OBSERVING INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2019 ‘TRANSFORMING EDUCATION’

Friday 9 August 2019 UNESCO Auditorium, 1 San Martin Marg, Chanakyapuri,

1. INTRODUCTION

In 1999, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 12 August as International Youth Day. The Day serves as an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners for change, and an opportunity to build awareness about contemporary challenges facing youth.

The theme for International Youth Day 2019 is ‘Transforming Education’, which highlights the importance of learning systems, the acquisition of information and knowledge, and the capacity development of youth. Rooted in Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ – International Youth Day 2019 will examine how young people, youth‐focused organizations and other stakeholders are transforming educational practices, tools and services in order to help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

2. YOUTH ENGAGEMENT @ UNESCO

UNESCO’s youth‐related interventions are guided by the organization’s Operational Strategy on Youth 2014–2021. This strategic framework recognizes youth as equal actors and partners for development and peace, and encourages the mainstreaming of youth in all actions and programmes. UNESCO promotes youth‐led action and strengthens the capacities of young leaders and youth‐led organizations with a particular focus on activities within the organization’s mandated areas of work that help strengthen civic participation, social innovation and democratic engagement. Globally, UNESCO manages a wide range of youth engagement programmes. The organization has also begun in several member states to facilitate the formulation of public policies with the participation of youth. UNESCO’s objective is to help young women and men draw on their creativity, knowledge and capacities in order to drive change.

3. OBSERVING INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY IN

The UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office and its partners in India have co‐developed a number of initiatives that target youth and seek to achieve innovative learning outcomes. These activities span UNESCO’s fields of competence in education, the sciences, culture, and communication.

On International Youth Day 2019, UNESCO New Delhi would like to create a platform for advocacy and engagement, bringing youth and other stakeholders together and raising awareness about UNESCO’s ongoing youth initiatives in India. Some of these include:

INITIATIVE DESCRIPTION

The Ideosync UNESCO In 2016, UNESCO New Delhi and Ideosync Media Combine jointly launched a Information Fellowship (IUIF) media fellowship programme. Meant for young adults looking to enter the Programme development sector with a specific focus on communication for social change (C4SC), this annual one‐year fellowship combines rigorous training in the theoretical and conceptual aspects of C4SC, along with live projects during which Fellows are placed with grassroots institutions, think tanks and community media organizations. These hands‐on projects are highly immersive experiences during which Fellows are expected to demonstrate leadership, critical thinking and innovation as they help their host organizations transform their outreach mechanisms, amplify their development communications, and achieve on‐ground impact. On International Youth Day 2019, the 2018–19 cohort of IUIF Fellows will present their learnings and experiences, and will receive their convocation certificates.

Youth engagement initiatives This section of the programme will address UNESCO’s perspective on youth undertaken by UNESCO’s Social engagement, its operational strategy for youth, the UN Youth 2030 and Human Sciences Sector framework, and will provide an overview of UNESCO’s ongoing initiatives in South Asia such as SDG School, National Alliance for Women’s Football, and HackaDEV in .

‘Millennial Indian Writers’ – A In order to give Indian millennials a platform to demonstrate their critical pan‐Indian online essay contest thinking and writing skills, in 2019, UNESCO New Delhi and Takhte launched a pan India online essay contest for children (aged 13–15 years) and youth (aged 16–18 years). The contest is titled ‘Millennial Indian Writers’ and the 100 winning essays will be published as a book entitled Inside the Millennial Mind: Essays by 100 Young Indians. On International Youth Day 2019, UNESCO’s partner Takhte will present an overview of the vision behind the essay contest, and its expected outcomes.

Heritage education for youth Established in 2004, Itihaas is a trust based in New Delhi that promotes heritage, education and responsible tourism. Its vision is to ‘Live’, ‘Learn’ and ‘Own’ tangible and intangible heritage, traditions and legacies and bring these into the realm of structured education as sources of learning. Itihaas seeks to connect heritage to citizenship and strengthen the ties between the present and the legacy of the past, leading young minds into the future. The talks by Itihaas and one of its youth beneficiaries on International Youth Day 2019 will focus on the need for and importance of heritage education.

Each of the above initiatives will be showcased on International Youth Day 2019 along with accompanying testimonials from organizers and beneficiaries. The event will also include interactions with youth and other stakeholders about how to get involved with these initiatives.

4. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of UNESCO’s celebration of International Youth Day 2019 in New Delhi are to:

 Build awareness about and encourage wider participation in UNESCO’s ongoing youth engagement programmes in India  Showcase UNESCO’s youth initiatives to potential new partners and donors, and invite recommendations for strengthening these initiatives  Engage key stakeholders such as youth associations, schools, institutes of higher education, UNESCO Clubs, youth‐oriented bodies such as the Indian Federation of UN Associations (IFUNA), Government bodies and civil society organizations  Highlight the importance of youth for development, and educate stakeholders about the importance of mainstreaming youth in development interventions  Foster leadership skills and a sense of responsible global citizenship among young Indians

5. EXPECTED OUTCOMES

UNESCO expects that the proposed event will result in far greater awareness about the organization’s youth‐related programmes. It will underscore how these initiatives are helping transform conventional educational practices and means for knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the event will help UNESCO build strategic linkages not just with youth but also with a larger pool of stakeholders and potential partners for whom youth are a key constituency.

UNESCO envisages that its celebration of International Youth Day 2019 will act as an effective platform for engagement and advocacy, and as a space for constructive dialogue between all stakeholders. Finally, the event is intended as a forum for communication and promoting the recognition of youth’s centrality to development and their critical role in help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

6. PROGRAMME

TIMING ACTIVITY

9.00 – 10.00 am REGISTRATION

10.00 – 10.30 am INAUGURAL SESSION

10.00 – 10.15 am  Welcome address: Mr Eric Falt, Director and UNESCO Representative to , India, and Sri Lanka

10.15 – 10.30 am  Keynote address: Youth icon or influencer

10:30 – 11.40 am THE IDEOSYNC UNESCO INFORMATION FELLOWSHIP (IUIF) PROGRAMME

10.30 – 10.40 am  Introduction to the IUIF Programme: Mr N Ramakrishnan, Executive Director, Ideosync Media Combine

Presentations by the IUIF Fellows 2018–19

10.40 – 10.50 am  Ms Prakriti Bakshi 10.50 – 11.00 am  Ms Pinky Verma 11.00 – 11.10 am  Mr Nitesh Savita 11.10 – 11.20 am  Ms Upasna Upadhyay 11.20 – 11.30 am  Ms Aishwarya Bajpai

11.30 – 11.40 am Convocation ceremony and award of certificates to IUIF Fellows 2018–19

11.40 – 11.50 am Q&A 11.50 – 12 noon UNESCO YOUTH INITIATIVES RELATED TO THE SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES

 Youth @ UNESCO: Mr Juan Pablo Ramirez‐Miranda, Section Chief and Programme Specialist (Social and Human Sciences), UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office

This talk will address UNESCO’s perspective on youth engagement, its operational strategy for youth, the UN Youth 2030 framework, and on‐going initiatives in South Asia such as SDG School, National Alliance for Women’s Football, and HackaDEV in Sri Lanka.

12.00 – 12.10 pm ‘MILLENNIAL INDIAN WRITERS’ PAN‐INDIA ONLINE ESSAY CONTEST

 Introduction to the Takhte–UNESCO pan‐India online essay contest: Ms Shivani Kasturia, Content Lead, Takhte

This talk will present an overview of the vision behind ‘Millennial Indian Writers’, the pan‐India essay contest for children and youth launched jointly by UNESCO New Delhi and Takhte in 2018.

12.10 – 12.25 pm HERITAGE EDUCATION FOR YOUTH

 How heritage education helps: Ms Smita Vats, Founder and Director, Itihaas  Youth testimonial: Beneficiary of Itihaas heritage education programme

These two talks will focus on how heritage education and cultural awareness could have a transformative effect on Indian youth.

12.25 – 12.35 pm PRIA: YOUTH AND DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGN AND OTHER YOUTH INITIATIVES

 Youth engagement @ PRIA: Ms Pooja Pandey, Programme Officer, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)

This talk will offer an introduction to PRIA’s ongoing youth initiatives and their impact, and will explore how UN agencies could help strengthen such youth engagement programmes.

12.35 – 12.50 pm Q&A

12.50 – 1.00 pm CLOSING REMARKS AND VOTE OF THANKS

 Closing remarks and vote of thanks: Mr Hezekiel Dlamini, Adviser (Communication and Information) for South Asia, UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office

1.00 – 2.00 pm LUNCH