The COVID-19 crisis is a children rights crisis. For many young people, the costs of the coronavirus pandemic may persist throughout their lives: from the challenges of having their education disrupted to the anxiety of not knowing if they will be able to attend graduation ceremonies or find their first job.
In these times it is normal to feel you are no longer in control of your future, and to be uncertain about your next steps in life. We must listen to young people and work alongside them to design a better future. To Reimagine it.
Voices of Youth invites you to REIMAGINE the world you want to live in after COVID-19. These are some of your stories:
YOUR STORIES
Reimagine a better world for young people with disabilities
"For young people with disabilities, this life of isolation is the one we’ve always known. Now you, facing similar restrictions, can place yourselves in our shoes – and what better time to make a collective effort to change the situation for the better!"
Maria, 21, Bulgaria. Read her blog here.
The future of internet safety, reimagined
"It is time that we reimagine what internet security looks like. As with any new platform with that many positive sides, there are consequences. My name is Gitanjali Rao, and I like to spread the message of kindness and its importance in our community. I like to use technology to solve problems in our community and hopefully inspire others to be kind to self, community, and environment."
Gitanjali, 14, United States. Read her blog here.
Teenage activism and the superpower of words
"The uncertainty of our era gives us teenagers unprecedented power to shape a better tomorrow. We are being given a chance to rewrite the story with our own words, and, right now, to reimagine the world we want to emerge into when the pandemic is over."
Yael, 17, Argentina. Read her blog here.
Reimagining the future of healthcare
"This crisis has hit us hard and it has made us realize not just how important the right to health is, but also how interconnected the world is. What happens in the other side of the world affects us, some way or another, and we cannot longer turn a blind eye to what it’s happening. We have to do something and the time is now."
Daryl, 25, Spain. Read her blog here.
A vision for my generation
"My name is Nkosi Nyathi, a 17 year old Unicef Youth Climate Ambassador in Zimbabwe. I am here on a mission, carrying a vision not only for my nation but my generation, because it concerns our future. Climate Change is now our reality. We experience fires, droughts, and floods. We need to recognise that the environment and climate change form the foundation of all the SDGs."
Nkosi, 17, Zimbabwe. Read his speech here.
A love letter to our post-corona versions
"After corona, the world healed to some extent. I hope your generation will not make the same mistakes as we did, and make irreversible environmental damage. This pandemic exposed a broken system and I hope that your generation will fix this. We are also deeply very sorry for the permanent damage, we tried so hard. We cried. Take it from someone who has been there."
Yeshna, 21, UK. Read her blog here.
A world where youth have a seat at the table
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the way we live. In my world, reimagined, young people have a seat "in the room where it happens"— that is to say, where people make paramount decisions about our collective future.
Salvador, 17, United States. Read his blog here.
YOUR TURN
Want to share your vision? Write a blog, draw an illustration or create a photo essay on a development issue that matters to you, around the theme of "My world, reimagined".
Submit your content through our platform and remember to read our quality and engagement guidelines before sending it for review. Voices of Youth will publish a selection of articles in this site, featuring content from young people around the world.
These are some tips and ideas to get you starting:
- Share your personal experience. Why does this topic matter to you?
- What are the lessons we can all learn from this crisis to reimagine a world where youth play a bigger role in designing new policies or lead in decision-making processes?
- What are some of your ideas?
- Remember to support your arguments with data. Here are some tips on how to do it.
