BREAKTHROUGH TO A BETTER FUTURE
12 August 2023 | Convene Center | New York

On the occasion of International Youth Day, the Journalists and Writers Foundation participated at the 28th AFS Youth Assembly in New York as a program partner. Under the theme of “Breakthrough to a Better Future,” AFS convened youth advocates and young professionals from over 100 countries to connect like-minded young leaders, influencers, develop global competencies and transform their vision into action through collaborative actions. 

The 28th Session of the AFS Youth Assembly included keynote talks, thematic discussions, skill-building workshops, and an awards ceremony for young global citizens. Throughout the day, JWF team members met with the participants of the Youth Assembly at the civil society fair and engaged with courageous leaders reshaping the world. 

JWF booth was visited by transformative youth leaders, young scholars, and professionals throughout the day. Mehmet Kilic (President), Cemre Ulker (Representative to the UN DGC), and Bera Turetken (JWF Youth Representative) disseminated various programs of the Journalists and Writers Foundation empowering young leaders to attain the required diplomatic skills and civil society tools to meaningfully contribute to the timely and gender-sensitive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Participants were informed about the JWF Media and Journalism Webinars, a free certificate program creating a platform for participants to discuss contemporary challenges and violations against press members across the globe. Delegates of the Youth Assembly were also invited to attend the 8th SDGs Conference: In the Margins of the UN General Assembly 78th Session and submit their successful civil society projects to the Pioneers in SDGs, an awards program recognizing the transformative civil actions. 

SDGs Challenge is an interactive activity that aimed to engage the young with questions about the sustainable development goals. Young people picked a question about the SDGs from the SDGs Challenge box and received a small gift or chocolate bar if they give the right answer. 

Cemre Ulker also organized a workshop at the AFS Youth Assembly on “Introduction of UN Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS): Identifying the Implementation Challenges”. The workshop raised discussing the core elements of the UNSCR 1325, overviewed a set of essential diplomatic, gender-related definitions and keywords, raised awareness on the challenges of implementation of the WPS Agenda, and examined UN Member States` National Action Plans (NAPs) as country cases. 

Youth participation at the workshop actively engaging in the discussion and offering their policy suggestions to combat gender-related barriers hindering women`s meaningful participation in the political decision-making bodies and challenges encountered by women human rights defenders was a great turnout. Apart from the implementation challenges of WPS, Cemre Ulker also discussed the pillars of positive peace and shared insights about the latest development complexities standing in front of the timely delivery of the Global Goals by 2030.