Latest news with #youthadvocacy
Zawya
a day ago
- Health
- Zawya
DISD students speak at H20 Global Health Summit in Geneva
Dubai – A group of six students from the German International School Dubai (DISD) were honored today at the prestigious H20 Summit at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. Launched in 2018 by the G20 Health and Development Partnership, the H20 Summit is a global platform supporting the agendas of the G20 and G7, bringing together leaders and stakeholders to advance health and development priorities. DISD students were invited on stage this morning to present gifts to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In a deeply moving moment the students Lara Gutmann and Luca Erkol then delivered speeches that captured the urgency and passion of a new generation calling for global health equity. 'Listening to the voices of the future generation is vital to achieve health for all,' said Lara, reflecting on the DISD-hosted G20 youth simulation. 'We all deserve to live in good health, no matter the economic status of the country we call home.' Luca reinforced this message with a compelling appeal to G20 leaders: 'If global challenges are youth challenges, then global solutions must also be youth solutions,' he said. 'Global health – and youth health – is not just an agenda item; it is a commitment to all of the people not represented here… securing their future generations' right to dream.' The DISD student delegation was publicly commended in the opening keynote by South Africa's Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, who thanked them for their commitment and for hosting a Model G20 simulation on public health earlier this year in Dubai. 'I would also like to thank the students from the German International School Dubai… for their commitment in discussing and elevating the importance of global and public health for our future generations,' Dr. Motsoaledi said, highlighting their contribution in a video address to summit delegates. On May 8, DISD students took part in a G20 Simulation Workshop on Post-Pandemic Global Health, led by Hatice Küçük Beton, Executive Director of the G20 & G7 Health and Development Partnership. Organized by their teachers Sitem Kolburan and Louisa Willgrass, the workshop allowed students to assume the roles of world leaders, debate pressing health challenges, and explore the complexity of global diplomacy. Key topics included pandemic preparedness, the marketing of unhealthy food to children, and sustainable healthcare. A video documenting the simulation, including student reflections and a statement from Hatice Beton on the importance of youth engagement, was selected for presentation at the H20 Summit. Hatice Beton said in the video 'I was surprised very positively. They were so energized and really had concrete ideas, … and I think they can really drive some impact with some of the ideas they came up with today.' In a remarkable development, the Health Minister expressed interest in reviewing the students' recommendations for potential inclusion in the official G20 agenda when world leaders gather in Johannesburg in November 2025. The students' proposal – presented as a Model G20 Leaders' Declaration - included initiatives such as: A Global Youth Health Fund to support education and healthy lifestyle campaigns. A youth for health program integrating health education into school systems, and mobile health clinics in underserved regions across Africa and Southeast Asia. 'This moment shows the true impact of youth-led dialogue,' said Sitem Kolburan, the students' class and English teacher of the German International School Dubai. 'We are incredibly proud of our students for representing DISD and the youth of the world with such clarity, courage, and conviction.' With this international recognition, DISD is eager to further amplify youth voices and expand engagement with local and global partners. The school welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with media to share this inspiring milestone in student-led leadership and diplomacy. Media Contact: Corinna Rösner Head of Marketing and Communications DISD - German International School Dubai |
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Youth-led Hīkoi highlights Auckland homelessness crisis says advocate
About 100 people marched on the footpath from Karangahape Road to downtown Auckland. Photo: Kick Back / Aaron Hendry A youth advocate says the turnout at a hīkoi to highlight youth homelessness in Auckland CBD clearly shows the pain and trauma young people are experiencing. Co-founder and manager of youth development organisation Kick Back, Aaron Hendry, said about 100 people marched on the footpath from Karangahape Road to downtown Auckland after noon Saturday. He said the hīkoi was organised by youth who had or still experienced homelessness. "Many young people in our community have been denied emergency housing, are couch surfing, living in hostels and in unsafe living environments, because this government and successive governments have not invested in a clear strategy to end youth homelessness. "This is them standing up and saying, 'We have a voice, we are going to use it'." Kick Back was actively monitoring 140 young people in the city, who do not have stable housing - some as young as 11 years old. Hendry said marching on the footpath instead of the road was a way of recognising where many had slept rough. "Young people denied shelter because of government decisions around emergency housing had to sleep on Karangahape Road or Queen Street. Youth protestors wave flags during a hīkoi to highlight youth homelessness in Auckland CBD. Photo: Kick Back / Aaron Hendry "They are taking the street back and saying, 'This is where you left us, this is not a place for any child or young person to live'." He said Labour MPs Shanan Halbert and Kieran McAnulty, and Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March participated in the march. Auckland councillor and mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni also attended. "Central government have taken quite a lot of money away from homeless initiatives and it is a real concern for our city," Leoni said. "There are multiple issues young homeless people are experiencing and hearing a story of a suicide today is heart-breaking, as a leader of this city, to know this is happening in the wealthiest and biggest city of our country. She said, if elected mayor, she would work with community housing and poverty action groups to find ways Auckland Council could help. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CBC
