Yesterday was International Youth Day and I always keep this day on my radar as a youth advocate working on moving the needle in issues I care about. I was excited to read that this year’s theme was Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond to encourage local action for global issues as it is something that holds a special place in my heart when advocating as a youth.
Having young people involved is critical for reimagining and refreshing the work that needs to be done. Young people are going to be the ones carrying what gets left behind. The spark, drive, and energy can provide momentum to the movements. But, we have to ensure that the spaces we need them to be in are inclusive and accessible to youth. One of the hardest things about learning and participating in global issues and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the vast amount of work and interconnection with global issues. Until someone explains that it can be applied to local actions, many examples are global when having discussions.
So the theme is important to me in emphasizing that the SDGs can be applied to local action and can be impactful to all levels of the work. The levels of local, national, regional, and global all have a place in improving our lives in an inclusive and sustainable way. While there is a perception of prestige when going to national and global levels, doing activism and advocacy work on a local level is critical to ensuring that it reaches the national and global level. Where we live, work, and play gives us knowledge and expertise to solve problems that we are facing. It is valuable to bring to national, regional and global levels to inform what changes, priorities, and actions that still need to be taken.
Youth can be that push and voice to not only help tackle the issues locally but bridge the levels of work with the opportunities and time. While there are some opportunities in Canada with universities, nonprofit organizations, and delegations, there can and should be more opportunities for youth to get involved from school communities to local communities with youth committees and youth representation to help the progress for change. But like every individual, youth also have expectations and goals for themselves and should be aligned to their interests and skills. If the goal is to have more youth involved in local action, there needs to be a mutual relationship to ensure that both goals and needs are met to reach the change needed for issues we care about.