• Education disruption and youth empowerment – 18 April 2022 – 12H00 (UTC)/14H00 (CEST)/ 09H00 (EST)/14H00 (CAT)
• Vaccine hesitancy and combatting misinformation – 21 April 2022 – 12H00 (UTC)/14H00 (CEST)/ 09H00 (EST)/14H00 (CAT)
• Mental Health – 27 April 2022 – 12H00 (UTC)/14H00 (CEST)/ 09H00 (EST)/14H00 (CAT)

Moderators:

• Tharindra Arumapperuma —  Youth Representative, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (The Award)
• José Andrés Estrada Aguirre – Youth Representative, World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM)

Guest speakers:

• Alice Mukashyaka — Advocacy Manager for Livelihoods and Education, Restless Development and UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow for Education
• Thais Queiroz — Youth Representative for WOSM and UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow for Education

The pandemic has disrupted access to education and employment opportunities, severely impacting the futures and livelihoods of young people worldwide.

Through a direct investment in non-formal education and learning programmes young people are being provided with new and innovative opportunities for learning. Additionally, through youth-led projects young people and the most vulnerable in society are provided with new self-sustaining employment opportunities, which in turn must be supported by policy makers and stakeholders to support their investment and innovation to address the widening inequalities caused by the pandemic.

Hosted by the Big Six, this webinar will feature recommendations from youth-led funded national projects of the Big Six and Local Solutions projects, supported by the Global Youth Mobilization, to discuss learnings and ideas for shaping future approaches to non-formal education and how to overcome barriers for improved education opportunities.

Moderators:

• Michelle Chew Shi Jie — Youth Representative, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
• Loris Tarazi – Youth Representative, World Alliance of Young Men’s Christian Associations (WYMCA)

Guest speakers:

• Lisa Menning — Technical Focal Point, Vaccination Demand and Behavioural Sciences, World Health Organization
• Merith Basey — Executive Director, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines

The spread of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a public distrust in the response measures and hesitancy in receiving vaccines, which in turn has a disastrous impact on individuals, communities and society as a whole.

To curb the spread of misinformation young people are working, through their projects, to provide education and training programmes on COVID-19 to ensure that there is a higher uptake of the vaccines in their communities.

This webinar will showcase the evidence-based communication and training strategies implemented by young people and how they are taking a lead in the COVID-19 prevention and protection measures at local, national and international levels.

Moderators:

• Helga Mutasingwa – Youth Representative, The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
• Meti Gemechu – Youth Representative, World Young Women’s Christian Association (WYWCA)

From the onset of the pandemic many young people have experienced bouts of isolation and loneliness that has further impacted their mental health. According to the WHO, 93% of countries worldwide have seen disruptions in critical mental health services.

To address these issues many young people, youth-led organizations and national organizations of the Big Six are working towards providing additional mental health support and identifying solutions for young people in their communities.

This webinar will highlight some of the lessons learned from these projects, explore the policy recommendations from GYM’s report and will showcase some of the examples of youth-led solutions to the mental health challenges today.