International Youth Day: Youth Innovation for Human & Planetary Health

ABOUT THE EVENT: 

International Youth Day, celebrated on 12th August every year is a celebration of the important role young people play in nation-building, community growth and social issues young people raise awareness on, and are affected by. The theme for IYD 2021 is: “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”.

This year, Affinity and UN Youth NSW have brought together a panel of speakers who address what building a sustainable future with the youth means. The pandemic harshly affected minorities, people from low socio-economic backgrounds but also deeply scarred the future of the youth. The pandemic posed serious questions about what does the future, and safety of our planet and our youth look like and what sort of future are we walking into. The panic buying, the lack of job security and research all have shown us one thing - young people are vulnerable. This vulnerability affects their ability to access healthy food. When basic necessities such as inaccessible opportunities for healthy food and a healthy planet get in the way, young people are prevented from fully participating in society. Our panellists will discuss how we can ensure the youth are responsible for ensuring their voices are amplified through sustainable innovation and what the process of enabling these youth look like.