This weekend students from across New Zealand will be gathering in Auckland for UNICEF  NZ’s Youth Congress in celebration of the International Year of Youth.

The 50 teens (16-17 years) will come together to learn more about world issues and how to make a difference to the future of all young people, by gaining the skills they need to take action. This includes media training from TV3.

Ofoi Taumoelau, who attends Kia Aroha College in Otara, believes that it is vital that young people have a say on important issues, “Young people bring a whole new vibe and idea to the issues. Traditionally it’s the adults that make all the decisions and youth don’t have a voice. This means that New Zealand misses out on the ideas of young people whose voice is often portrayed by adults, rather than by the youth themselves.”

Sarah Fagan, who attends Havelock North High School in Hawke’s Bay, agrees, “Through travelling overseas with my family I have been exposed to extreme poverty. Seeing how some children struggle so hard to gain the bare necessities, such as safe drinking water and food, has made me aware of how lucky we are in New Zealand. I want to explore and understand this inequality and become part of the change.”

With the Pacific Islands Forum taking place in September in Auckland, the congress will particularly focus on issues affecting young people in the region. UNICEF’s first Regional Ambassador for the Pacific, Merewalesi (Mere) Nailatikau, will fly in from Fiji to attend the congress. She will lead workshops on issues affecting the Pacific such as climate change and poverty.  

Mere said, “There is a real active youth movement in the Pacific which is truly dynamic. Young people often ask me why they should care about issues like climate change and I tell them that as young people we are the ones who should care. The question really is how can we not care?”

3News presenter and UNICEF Ambassador Mike McRoberts will also appear at the Congress and students will be trained in how to contribute to a soon to be launched youth section of the 3News website.

“We are lucky to have such a high calibre of speakers from the Pacific and New Zealand attending the congress” said Pip Bennett, Advocacy Officer, UNICEF NZ. “This generation will inherit the consequences of decisions made by today’s world leaders. The Congress is just one way of giving them a platform to be heard."