What are the Challenges Facing Young People in the 21 st Century

2000

2015

Y2K

9/

The Euro 2002

Human Genome 2003

Facebook 2004

YouTube 2005

North Korea 2006

Arctic sea ice hits a record low 2007

Lehman Brothers 2008

Africa’s population reaches 1billion 2009

Haiti Earthquake 2010

The Arab Spring 2011

Aung San Suu Kyi 2012

Bangladesh 2013

Ukraine 2014

Sources The United Nations Inter-agency Network on Youth Development - New York, December 2013 Youth in crisis: Coming of age in the 21st century IRIN In-Depth, February 2007 Action for Youth – UN – printed June 2010 United Nations Inter-agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD).

What is youth? “Youth” is hard to define. UN legal standards consider individuals under 18 as children Youth is usually understood as a much ‘looser’ concept, generally encompassing the age group 15 to 24. Individuals aged 15 to 18 are thus included in the legal definition of children. 40% of today’s global population is under the age of 25 Over 18 per cent of the global population is between 15 and 24

Demographics The main threat to youth is demographic. According to the World Development Report 2007, the number of young people will dramatically increase in the next 20 years in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Middle-East (Gaza, Iraq, Yemen).

Expectations Youth are demanding more and better job opportunities, a good education, peaceful and equitable societies, and clamouring for a sustainable environment.

Education

115 million primary school-age children are out of school (one in every five) 10.6 per cent of youth globally are non-literate However, research shows that there has been overall progress in the number of young people attending school worldwide, although the gains are uneven across regions and gender.

Violence/Conflict In 2005, children were involved in 54 conflicts in 11 different countries, according to the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Violence remains one of the leading causes of death for youth and young adults Two million children have been killed in conflicts in the last decade, one million orphaned, and six million wounded. Three-hundred thousand youths are serving as child soldiers, with many girls forced into sexual slavery.

Current news reports give almost daily examples of young African migrants wishing to escape poverty, risking their lives en route to Europe in search of jobs. Implications re. ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ Domestic violence and child protection

Health “More than a third of all people living with HIV/AIDS are under the age of 25, and almost two-thirds of them are women according to UNICEF.” More than 1.8 million young people aged 15 to 24 die each year, mostly due to preventable causes. Every year at least 20% of adolescents experience a mental health problem, most commonly depression or anxiety. Health issues affecting young people include early pregnancy and childbirth, malnutrition, mental health issues, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol, violence and injuries.

Representation Youth are not adequately represented in formal political institutions and processes such as parliaments, political parties, elections, and public administrations. The average age of parliamentarians globally is 53 Only 1.65% of parliamentarians around the world are in their 20s and 11.87% are in their 30s

Employment The global youth unemployment rate was estimated at 12.6% in 2013 That is 73 million young people “Rising unemployment takes a heavy toll among young people who are particularly vulnerable to shocks in the labour market. Lay-offs, restructuring and insufficient opportunities to enter the world of work condemn many to a life of economic hardship and despair. We have seen, all too often, the tragedy of young lives misspent in crime, drug abuse, civil conflict and even terrorism,” - Kofi Annan

Unemployment rates often hide more than they reveal: Long hours in the informal economy for little pay, and without any guarantee of permanent employment or social security. Youth unemployment also has huge social implications and repercussions on young people’s personal lives. In many countries, the transition from childhood to adulthood is echoed in leaving school to finding employment and supporting a family.

Human Trafficking According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, (UNODC): “[Human trafficking] is believed to be growing fastest in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union

Additional Challenges Growing urbanisation rate Social media & speed of access to information Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change Pressure toward perfection Marginalisation

Resilience