Towards a Young People's Future: Budapest Message

Summary: Towards a Young People's Future Agenda is the title given to the Young People's Consultation, April 23-29, Budapest. The outcome document was delivered at the Berlin
Conference.

Young People Prepare Message for the UN. A feature story is available to accompany this report. Dear Friends, We are writing to you from Budapest, where 51 young people from 25 countries of Europe and Central Asia have been discussing the most important issues we face. I. How we see Europe and Central Asia Our world is a world that is far from our dreams. A world where many families live in poverty and some children cannot afford to go to school. A world where people are not treated equally and their rights are not always respected. A world where young people are pushed to turn to drugs and alcohol and don’t get the support they need. A world where education systems fail to prepare us for life. A world where public health services are not always available for everybody. A world where our families are falling apart and where we are not protected from the dangers in our societies. A world where adults do not take us seriously. A world created by YOU, but experienced by US…. II. The Europe and Central Asia we want to see This world is not good enough for us. We demand change. We have the right to a world where there is no more war, drugs or poverty. A world where: - all young people finish secondary school; - all young people have equal opportunities to develop their capacities; - all young people have access to information they need; - all young people can participate in political life and decision- making; - all young people are protected from exploitation and abuse; - all young people have safe places to go for recreational activities. III. What can we do? We as young people are willing to work alongside adults to help create this world. We invite you to cooperate with us to achieve the following goals by the year 2011: - shadow youth councils in every local authority where young people can have a say in decision-making in their community; - educational reform to make the curriculum more relevant to children and young people; - the creation of a centre for young people in every major city where young people from different backgrounds can exchange ideas and share experiences; - the establishment of non-judgemental services in every community for young people’s physical and mental health; - enhanced social support and mentoring programmes for vulnerable families. Young people are not only the future … we are the present. So let’s start cooperating today!

pdf: www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/UNICEF_BudapestMessage.pdf

Countries

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