Why Youthnited Nations?
We are so excited to officially say that Youthnited Nations is up and running! For Marnie and I this has been a long time in the making, with countless hours (and endless amounts of coffee). Marnie and I are Registered Nurses from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and during University we saw a need for youth engagement in the Sustainable Development Goals. As nursing students, we learnt of the SDGs, but were never given much indication or direction of how we can make an impact on them.
In early 2017 we were fortunate enough to attend the International Council of Nursing Congress is Barcelona, Spain and it was here that we became increasingly aware of the importance in achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda for SDGs. Although there was a lot international work being done, we couldn’t find a clear answer of how we as youth could create an impact. So after lots of brainstorming and discussions, we decided to take the plunge and create an organization that focused on youth and their engagement in the SDGs at a grass root level. Fast forward a few months, and here we are with Youthnited Nations!
At first we were skeptical of targeting ‘youth’ as many people associate this with a younger demographic, but the United Nations defines youth as ages 18-33, although we do not want to limit our engagement. We are committed to empowering youth to become citizens of change, and make the 2030 SDGs a reality! As you may be familiar, the Millennium Development Goals were created in 2000 by the United Nations, although were only partially achieved by their goal in 2015. So, in correcting the flaws of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations went back to the drawing board and created the 17 SDGs, with focuses on the 5 P’s partnership, peace, prosperity, people, and planet.
We truly believe that in order for there to be global change in achieving the 2030 agenda, this includes every person from every demographic. I found it was often daunting or overwhelming, with hints of unrealism, when reading the 17 goals, as they are goals of NO poverty, or ZERO hunger. Seems like big goals right? Although what I realized is although I am one individual, it takes the work of every individual to make change. Youthnited Nations is focused on enabling youth to become involved and educated on the SDGs, while also increasing overall awareness.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you! Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to check out Youthnited Nations. We look forward to working with you or hearing your feedback! Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or suggestions.
