(Dr. Saleh A. AlNassar)
In 1991, a cohort of young people gathered in Vienna to attend the first session of the International Youth Foundation which is affiliated to the United Nations. The UN created this International Youth Event in order to support and raise money for the UN Youth Fund which was done in collaboration with a wide range of other youth organizations across the globe. What developed further was that the UN General Assembly approved the establishment of the International Youth Day in 1999.
Since then, August 12th has now become an annual event that is celebrated with up to 120 nations in attendance. Its main focus point is to encourage governmental programs that cover themes such as education, employment opportunities, hunger and poverty, health issues, the environment, drug addiction, juvenile delinquency and violence. The event then helps organizations to explore how they can build capacity of their institutions to enable them to communicate more effectively with youth, raise awareness of the issues within their respective communities including news agencies. The event also enables organizations to explore decision making strategies amongst youth and how youths can make invaluable contributions to help them gain the exposure to gain leadership skills on the global platform which will help the youth to mobilize themselves within their own respective communities.
On International Day many government and non- government organizations meet with delegated representatives of youth across the world to discuss the various issues and problems that concern them. The meeting then concludes with an agenda to look at how these issues can be tackled in the future. Again, the main areas of concern are youth employment, health and the environment. Also, the central theme is geared towards how youth can mobilize themselves to make informed choices about how they want to grow in the future.
In addition, the UN General Assembly urges governments to consult directly with youth organizations to set up comprehensive youth affairs policies. The assembly also insists on the importance of setting up a Youth Employment Network as a vehicle for peer exchange support and to set up surveys to encourage other member countries, the United Nations and other associated organizations to consolidate this network and expand it at the National, Regional and International Levels.
The Saudi Youth aged between the 15-29 age group constitutes approximately 5 million inhabitants. This number represents 29% of the overall population of Saudi Nationals living in the Kingdom according to the statistical data of the Ministry of Economy and Planning with the latest date being 1427H. This data needs to be analyzed further to draw upon more empirical evidence to explore how we can use this raw data to make a positive contribution because of the rapid growth of the society. Furthermore, associated bodies that have a remit to work with youth in the Kingdom such as those who work at the scientific, educational, professional, sporting and cultural levels showed a weak response of sufficient evidence on the Day as opposed to other international days where tremendous media coverage was reported.
On a pragmatic level regarding Saudi youth they do constitute a tremendous source of National Growth. They are the best educated generation in the Kingdom and are well equipped to deal with the fast moving pace of technological change. The Saudi Youth are very determined to develop themselves and are fully committed to consolidate the social, political and economic fibre of our country through individual and collective efforts.
Finally, it is important to note that when it is imperative to assist the youth in building their capacity to enable them to start making significant inroads in developing their talents in areas such as investing in education, health, employment and skills development , training and entertainment. In fact every sphere of social development needs to be harnessed for Saudi youth to enable them to maximize their true potential.
The National Centre for Youth Studies can act as a conduit for the Saudi Youth to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. We have the tools to study scientifically about how we can resolve some of the current problems and make plans for addressing potential future issues as well.