Songs and Voices of Worldwide Youth: A Call For Change Now

Y-Climate Action, as part of the the greater World Alliance YWCA-YMCA Rio+20 delegation will be participating in a Side-Event at Rio Centro on June 21st 11.00 hrs to 12.30hrs. We cordially welcome everyone who is interested in hearing us speak at this special occasion!

The theme and purpose of our side-event is to meet with our national delegations and transmit our vision for the future. We will show a film, sing together and show that we have faith in a cleaner and greener future. As recognised in Principle 21 of the Rio Declaration adopted in 1992, youth is a major stakeholder in the process toward a sustainable future.

We are currently preparing short speeches about the work of our national YWCA-YMCA branches and the major problems our nations are facing in terms of sustainability. My personal objective is to shed light on the importance of investing in the education of young women. In developing countries, this can have transformative economic effects. In developed countries, we need to make sure that we are utilising the resources that we already have before we seek new ones. This means giving women the choice to access education and the labour market on equal terms with men. Please send us comments here on the blog if you want us to bring up a particular question or raise your concerns!

The Side-Event is organised by Marcus Gustafsson from Y-Climate Action here in Sweden. As moderator of the panel discussion, Marcus will ensure that politicians and youth delegates participate actively in the discussion. I consider this to be one of the best opportunities to deliver a strong message about the FUTURE WE WANT to current policy-makers. Follow us in the preparation and during the Rio+20 Conference here on the blog.