International Youth Day

Abstract

The 12th of August signifies ‘International Youth Day’ – a day aimed at promoting awareness amongst youth across the world in 10 priority areas: education, drug abuse, employment, hunger and poverty, health, environment, juvenile delinquency, leisuretime activities, girls and young women, and full and effective participation of youth in the life of society and in decision-making. The idea for International Youth Day was proposed in 1991 by the young people who were gathered in Vienna, Austria, for the first session of the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System. It was decided that young people were becoming more vulnerable to drug abuse (both legal and illegal), with the consequences being all too apparent. During the United Nations ‘General Assembly’ in 1996, it was decided drug abuse prevention for youth should be promoted, in order to enable them to obtain productive employment and achieve the independence, dignity and responsibility for a drug-free, crime-free productive life. The Australian Greek Welfare Society, in the spirit of ‘International Youth Day’ has been running numerous socially and culturally appropriate drug abuse prevention programs for the Greek community, ranging from discouraging people from taking drugs, to helping those who are abusing substances to undertake harm minimisation or abstinence practices.