INTRODUCTION: 

 International youth day is observed annually on 12 August. It is a day set aside to raise awareness to the cultural and legal issues faced by youth throughout the world. Youth according to United Nation can be defines as people between the age of 15 and 24 years, although youth can be interpreted in a more flexible manner. Youth constitute 18% of the global population, with 87% of international youth residing in developing countries (2010 statistic). International Youth Day focuses on the rights of young people to have full access to education, adequate healthcare, employment opportunities, and financial services and fully participate in public life.

In 1995, the General Assembly of the United Nation (UN) adopted the World Programme of Action for youth with the intention of establishing guidelines and policies for action and support that will lead to a brighter future for the youth. 15 priority areas like education, employment, hunger and poverty, health, environment and drugs paved the way for the UN declaration of International Youth Day in 1990. Since its inception on August 12, 2000, International Youth Day has served to increase the quality of opportunities available to the youth to participate actively in the society.

Theme of each year IYD is selected based on the immediate and relevant issues that youth are facing in relation with any of the 15 priority areas.

The theme for International Youth Day for 2019 was Transforming Education; The Road to 2030.

Save the Dream Initiative as a youth orientated organization who is a leader in the fight for youth Environmental education and empowerment, participated on the year celebration by organizing a focus group discussion with our community members to discussed and interact based on the community we are working with encourage them to look beyond where they were today and also to continue to maintained health living by observing the 17 sustainable goals. The youth is leading the change, and international youth day ensures that they have the ability, skill, motivation and recognition to continue to do so.

OBJECTIVES:

• To advocate for youth empowerment through education
• To commemorate the International Youth Day celebration with the rest of the world.
• Enhance Youth participation in Climate Change
• To increase the knowledge of people on the basic facts about Climate Change

METHODOLOGY:

• Focus group discussion
• Question and answer.
• Role plays

ACTIVITIES:

The day started with an opening prayer of National Anthem. The Program Manager briefed the house on the day celebration and pointed out why everybody should be part of the celebration. As community based peer lead organization that are advocating for the environmental health and right of youth, we need to be in the fore front of youth empowerment through sensitizations on climate change as it one the major threat facing the world. The executive director for Save the Dream Initiative did a presentation on the Sustainable Goals. Role plays on environmental sanitation demonstration was done.

Discussion was carried out on youth involvement in climate change.

RECOMMENDATION:

The day should be used as a day for courtesy visits to key players in the state to discuss what they have for the youth.

Available should be making for a well organized learning day to invite a motivational speaker.

CONCLUSION:

The event was attended by 17 youths, 7 male and 10 females. The participants engaged in games like Table tennis, Ludo. It was a successful and educative activity.