Take action on International Youth Day 2012

Each year on 12 August, International Youth Day is celebrated worldwide. This day engages individuals, governments and civil society and calls upon them to advance youth participation and development.

The theme for 2012 is "Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth" — a global call to action to develop and engage in partnerships with and for youth. 

Contribute, Get involved and Celebrate! 

Online Survey  - Tell us what you think. We are listening. 

The United Nations is currently developing an Action Plan on Youth that will affect the way the whole UN system will work with and for youth in the coming years. The Action Plan will focus on five priority areas:

1. Employment
2. Entrepreneurship
3. Education
4. Citizenship and protection of rights
5. Political Inclusion

To help develop the Action Plan, the United Nations wants to hear from youth directly. As a Girl Guide and Girl Scout, this is an opportunity for you to tell the United Nations what you think.

Follow the UN Hangouts!

To celebrate International Youth Day 2012, UN will hold a series of six Google +Hangouts leading up to the Day on 8, 9 and 10 August on themes related to the priority areas of the Secretary-General’s Five-year Action Agenda.

• Employment
• Entrepreneurship
• Education
• Citizenship and protection of rights
• Political inclusion

These Hangouts will feed into the many ways that the United Nations and civil society can partner with and for young people.

Artic Adventure

Watch out for some exclusive new footage launching on the WAGGGS website on International Youth Day. These new videos show how a Girl Guide and a Girl Scout recently worked to build a better world through partnering, by travelling to the endangered Arctic region as part of a Greenpeace campaign voyage.

Learn more

To learn more about the themes, check the interviews the UN has conducted for International Youth Day with UN experts on how to better partner with and for youth in these areas – click here.

For more information on the Secretary-General’s Five Year Agenda, read the July edition of Youth Flash.

Find out about the hurdles youth are facing in finding decent employment opportunities in the World Youth Report 2012: Youth Employment: Youth Perspectives on the Pursuit of Decent Work in Changing Times.