A youth peer educator shares her insights in a discuss how to integrate other sectoral concerns such as health, population and food security in communicating marine conservation. The session, conducted during a conference of conservation champions, was facilitated by the BUILD Project.
As we commemorate International Youth Day 2024, we are reminded again of the pivotal role that young people play in shaping a sustainable future for our world. The theme, “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development” underscores the transformative potential of digitalization, enabling youth to address today’s most pressing challenges. With unparalleled access to digital tools and a heightened awareness of the interconnected nature of global issues, young people are uniquely positioned to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through an integrated approach.
Digitalization and youth empowerment
The advent of the digital era has completely transformed the ways by which we communicate, acquire knowledge and address challenges. For the younger generation, who have been immersed in a technology-driven world, digital technologies serve not only as a means of communication but also as a platform for innovation and activism. The internet and social media have facilitated more equal access to information, empowering young individuals to self-educate on global matters, establish connections with those who share similar interests regardless of geographical boundaries and mobilize for social change.
Digitalization has also equalized political opportunities, enabling young individuals from various origins to engage in global discussions. By simply clicking a few times, anyone may easily retrieve extensive amounts of data, acquire knowledge about intricate matters such as climate change, poverty and inequality and actively contribute to finding solutions. This increased access to information empowers the young people of today to become informed and engaged global citizens, capable of understanding and addressing the complex, interrelated nature of global challenges.
Recognizing interlinked global challenges
A key benefit of digitalization is its capacity to offer a more extensive perspective on global challenges. The interdependence of issues such as climate change, economic inequality and health disparities has grown much more apparent. These challenges do not exist in isolation; they are intertwined, with solutions in one area often impacting others. For instance, to address climate change, it is not only important to decrease carbon emissions but also to promote social and economic quality and even safeguard biodiversity.
The youth, with their digital fluency, are well-equipped to grasp these interconnections. Young people have the ability to retrieve and examine transdisciplinary data from multiple sources, allowing them to gain a comprehensive understanding and propose more comprehensive solutions. Their capacity for systems thinking is essential when it comes to tackling SDGs, as they are fundamentally interconnected, hence necessitating integrated approaches.
For example, youth-led movements advocating for climate action are often grounded in a deep understanding of how environmental degradation worsens poverty, affects health outcomes and threatens food security, among other concerns. By recognizing these linkages, young activists are pushing for comprehensive policies that address multiple SDGs simultaneously, rather than siloed interventions that might solve one problem while creating others.
Digital changemakers in a challenging world
In the face of mounting global challenges such as demographic and climatic changes, the role of young people in creating digital pathways for sustainable development becomes even more pronounced. The world is still seeing significant population growth, especially in developing countries where the majority of the population is under the age of 30. This presents both challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, there is a need to create millions of decent jobs, increase access to education and mitigate the effects of climate change. On the other hand, young people offer a vast reservoir of potential that, when effectively harnessed, can drive transformative change.
The intersections of population dynamics and climate change further underscore the importance of integrated solutions such as employing the population, health and environment (PHE) approach. For example, as climate change exacerbates food and water scarcity, it disproportionately affects young people, particularly in vulnerable countries, including the Philippines. However, by leveraging digital tools, the youth can create innovative solutions to these challenges, such as developing climate-resilient agriculture systems.
Moreover, the youth are often at the forefront of movements advocating for climate justice, recognizing that the burden of environmental degradation falls most heavily on the poorest and most marginalized communities. Through digital platforms, they are able to mobilize support, raise awareness and lobby for more comprehensive and responsive policies.
Harnessing the youth’s digital power
As we look ahead, it is apparent that the youth will play an important part in shaping the future of our world. To fully realize their potential, it is critical to build an enabling environment that encourages digital participation and empowers individuals to contribute to sustainable development. This necessitates investment in digital infrastructure, education and skills training to guarantee that all young people have access to the tools they require to prosper in the digital age.
As we commemorate International Youth Day, let us appreciate young people’s enormous potential to influence a more sustainable and just future. In a society increasingly defined by digitalization, the youth should not be seen as mere passive technology consumers but as active change agents. By harnessing the power of digital tools, they can address the interconnected challenges of our time and work towards integrated solutions that leave no one behind
