Today’s generation of youth is the largest the world has ever known. For many of them, growing up will not be a peaceful time, with armed conflict disrupting their lives and often uprooting them entirely. 12th August is the International Youth Day and this year we celebrate those young people who are working tirelessly to build and protect peace. Read on to learn how you can do your share.

Join the conversation

How can young people build peace and prevent conflict? What are the best ways of making their voices heard? Share your ideas and experiences on this year’s theme of Youth Building Peace. Join the conversation by using #YouthDay and #Youth4Peace or by following UN4Youth Facebook page and @UN4Youth on Twitter.

Take action

Download the International Youth Day toolkit to learn how you can stage events, build partnerships, advocate for peace, mobilize support and engage your local community. The toolkit is bustling with ideas and resources to get you started.

Organize an event

Young people will mobilize governments, communities, youth organizations and ordinary citizens in every corner of the planet to take part in the International Youth Day celebrations on 12th August. Go to the International Youth Day Map Of Events 2017 to find an event near you. If you are staging your own activity, register it on the map to let others know about it.

Join the official celebration in New York

The official celebration  of International Youth Day will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Friday, 11th August 2017 from 10:00am to 1:00pm EST. Register here by 7th August 2017 for a chance to take part in the event. If you cannot make it in person, tune in to UN Web TV to watch it live.

Get informed

Learn more about this year’s theme of Youth Building Peace. There is a wealth of resources available on the International Youth Day website and the Youth4Peace platform. Get to know the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on youth, peace and security, which marks the first time in history that the world’s most powerful countries considered youth as a powerful force for peace.