Celebrate Youth Empowerment On World Youth Skills Day
Tokunbo Ifaturoti
The empowerment offered by skills training is embodied in the old adage: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life.”
This is the basic ideology that seems to exist behind the United Nations (UN) adoption of World Youth Skills Day (WYSD). July 15 is designated for annual observance of the value of giving the world’s growing youth population access to training in marketable and life-changing skills.
This year marks only the second year since the day was officially added to the UN’s calendar of International Days. Since its inauguration, however, WYSD has generated a great deal of interest among person who see the need for a push in the development of skills training programmes as a way to reach and teach youth, especially in areas suffering from conflict and in poverty stricken areas.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is encouraging persons around the world to use the power of social media to spread the word about the aims, objectives, merits and activities of WYSD. You may do this in part by sharing the hashtag #WYSD.
WYSD is built around two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, namely
- Goal 4: Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
- Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
“Skills development reduces poverty and better equips young people to find decent jobs. It triggers a process of empowerment and self-esteem that benefits everyone.” — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon
