The United Nations International Youth Day is celebrated on the 12th of August annually to recognise the efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society.
Here in the nation’s capital, the Sanap Wantaim Campaign group in collaboration with a number of non-government organizations supported by the National Capital District Commission office commemorated the day at the Waigani Central, ‘Stop N Shop’ car park.
An outdoor stage was set up; alongside tents housing the different NGO’s with the general public invited to visit the stalls and collect informative brochures and pamphlets.
The theme for this year is “Youth building Peace.”
Behaviour Change Campaign Team Leader, Bronwyn Kili said that main aim of the event is to engage city youths in productive activities and develop that positive mindset to bring about change in their communities.
“The Purpose of the day is to draw attention to issues affecting youths; issues that surrounds young people.”
Brownyn says youth organizations in the city, who after setting up a committee, came up with the idea and they pushed for this campaign with the vision and aim of changing behaviours and attitudes in order eradicate youth related violence in the city and create safe spaces for basically everyone in the city.
“It’s a behaviour change campaign.”
She adds that this open day is to show casing what youth organizations are doing and how they can be of help to youths and issues affecting the youth in the city and to help achieve the aim of the theme that is ‘Youth building Peace.’
“The message in today’s event is to let our youths and young people know that to bring about peace, it has to be a team effort and in order to eradicate violence in youths, we all need to stand together to address this issue.”
“It takes every individual taking action in their own little way, changing the behaviours, attitudes and mindsets in order to bring peace into our communities,” she adds.