Join the Call to Let #YouthLead
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Judith Macharia
You are warmly invited to the high-level launch event of the first global report on protecting young people in civic spaces. The event will take place virtually on June 18th (9-11 am EDT).
RSVP by June 16th https://dp1dcwnz5j1.typeform.com/to/hz2xjM54
We would much appreciate it if you could spread the word in your networks as well.
The virtual 2-hour event will bring together high-level government representatives, representatives of the United Nations, international and regional organizations, civil society and youth. The event will be broadcasted online for a wide audience.
Due to the safety and security concerns that might arise as a result of young people’sinvolvement in discussing sensitive topics, such as experiencing threats and barriers in the civic space, as well as due to potential risk for re-traumatization, in specific segments the event organizers will use a visual character, an avatar called Nova, who will relay the sensitive messages that might put young people at risk if they presented these messages themselves (please see the example image).
The event will consist of three different parts:
1. High-level introduction and launch of the first-ever report on Protection of Youth in Civic Space. The purpose of this segment is to set the stage for discussion on the importance of creating enabling and safe civic spaces for youth; acknowledge the importance of collecting data on threats and barriers that youth face when exercising their civic and political rights in civic space, on a global scale; and to provide hopeful reflections on next steps, as well as words of encouragement for young people and other practitioners invested in making civic spaces safer for all.
2. Interactive panel discussion: The purpose of this panel discussion is to present and build on the key outcomes and findings of the report on Protection of Youth in Civic Space, based on field experiences and operational expertise of practitioners working in the human rights field. The panel discussion will contribute to an increased understanding of specific and unique threats that young people face in the civic space (compared to older counterparts); current gaps and challenges limiting the safety of young people in civic space; as well as strategies to strengthen capacities of organizations, institutions and individuals, building on recommendations from the report and lessons learned by youth, practitioners in the UN system, EU and civil society.
3. Closing virtual round-table discussion: Commitments and Next Steps. The purpose of this final section will be for member state representatives and young people to reflect on the discussions, and create commitments building on the discussion outcomes and recommendations from the report on Protection of Youth in Civic Space.
The event will be livestreamed and available to a wide audience through UN WebTV
Leading up to the event, a global campaign has been launched on June 1st 2021, led by United Network of Young Peacebuilders and the Communications Task Force of the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security; the goal of the campaign will be to mainstream the key findings and outcomes of the report and mobilize a broad audience on different social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, as well as to introduce the Avatar Nova, who will present the youth testimonies from the report in a safe and meaningful way.