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The SDGs Agenda is Youth business! 0 Reply
BACKGROUND
Youth and the SDGs Agenda
Today, there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10-24—they are the largest generation of youth in history. Close to 90 per cent of them live in developing countries, where they make up a large proportion of the population. Their numbers are expected to grow—between 2015 and 2030 alone, about 1.9 billion young people are projected to turn 15 years old.  Connected to each other like never before, young people want to and already contribute to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring political change. They are also agents of change, mobilising to advance the Sustainable Development Goals to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.
Provided with the necessary skills and opportunities needed to reach their potential, young people can be a driving force for supporting development and contributing to peace and security. Youth-led organisations need to be encouraged and empowered to participate in translating the 2030 Agenda into local, national and regional policy. They play a significant role in the implementation, monitoring and review of the Agenda as well as in holding governments accountable. With political commitment and adequate resources, young people have the potential to make the most effective transformation of the world into a better place for all.
In a nutshell, this new Cycle of 3 DC sessions – scheduled to take place on 18 May, 25 May and 1st June 2019 aims at inviting youth to:
Achieve the Goals
The Global Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the current challenges we face, and to leave no one behind is necessary to achieve the Goals and its targets.
Lead the Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the key role that today’s youth play in its achievement. Youth empowerment and action is key in the global efforts being taken in the implementation of the Global Goals.
Live the Goals
Young people are the torchbearers of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and only with their energy, new ideas, voices and innovation we will make a difference.
Young people from 20 to 30 years old are invited to join this cycle of debates organised in partnership between Dialogue Café and Garion Group!!
FIRST SESSION – The SDGs Agenda is our business! Ensuring sustainable and equal lives. Fighting poverty and inequality
At the kick off session, on 18 May, an overview of the SDGs will be provided to all participants and an exchange of views with the audience on how to achieve, lead and live the SDGs will take place. Participants will be asked to share their experience and knowledge on this topic as well as their ideas to take action on the ground. Against this backdrop, the session will focus on SDG 1 and 8 addressing the topical issues of ensuring sustainable and equal lives and fighting poverty and inequality.
Youth based in cities of Belgrade, Évora, Lisbon and Seoul, will discuss on how their understanding of poverty and sustainable economic growth, share ideas on how best achieve SDG1 and SDG8, analyse the impact of climate crisis on poverty and economic growth and understand why having nowadays a job does not guarantee the ability to escape from poverty in many places. Youth unemployment will be also addressed and national experiences and perceptions shared during the debate.
SECOND SESSION – The SDGs Agenda is our business! Ensuring sustainable and equal lives. SDG2 – Fighting hunger in the XXI century.
During the first session, on 18 May, an overview of the SDGs was provided to all participants and an exchange of views took place on how best to achieve the SDGs. Participants shared their experience and knowledge on the SDGs as well as their ideas to take action on the ground. During the second session, participants will be invited first of all, as follow-up of the first session, to make a short presentation of SDG 1 and 8 (5 minutes each) and address how best to fight poverty and inequality.
Afterwards a presentation of SDG 2 – Fighting hunger in the XXI century will be provided and participants will commonly define the concept of hunger. Participants will present how hunger is affecting each participant country, Portugal, Serbia and South-Korea, but perspectives from other countries can be also shared. Participants will be invited to share knowledge and references.
Furthermore, youth based in cities of Belgrade, Évora, Lisbon and Seoul will discuss on the link between climate change and hunger in the XXI century. Following a video of Greta Thunberg on climate change, participants will debate on how best fight against climate change in order to reduce hunger in the XXI century and beyond.
Last but not least, a short introduction of the third session and SDGs 3 (health) and 4 (education) will be made. Participants will be invited to reflect during the week about the challenges confronted by their countries and cities in terms of education and health and how it impacts on sustainable development.
THIRD SESSION – The SDGs Agenda is our business! Ensuring sustainable and equal lives. SDGs 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and SDG4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
During the second session, which was held on 25 May, first of all participants also made an overview of SDG 1 and 8 and addressed how best to fight poverty and inequality. In the second part of the session, an overview of the SDG 2 – Fighting hunger in the XXI century was provided to all young participants and thoughts and ideas on how best fighting hunger shared. Young participants based in Belgrade, Lisbon and Seoul shared the case study of their countries and a special presentation was made by participants in Belgrade. A special link was made to climate crisis and its impact on hunger rise and consequences. They debated how best fight against climate change in order to reduce hunger in XXI century and beyond. They also shared ideas of policies and actions that should be applied.
During the third and last session, a presentation of SDGs 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and SDG4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all will be provided to participants and they will be invited to present how those challenges affect their own countries and realities. They will commonly define the concept of education and healthy lives. Young participants based in Lisbon and Seoul will be invited to reflect on actions to implement at the individual, collective and political level to ensure the achievement of SDG3 and SDG4.
Furthermore, following a video of Greta Thunberg on climate change, youth will be invited to reflect on how climate change may affect those SDGs and the access to healthy lives and education opportunities to young people in the near future.
Last but not least, young participants will be invited to share their reflections and commitment to fight against climate change and promote the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
For further information and contacts:
- Dialogue Café Belgrade (Beograd Youth Office) Biljana Vukosavljevic (unaserbia@gmail.com)
- Dialogue Café Lisbon (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation) Dalia Sendra (daliasendra@casadoregalo.pt)
- Dialogue Café Évora (Eugenio de Almeida Foundation) Inês Gonçalves: ines.goncalves@fea.pt
- Pilot Dialogue Café in Seoul Jeon, Yong Mo : ceo@garionup.com, edumos.jun@gmail.com
