Proposal
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Topic
Mobilizing Grassroots Youth Advocacy with Education Institutions: the Future of Global Social Justice, Community Building, and Youth Flourishing
Introduction and Aims
From climate change to human rights abuses, from global democracy crisis to divisive emergent technologies, for many urgent issues of our times, youth want to help, to advocate, and to fight for what we believe in.
Youth is the future. Youth advocacy is the future of global sustainable development and social justice. To us individual youth, advocacy means something beyond. It means not only doing good to the communities that have nurtured us but a valuable opportunity to step out of our comfort zones and grow through helping others, the key to our own flourishing.
We have a dream: to find ways to mobilize all grassroots youth for advocacy, thereby, with our own hands, advancing a sustainable globe, engaging our local communities, and bringing flourishing to all youth. And education institutions provide critical pathways.
Education institutions not only shape and mold the minds of the next generation, equipping us with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to address pressing societal issues, but more importantly, serve as the community hubs where youth can find like minded peers, critical mentorships, and plugs to local and broader communities where we can get involved with or make a advocacy project happen.
Recognizing the potential of education in nudging social change, this event brings together most prominent grassroots youth leaders from the United States of America, United Kingdom, India, German, Japan, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. The session consists of two parts. In the first part, youth leaders will share our experiences, success stories, and insights on our advocacy journey, how we mobilize the peers, and how education institutions helped facilitate our work. In the second part, grassroots leaders from across the globe will showcase their work, big or small, their experiences, their needs, and their dreams and hopes.
Keywords
Youth Advocacy, Community Building, Partnership, Well-Being, Education
Sustainable Development Goals
Direct Goals
Goal 4 QUALITY EDUCATION
Goal 3 GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Goal 17 PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
Goal 11 SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
Related Goals
Goal 1 NO POVERTY
Goal 2 ZERO HUNGER
Goal 5 GENDER EQUALITY
Goal 6 CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
Goal 7 AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
Goal 8 DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Goal 9 INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Goal 10 REDUCED INEQUALITIES
Goal 12 RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
Goal 13 CLIMATE ACTION
Goal 14 LIFE BELOW WATER
Goal 15 LIFE ON LAND
Goal 16 PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS
Expected outcomes
We are a global group of youth leaders who are united in utilizing youth led community projects as a catalyst for positive social change and meaningful impact in our communities.
We intend for the session to have the following objectives:
- Showcase grassroots youth advocacy efforts and inspire more youth to participate in advocacy and community work
- Foster a discussion across youth leaders of different country on what’s the most effective way and strategy to mobilize more peers for advocacy, especially with with education institutions
- Amplify the stories, efforts, struggles and needs of young changemakers from around the world advocating for a variety of issues
- Build a coalition of renewed youth leaders as an unifying voice for change and an open community where we can help each other and empower more that seek changes