Youth development and participation
Supporting youth and adolescents in building life skills and developing civic competencies that empower participation on issues that matter to them.
- Available in:
- Ελληνικά
- English
The challenge
Adolescents are one of the Greece’s greatest assets. Yet few have the chance to participate in decisions that affect their lives and the lives of their communities, and their potential contribution to society is often overlooked.
The SDGs reaffirm the importance of investing in adolescents and emphasize their role as agents of positive change. The young generation today is socially aware and wants to contribute to the well-being of their communities. Nevertheless, many adolescents and young people feel excluded and unsupported, both within families and communities.
The solution
Participation is both a right and a means to achieve positive change in society. Connections, engagement and empowerment are key components of adolescent’s resilience and well-being. The Partnership Office, working together with adolescents, government entities, municipalities and civil society, will support the scale-up of adolescent development initiatives aiming to build their resilience and full potential, with a special focus on promoting social inclusion, engagement and participation and reaching the most marginalized, including through innovations.
Engagement, empowerment and participation of young people are key priorities of the UN Youth Strategy “Youth 2030” and UNICEF’s Adolescent and Youth Engagement Strategic Framework. The EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027) focuses on empowering young people and building their resilience. Engagement and participation of adolescents as problems solvers also represent one of the seven priorities of Generation Unlimited, a global partnership on adolescents and youth.
Adolescents are crucial partners for the achievement of sustainable economic and social development, and for the identification of innovative solutions to the challenges facing countries and communities.
Guided by the SDGs and the Greek ”National Strategic Framework ’17-’27 for the Empowerment of Youth”, UNICEF’s Partnership Office in Greece will establish key partnerships and mobilize initiatives to ensure equal rights, equal opportunities, equal treatment and respect of diversity of youth and adolescents in Greece, encourage individual and social responsibility, promote young people’s active participation in decision-making processes and strengthen collaboration and mutual commitment among all actors supporting young people.
Resources
These resources on adolescents represent just a small selection of materials produced by UNICEF and its partners in the region. The list is regularly updated to include the latest information.
https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/youth-un/page/6/
http://www.unicefinemergencies.com/downloads/eresource/docs/Adolescents/63792683.pdf
