Stories of Inspiration for International Youth Day
In the days leading up to International Youth Day 2020, our supporters, advocates and employees shared some of the inspirational stories of why they choose to support UNICEF's work.
Since 1999, August 12th has been a special day of engagement for youth around the globe -- a day to come together and celebrate International Youth Day. This day of engagement was declared to give opportunities to celebrate and empower young peoples’ voices, actions, and initiatives. The theme of International Youth Day 2020 is “Youth Engagement for Global Action”, which highlights how young people at local, national, and global levels are recognizing the importance of being involved in the community. Youth demonstrate their participation in political, economic, and social life through social media, giving them the ability to reach many generations. It is important that IYD is celebrated in an effort to reconstruct and restore trust in public institutions among the younger generations.
Currently, there are many challenges humanity is facing that need global action, and youth are taking the lead. Young people around the globe are taking action through social media to generate and deliver their support. This moment in time highlights the importance of finding the strength as a community to bring about meaningful change. UNICEF USA’s Mid-Atlantic community is dedicated to standing together to ensure every child around the world has the opportunity for a safe, happy, and productive future.
To celebrate IYD this year, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Regional UNICEF supporters and staff shared their own stories of why UNICEF is important to them. These personal messages inspire our work and our action and keep us striving for a world where no child dies of preventable causes. We hope you will check out their stories on the Mid-Atlantic Facebook page and the testimonials of local supporters Rachel Wisthuff, Ada Yang, Myranda Moye, Phil Telfeyan, and Ashely McGeary to understand why they choose to engage with UNICEF. As McGeary says in her video, every child matters.
