Youth organisations commemorate International Youth Day

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

* Young people hopeful for the future, despite lack of opportunities

Staff Report

LAHORE: Y-Peer Pakistan, in collaboration with Chanan Development Association (CDA), a youth leadership organisation, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) commemorated International Youth Day at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday.

More than 100 participants including youths, the media and representatives of civil society attended the event. The theme of this year’s International Youth Day was ‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding’.

Speaking at the event, Sana Sohail, the media director of CDA, said that young people are searching for opportunities to pursue and fulfill their dreams every day. She said that 60 million people in the country from the ages of 10 to 24 yearn for an environment in which they have the knowledge, skills and the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Shahzad Khan, the national coordinator of Y-Peer Pakistan said that International Youth Day had been celebrated every year on August 12 since 1999 and that it was the best time to commemorate the power and strength of young people all around the globe.

Sadia Ata, the National Programme Officer for Youth, read the message of the executive director of the UNFPA, and said that more than half of the world’s youth population survive on less than two dollars a day, and that some 100 million adolescents don’t attend school. Every year, 15 million adolescent girls become mothers and 40 percent of HIV cases are reported in young people, she said.

Opportunities: Other guests, including Tranjit Singh, Faizan Hassan, Hafsa Shorish and Zoya Ishaq, said that the bitter truth was that many young people didn’t have access to opportunities but were hopeful for the future. They all said that the need of the hour was to put in our collective efforts to help young people establish themselves, which would eventually mean the development of the country.

During the event, Y-Peer, CDA and UNFPA launched a national campaign titled ‘Be the Change’ to celebrate an “International Year of Youth” in Pakistan. The organisers have arranged 100 different activities, including capacity-building workshops for youths, advocacy events, festivals, seminars, rallies and sports competitions in 50 districts of the country from in the month of August.