Every year on the 12th August, the world celebrates International Youth Day. This tradition has taken place since 1965 when the United Nations came together to recognise the experiences of young people across the globe. In 2023 there will be 1.2 billion young people aged between 15-24 years, making up 16% of the global population. This is a time for us to reflect on the issues affecting our young population, wherever you are in the world.
This day is particularly significant as our young people see their future in the policies and actions taken by their governments. Despite them living through the consequences of government initiatives, the under 30’s are underrepresented in politics and decision-making. On a global-scale, only 2.6% of parliamentarians are under 30 and fewer than 1% of these MPs are women (Be seen, Be Heard, 2021).
This day is an opportunity to see the important role that young people have played in creating change for a more sustainable and positive future for all. They may be managing their education, if access is provided, grappling poverty, suffering loss, displacement and taking on responsibilities far beyond their years. Even though we live in a technological age, it is important to recognise that globally, 67% of young people do not have access to technology, so do not possess the vital skills for employment.
In 2023, the focus of International Youth Day is ‘Green Skills’ (Arthur, 2022). The climate crisis is recognised on a global scale and it is more important than ever that everyone, not just the young, learn the skills to maintain sustainable jobs that will allow countries and populations to thrive and reverse the effects of the climate crisis. Young people have the power to get their voices heard, impact policy, creating a fairer and more equitable future through sustainable and transformational changes. It is up to governments, corporations and educators to give these young people the support and resources they need to initiate these changes through the development of green skills.
These green skills are essential in all sectors, including; law, engineering, transport and scientific research. There is still a huge disparity between those who are able to access green skills and these sustainable job opportunities. Those who have a university education are far more likely to benefit from the opportunity to develop their skills. The green transition is also favouring male workers, as a predicted 19 million jobs will be created for men versus the 6 million for women. Since 2015, of the green job transitions, 66% have been taken on by men. This continues to perpetuate a gender divide which needs to be addressed urgently.
The introduction and recognition of these changes does not have to be a challenge, in fact it can change your workspace for good.
How you involve young people in a ‘Green Transition’ in your workspace:
- For educators it can be easy to think of only the students at school as ‘young people’, when actually there will be many staff who fall into this category. Across OECD countries, 13% of primary school teachers are under 30 and in the UK we have the highest number of young primary teachers, with 31% being under 30 (Adams, 2013). These younger staff members have a fantastic opportunity to be climate activist role models for their students and colleagues. Consider how their skills and knowledge could be utilised across the school. How could they get a seat at the leadership table to impact school policy and lead professional development programmes for staff as well as students?
- For businesses, consider what the job prospects are for your future employees. Climate change threatens 40% of jobs that are reliant on a healthy environment. Consider how your business could contribute to the 8.4 million green jobs that will be created by 2030. How could your younger employees be actively involved in bringing about this change and how could you support them? The UN found that 70% of young people want to be involved in this decision making process so it is essential that their voices are heard.
- How can schools and businesses ensure that their staff have the skills and knowledge to take on these green jobs? It is the responsibility of employers, schools, higher education institutes and governments to ensure that young people are given the opportunity to learn these skills so they are employable in the competitive market as the request for green skills has increased by 22.4% since 2022.
- Reflect on your professional development opportunities and ensure that they are distributed in an equitable manner. Research has shown that in school, teachers are concerned about climate change but 70% do not feel they have had adequate training to teach about climate change (Teach the Future, 2021). If sufficient training and support is not provided, then these vital green skills will not be addressed in schools.
At Gender Action, we strive to make a more equitable society where young girls and women are given the resources and opportunities to be free from gender stereotyping in schools which directly impacts their ability to thrive and progress. By joining our programme you could go some way to support girls to develop the green skills through education. If you are interested in hearing more about our work then please get in touch!
For some fantastic lesson resources and reports on climate change and girls education, visit:
Association for Citizenship Teachers for lessons and resources on sustainable futures.
BBC website for hints and tips aimed at teachers, on introducing the topic of climate change into the classroom.
British Council Website for resource packs in 5 languages for girls aged 11-17 years.
Malala Fund report on climate change and girls education in 2021.
World Economic Forum for ways to engage with employees for a more sustainable workplace.
WWF for primary and secondary lesson plans and teacher guidance on the impact of climate change as well as support for businesses to create a more sustainable workplace.
Teach the Future to sign the petition to bring climate change to the forefront of the curriculum
Sources
Adams, R. and editor, education (2013). UK primary school teachers youngest in OECD. The Guardian. [online] 25 Jun. Available at: https://shorturl.at/avP07
Arthur, C. (2022). What are green skills? | UNIDO. [online] www.unido.org. Available at: https://www.unido.org/stories/what-are-green-skills.
Teaching the Future (2021). Our Research. [online] www.teachthefuture.uk. Available at: https://www.teachthefuture.uk/research.
The Body Shop (2021). Be seen, be heard Understanding young people’s political participation. [online] Available at: https://shorturl.at/guN36
United Nations (2023). International Youth Day 2023 ‘Green Skills For Youth: Towards A Sustainable World’ | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD). [online] social.desa.un.org. Available at: https://shorturl.at/pFI02