In celebration of International Youth Day, the panel will look back at how young people have led efforts to help communities and other young people deal with and bounce back from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflect on why young people’s meaningful engagement matters in promoting resilience in the region.

In partnership with UNICEF ROSA and Code.org, the Hour of Code challenges individuals across the region to try a two-hour introduction to computer science designed to develop solutions through the use of technology, specifically coding, with the goal of showing the importance of digital skills for young people, especially for youth employment.

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From Nepal to Marshall Islands, hundreds of thousands of young volunteers have taken to streets ringing alarm bell around climate change crisis and are participating in global campaigns like ‘Fridays for Future’ and ‘Climate Action Now’. While the protests showcase youth’s frustration in current socio-political systems of managing the climate emergency, they are increasingly bringing youth in the limelight of ‘taking action’ and several governmental and non-governmental actors are now reinforcing this rhetoric particularly at the upcoming UNFCCC COP26.

Health is an area where youth-led activities have the potential to significantly affect outcomes for young people, and in turn, have whole life-cycle implications. For instance, in the area of diet, harmful habits (drugs/alcohol) and exercise, positive behavior change can reduce non-communicable diseases stretching into adulthood. In addition, the pandemic has shown that decisions taken to avert one health crisis can have significant effects on other health outcomes, especially on young people. There is significant evidence (borrow from the report) that policy responses to the pandemic impacted significantly on youth mental health.

This session focuses on the implications of changing jobs and livelihood prospects of young workers and entrepreneurs because of the coronavirus crisis and how they’ve stayed resilient throughout the pandemic.

To deepen participants’ understanding of MYE and its application in development practice, APYS will also provide a training course consisting of three online modules that will cover (i) the definition and conceptual framework of meaningful youth engagement; (ii) relevance of MYE to ADB sector programs; and (iii) good practices and lessons learned in practicing MYE from practitioners. The training will culminate with a 1-day closing workshop, which will include learning circles for participants to share reflections and other insights from the training program.

To gather insights on what resilience means to young people in Asia and the Pacific and how stakeholders and youth themselves can unlock opportunities for MYE in COVID-19 recover, APYS provide a space for intergenerational dialogue through a consultation session

APYS Event Closing will provide a space to showcase outputs and journey of APYS delegates from the knowledge sessions, Hour of Code, MYE Training Course and Consultation Sessions.