth continue to amplify efforts collectively and individually to restore the planet and protect life, while integrating biodiversity in the transformation of food systems. With the world’s population expected to increase by 2 billion people in the next 30 years, it has become recognized by numerous stakeholders that simply producing a larger volume of healthier food more sustainably will not ensure human and planetary wellbeing. Other crucial challenges must also be addressed, such as the interlinkages embodied by the 2030 Agenda including poverty reduction; social inclusion; health care; biodiversity conservation; and climate change mitigation. During the 2021 Economic and Social Council Youth Forum (ECOSOC) Youth Forum (EYF), the issues and priorities highlighted by young participants included the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly related to its effect on human health, the environment, and food systems. As part of the official outcome recommendations of the EYF, young participants stressed the importance of working towards more equitable food systems. Additionally the youth participants at EYF highlighted the need for youth to make informed decisions on food choices through increasing global education on the healthiest and most sustainable options for both individuals and the environment. There were also recommendations on providing adequate capacity development with respect to the resilience of food systems, in particular during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in its aftermath. Food systems include not only the basic elements of how we get food from farms to the table, but also all of the processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population, and the negative externalities that can be generated during the process, such as air and ocean pollution as well as desertification. There is also the risk of zoonotic diseases that can result from unsustainable farming practices and the climate crisis. Population health is also key in addressing food systems challenges, especially as nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NCD,s) such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer are major contributors to the global burden of disease. Youth Participation Over the years the youth in Jamaica have participated and benefited from various community and national engagements. One such is the National Youth Parliament of Jamaica. The National Youth Parliament of Jamaica (NYPJ) was started in November 2003 as a non-partisan initiative aimed at providing youth from across Jamaica with a forum to express their views, network and debate issues of concern in the House of Representatives. The Parliament has traditionally been hosted as part of the slate of activities for National Youth Month celebrations in Jamaica, with the most recent sitting being in November 2019. The NYPJ is structured to provide an opportunity for youth to deepen their understanding of parliamentary democracy, while developing skills in research, policy formulation and analysis, advocacy, public speaking and communication. The National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) was established in 2000 as the government’s department with responsibility for young people aged 15 – 24 years throughout the island. According to the Population Reference Bureau Jamaica’s population is estimated at 2.8 million; of that number more than 30 percent of the population are between the ages 10 to 24 years. From as early as the 1980’s Jamaica has made policy commitments to youth development. The National Youth Policy 2017-2030 serves several key purposes; bring forward a youth development framework which can be funded, implemented and monitored. Secondly, ensure partners focus on youth development as a key part of the national development plan. Thirdly, address gaps which currently exists in youth development programmes, policy and legislation. Finally, strengthen coordinating mechanisms to ensure that the policy benefits Jamaica’s youth. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has responsibility for the nation’s youth. Jamaica’s National Youth Policy has six priority areas – education and training, health and well-being, employment and entrepreneurship, youth participation, social inclusion and reintegration, and institutional and youth sector arrangements. The National Child Diversion Programme of the Ministry of Justice aims to steer youth in conflict with the law (ages 12 -17) away from delinquent behaviour by providing positive alternatives which promote rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities. The programme helps youth by assessing their situations and then using a combination of approved methods to get them back on track. Consideration must also be given to youth with special needs. Oftentimes such youth are overlooked in the wider society and are left with a sense of not belonging. Treatment methods include: making oral or written apologies, accepting the supervision or guidance of a mentor, refraining from association with certain persons or places, attending a vocational or educational institution, attending counselling or therapy sessions with a specified person, community service and drug abuse counselling United Nations Sustainable Development Goals The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 addresses the issue of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning. The United Nation has indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out 20 years of education gains. An additional 101 million or 9% of children in grades 1 through 8 fell below minimum reading proficiency levels in 2020. The learning loss suffered and being suffered by our students is incalculable and almost devastatting. Education Minister Fayval Williams recently disclosed that schools have had no contact with approximately 120,000 students over the past year, due to the pandemic, despite the deployment of mixed modalities to deliver lessons. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has eroded almost an entire generation of learning and as such we must do all that is possible to stem and recover this educational loss. According to the World Bank report, learning poverty, defined as the percentage of 10-year-olds unable to read and understand a simple text, may have grown by more than 20 per cent from 51 per cent to 62.5 per cent. This could be equivalent to roughly 7.6 million additional “learning poor” primary education school-age children in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Another critical aspect of youth development often ignored is that of mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Disturbingly, the WHO says about half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14. The Way Forward A collaborative approach is needed to rectify the learning gaps being experienced by so many of our students. Our schools are the main agents of socialization in the society. As a result many of youths have had their socialization process impeded due to the physical closure of our schools since March of 2020. Even with online learning socialization is hampered. All stakeholders must be united around one cause, that of ensuring that some form of face to face interaction can be achieved for the 2021/2022 academic year. Given the myriad of problems surrounding online education such as poor and no internet connectivity, the society cannot afford another year of remote teaching and learning. There is no comparison to being in a classroom. As the international community celebrates International Youth Day let us be reminded that by empowering the leaders of tomorrow today we are ensuring a safer and more inclusive society for all. In the words of Aristotle, good habits formed at youth make all the difference. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo #InternationalYouthDay ©