Dear Friends,
As the weeks progress, we continue to rally around common causes in support of our Resilience Strategy for both the YMCA and for young people in general.
Last Wednesday 20th May, many of us attended the Ecumenical Thanksgiving service to connect on one of our 3 pillars: “The Spirit”. It was an uplifting moment to light candles all around the World and sing together, symbolising our Unity.
On Saturday 23 May we connected to listen to “Youth Voices: “The Future We Want” online event. It was an amazing opportunity to grasp the energy and creativity of young people. The event was a clear illustration of what it was meant to be: a platform for Youth Empowerment to shine and for global hope to rise.
The voices and aspirations of the Young people were structured around the following discussion panels:
- The Health & Wellbeing panel highlighted how essential it is to address mental health issues, through storytelling, art therapy and safe spaces. The main goal is to “improve mental, emotional and physical health” during and after this pandemic.
- The Economic Opportunity & The Future of Work panel encouraged young people to step out, to become actors of their own destiny, to develop their creative ideas and to expand their entrepreneurship mindsets: “young people are equipped and adaptable, don’t hesitate to put yourself out there”.
- The Climate Justice panel insisted that environmental issues are deeply linked to social justice. This crisis pushes us to question our habits (for instance, burning charcoal for cooking), to rethink the urban design (for instance, making cities more bicycle friendly) and to strengthen climate activism.
- The Youth Resiliency panel dealt with the importance of working collaboratively, by mobilising networks, encouraging social activism and promoting inclusion: “don’t wait to be asked for a seat at the table, take that seat and take others with you”.
We are grateful to all of you for the journey. We are travelling together and surely we will travel far.
In solidarity !
Full Video of the event of the May 23rd
Youth Resiliency
Mental Health
Economic Opportunities
Climate Justice