On International Youth Day, Activities And Campaigns Support Their " Shared Aspirations " and Enhance Their Role.
International Youth Day is celebrated annually on August 12th as a global event highlighting the role of young people in building societies and shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.
This day provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of empowering youth, listening to their voices, and promoting their active participation in issues that affect their lives and communities.
Their role extends beyond being the leaders of tomorrow; they are essential partners in creating change today, thanks to their energy, ideas, and capacity for innovation and initiative.
In this context, and under the theme “Different Contexts, Shared Aspirations,” GOPA-DERD’s team, implemented a set of various awareness activities and sessions in a number of regions.
In Al-Hasakah, the team at GOPA-DERD’s “Darb” Center, a Youth-Friendly Space, organized an event to mark International Youth Day.
The event brought together representatives from various segments of the community and different fields of community engagement, creating a space that reflected the richness of cultural diversity and highlighted the importance of strengthening social cohesion.
In turn, the team of GOPA-DERD’s “Darb” Center, Youth-Friendly Space in al Mayadin Deir ez-Zor, implemented a set of various activities, in cooperation with UNFPA.
These activities included introducing Youth Day and the importance of youth in society, as well as an interactive workshop and discussion session on the challenges facing young people in Al-Mayadin area.
A plan was developed to address these challenges, along with the planning of community initiatives to serve the youth of the region.
At the conclusion of the activities, the young people wrote letters expressing their aspirations and future dreams, to be documented and revisited in the future after their transformation into tangible realities.
GOPA-DERD’s team in Al-Nashabiyah, Rural Damascus, in cooperation with UNHCR, organized an event, aimed to empower young people and strengthen their pivotal role in building communities.
The event included open dialogue sessions on the realities facing youth in Al-Nashabiyah area and the challenges they encounter in various fields, as well as practical workshops designed to leverage individual skills to formulate creative solutions that enhance community participation and propose youth-led development initiatives that address the region’s needs.
At the conclusion of the event, the young participants wrote personal messages expressing their dreams and future aspirations, a symbolic gesture to document these visions and work towards transforming them into tangible projects.
In Homs, GOPA-DERD’s “Darb” Center’s team, in cooperation with UNFPA, organized a various event, with the aim of promoting youth role in building a strong and cohesive society.
And over several days, 55 beneficiaries participated in activities that included, on the first day, open dialogue sessions in which participants discussed their vision and aspirations, the challenges they face, and presented ideas and solutions led by the youth themselves.
The second day included an interactive activity during which a number of influential figures were hosted, who presented inspiring models in leading change within their communities.
This was followed by group discussion sessions on ways to design effective community initiatives, where participants learned about the landmarks of Homs Governorate through designs that reflect its history and heritage.
The day concluded with the presentation of ideas for initiatives to be implemented within the city of Homs or within the GOPA-DERD’s “Darb” Center.
On the third day, GOPA-DERD’s “Darb” Center’s team, organized several stations related to the Homs Governorate and some of its districts, where participants received the “Homs passport” and toured the districts, in a step aimed at introducing the customs and heritage of each district.
The participants, in turn, presented their ideas and opinions for implementing initiatives in these areas, aiming to develop them for the better.
At the end of the event, participants assembled a puzzle piece that formed a map of Homs, in a message embodying variety and unity, and reflecting the pivotal role of youth in social cohesion, peacebuilding, and shaping the future.