International Youth Day is celebrated on August 12th. It was first observed in 2000 with the purpose to draw attention to the issues surrounding youth, and this years’ theme is “Youth and Mental Health”
Did you know that today is International Youth Day, an awareness day designated by the United Nations? IYD is celebrated annually on August 12th, with the purpose of to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. It was first observed in 2000.
During International Youth Day, concerts, workshops, cultural events, and meetings take place around the world with the aim to raise awareness of the worldwide community on the youth issues: what worries them, what are the problems and challenges they face growing up, how to overcome them, and reach their full potential.
Each Day has a different annual theme – last year the theme was “žYouth Migration”. The theme of International Youth Day 2014 is “Youth and Mental Health” under the slogan “Mental Health Matters”. It is reported that 20% of the world’s youth experience a mental health condition. The youth with mental health conditions can often experience stigma and discrimination.
Therefore, a whole world needs to pay attention to this issue, educate people and find solutions to raise awareness in order to reduce stigma surrounding the youth with mental health conditions; improve living conditions of young people facing this problem (it is estimated that 90% of young people with mental health conditions live in low-income countries); and support them, so that young people with mental health conditions can lead full and healthy lives, free of isolation and unnecessary shame.