13-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Mental health and education top of mind for new president of National Inuit Youth Council
The National Inuit Youth Council's new president, Gwen Natsiq, says she plans to spend her two-year term focused on improving youth access to mental health resources and education. The council elected Natsiq, 21, as president on June 5 to represent Inuit across Canada from 2025 to 2027. "I'm very honoured and very excited," she said. During her term she will have a permanent place on the board of directors for Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada and as an observer on the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee. Natsiq said that allows her to be in the room when decisions are made that affect Inuit youth, both to advocate and to educate. "Being able to be a part of these meetings, you have your voices heard and your opinions on issues," she said. Natsiq is currently working toward her teaching degree at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, where she's served as student council president. She's also worked as a mental health outreach worker. She says that work, and her own experiences, motivate her to support other young people, especially when it comes to mental health resources. "I personally have had a lot of family members suffer with mental health and unfortunately pass … during all of that, I realized how important it is to actually advocate for these things," she said. She says one of her first priorities as president will be to send out a survey to gather feedback on what other Inuit youth want to see from her.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
From student advocate to Capitol Hill, South Florida man credits The Children's Trust for helping him find purpose
While attending John A. Ferguson Senior High School, a friend invited Eleazar Padilla to join The Children's Trust Youth Advisory Committee. "We find that when we give our young people the opportunity to serve their communities, to advocate for their communities, it is incredible the transformation within a community," Danielle Barreras, associate director of community engagement for The Children's Trust, said. The Youth Advisory Committee focuses on service, advocacy, and hands-on community engagement to help families throughout South Florida. Padilla said he was quickly hooked. "I saw a lot of people starting to worry about making sure that they can push for some form of citizenship. They're worried about their family members who were trying to immigrate over. My thought was, 'how do I make sure that people aren't scared?'," he said. Youth Advisory Committee experience changed his life Padilla quickly became vice president of the West Kendall branch, tackling tough topics centering around local elections and homelessness. But it was a prison tour, where he saw a teenager locked up in an adult prison, that led him to double major in sociology and political science. "It blew my mind that there was a minor in a facility with adults, and that person was being isolated because they couldn't be held in the same areas that others were. That drew me to working in juvenile justice," he said. Now a college graduate, Padilla has taken his activism to Capitol Hill. He's working with U. S. House members to push for education reform and labor rights. "Every day I go to work and I see the Washington Monument as I go in, and I see the United States Capitol, and I'm inside and I'm doing my work, and I know, wow, I'm at the center of it all," he said. Padilla said his early work with the Youth Advisory Committee helped him carve out a clear purpose. "The future is just making sure that I can keep fighting, keep giving back to my community as much as I can," he said. Send us your story at MiamiProud@
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Youngest councillor Alexander Walker, 25, elected as Rhyl mayor
A local authority's youngest town councillor has been elected as mayor at just Walker, who has autism, has been a town councillor in Rhyl, Denbighshire, since 2022 and described it as "surreal" to be elected, as it is something which he never thought he would end up Walker took on the role of deputy mayor last year, but says he first got connected with the council around the age of 13, after receiving a Radio 1 Team Hero Award for dedicating his life to care for his disabled mum, now hopes to raise awareness of the mental health charities which helped his mum and be an advocate for the younger generation in the community. "It's not just the realm of the older person," Mr Walker said. "Growing up I didn't feel there were many opportunities to learn about the town council. "I've got the role of being a voice for younger people, getting younger people involved in their communities." Both Mr Walker and his mum have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a condition which causes joint hypermobility, frequent dislocations, and muscle living with EDS, Mr Walker has spent his life caring for both his mum and his grandparents, all while volunteering within the community. Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Walker said he had relationships with members of the council but first got involved in the council during the Covid-19 lockdown, by joining their virtual meetings. Now, he believes individuals can have the most impact in local government, addressing the issues which matter the most to Walker said he is looking to bring awareness to issues close to his heart too, adding "growing up I've had my own challenges with my mental health, my mum has had challenges with her mental health". Looking at the year ahead, he aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health problems and raise funds to help organisations such as the charity Mind provide the support people need.
