Global Youth Work - ymca Ireland

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We work to empower young people and to make their voice heard around the world.

Global youth work aims to empower young people to develop the knowledge and skills to tackle global issues and explore their own values, beliefs, and connections with the wider world. Two of our guiding principles include Climate Action and the sustaining of our environment and Global Justice and International Development – and through our work, young people are supported to see themselves as agents of change, empowered to be active global citizens and contribute towards building a world of justice, equity and dignity.

Our world in 2023

1.8 billion or one quarter of the world’s population is aged 10-24 years, where our views, opinions and learning are constantly influenced and challenged by new knowledge, discoveries, achievements, communications, and opportunities – coming from within our own communities and also from different places around the world.

Sustainable Development Goals

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.