Day 3 - 28 August

Youth Involvement and Mentorship on Climate Policy: Taking Firm Action on Saving our Planet

The Youth Caucus will provide a unique space for bringing together youth at the conference to brainstorm, strategize and energize them for active participation. In this space youth will interact with their peers, experts and other stakeholders on pressing global challenges impacting young people, giving an important focus on sustainable development.

Organized by DGC Youth Representatives Steering Committee, in collaboration with the UN Department of Global Communications

Youth around the world are mobilizing en masse. As more young people are seeking to participate in local and global processes to create the change they want to see in the world, it is crucial that they gain access to tools and support that can make the work more manageable. The United Nations Department of Global Communications Youth Representatives Steering Committee has been developing a series of projects to serve this need. The "Youth Representatives Manual" is a welcome guide to the UN space for young people hoping to engage effectively. It also encourages more organizations to consider associating with UN DGC and appointing official youth reps. The "SDG Toolkit" is envisioned as a how-to primer and resource hub for anyone motivated to turn ideas into action. The "Mapping Project" then hopes to literally put youth leaders around the world "on the map", building an inspirational platform for highlighting best practices, networking, and collaboration. This workshop will showcase the progress on these projects and the many other efforts of the UN DGC Youth Representatives Programme and invite everyone in attendance to join in the fight and the fun. 

Organized by Conference Host Planning Youth Sub-committee

This workshop is designed to take apart the overarching issue of homelessness and examine it from the perspective of youth. Youth homelessess should be discussed as a separate issue in order to better understand the problem, find solutions, and empower these young people to rise from their circumstances. The workshop will focus on understanding the implications of homelessness in the US and what additional barriers youth face, learning about successful and innovative initiatives that are empowering homeless youth, sharing ideas and action items to attack this issue head-on, and discussing ways to help end youth homelessness.

Moderator: 

Sarah Strang
Director of Shelters at The Road Home

Panelist:

Pastor Shelley Stephenson
Senior Pastor of Christ Covenant International, CEO of Shelley Stephenson Ministries

Cydnie LaCour
Division Director of Youth Homeless Services at the Volunteers of America

Rob Moolman
Executive Director of the Utah Pride Center

In order to protect Small Island Developing States from the devastation of climate change, the international community needs novel methods to deepen commitments to climate action and increase ambition to exceed the Nationally Determined Contributions set forth in the Paris Agreement. Youth, especially, must be empowered to play a proactive role in the effort to keep average global temperature rise below 1.5. This workshop will highlight novel climate adaptation measures implemented by young changemakers living in SIDS, reflect on the challenges of successful youth climate engagement and offer scalable practices that can mobilize youth within local and intergenerational contexts. It will especially focus on the role everyone can play in supporting such efforts and growing the global movement to rise to the challenge of the climate emergency. 

Music, Art and Culture: Cities and Communities Together

The Youth Festival will showcase talent from Utah and around the world through cultural shows, dance and music performances. The Festival will also feature an Open Mic session and a  cultural show with attendees wearing traditional attire.

Organized by Youth Sub-committee, 68th UN Civil Society Conference, with the support of Roots of Culture