In June 2011, UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri spoke on the occasion of the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) Briefing to NGOs in New York. She focused on youth, a significant resource for volunteering. Youth are not the problem, they are part of the solution, she said.
In her speech, Flavia Pansieri addressed how youth represent a huge population with tons of energy and countless hopes and dreams. Youth are ready to take a stand and to seize every opportunity provided to claim decent jobs, access to education, see their rights, dignity, and freedoms fulfilled, and demand an end to corruption and abuse.
UNV has helped provide opportunities for thousands of young adults: through volunteering, youth have engaged as actors in their own development, and have become agents of change within their own communities. Young people bring ideas, skills and actions that contribute toward sustainable communities. For many years, UNV working with national partners has created an enabling environment for youth volunteering through support to the development of youth volunteer frameworks.
Todays challenging social and economic environment warrants a special focus on youth. As this year is the International Year of Youth (IYY), UNV dedicated its 2010 Annual Report to highlight examples of how youth are contributing their energy, imagination, talent and initiative to tackle development challenges.
Throughout this past year, UNV has documented stories of young volunteers working with communities, and, through their work, UNV has seen them fostering dialogue and mutual understanding between civil society organizations, governments, the private sector and individuals from around the globe.
The tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10), overlapping with IYY, has opened up opportunities to recognize and mobilize young people as volunteers. UNV has been strengthening efforts to inspire youth and include them in policies, programmes and decision-making processes that benefit their future.
All over the world young people are helping to broaden public awareness of volunteering, and actively shaping the direction of volunteer policies, interventions and volunteering environments. In this regard, Government support is essential when establishing youth volunteer schemes and programmes.
Efforts must also be made to ensure that youth volunteerism is linked to national development objectives. By integrating volunteerism in youth policies, supporting youth volunteering programmes and increasing training and capacity building opportunities for youth, Governments will help to enhance the contributions of youth to peace and development and, in turn, reap benefits for the whole of society.
In addition to all these examples, a significant increase in youth volunteerism has been facilitated through the UNV Online Volunteering service, which provides possibilities for engagement in peace and development activities over the Internet. More than just a virtual link, online volunteering is empowering.
It offers young people above the age of 18 - from developing and developed countries - the chance to engage in development activities, to work in international teams, use their expertise to support a cause, develop existing skills, and assume new roles and responsibilities. With 80 per cent of online volunteers aged between 18 and 35, the service directly increases the participation of youth in development activities.
Flavia Pansieri emphasized that through volunteerism, young people are empowered to actively engage in changing the world around them.