Najwat Rehman winning logo design

International Youth Day celebrates the experiences and voices of young people between the ages of 15 to 24 years. They represent one sixth of the world’s population. Established by the UN in 2000, the purpose of the day is to draw our attention to youth issues world wide in the 10 areas of: starvation, poverty, education, employment, health, drug exploitation, childhood felony, recreation events, the child and young women, environment. Every year has a different theme and 2011’s theme is: “Youth should be given a chance to take an active part in the decision-making of local, national and global levels.”

If nothing else, the credit crunch, the natural disasters of Cuba,
Pakistan and New Zealand, and the continuing tragedy unfolding in Japan have brought home to us all that we can no longer be ‘islands’ of nations any longer.  We need the support of, and give support to, a proactive international community that pulls its resources for the betterment of all.

So, if you have a child under 18, how important do you think it is that s/he should be encouraged to think globally and think of themselves as a  global citizen? A recent UK survey highlights that around three-quarters of parents believe that schools should help their children think globally (71%) and to develop abilities to be responsible global citizens (72%). It also demonstrates that the teaching of global issues is important to parents…