UN Day 2021: Blueprint for a Better Future

 

On Thursday, October 21, the UNA Pasadena and UNA San Fernando Valley chapters hosted UN Day: Blueprint for a Better Future. The event featured impressive speakers such as Dustin Liu, UN Youth Observer for 2020-2021, Cynthia Yue, the UN Youth Observer for 2021-2022, and other student activists and members. The event specifically targeted youth engagement when it comes to working towards and supporting the UN’s global goals. 

Overall, this was a very engaging and informative event. I appreciate that the organizers decided to focus the event around the role of youth. I think that oftentimes the value of youth participation in these large, global organizations can be underestimated, so it was worthwhile to hear multiple youth advocates talk about what they’ve done and how they’ve worked towards the UN goals.

Additionally, something that specifically resonated with me was the message of the importance of giving youth clear, definite roles when it comes to any work/volunteer opportunities towards the UN goals. From my own personal experiences working towards UN goals, I find that when I have a defined objective/role, I feel far more motivated and passionate towards my work, and thus I become far more engaged.

Another element of the event I found to be quite effective in highlighting youth voices were the videos. Listening to youth talk about what they were specifically passionate about was quite special and powerful. The videos were also creative and fun to watch!