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2023

Nelson Mandela, the legacy for freedom

30/7/2021

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“It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build”, Nelson Mandela. The 18th of July is Nelson Mandela International Day, and it is a very especial occasion to remember that this amazing man was who fight to the elimination of South Africa’s system of legalized racial discrimination known as apartheid. But why is it so important to remember him and his legacy? Because we need to continue fighting against the racial discrimination and support social movements as the #BlackLivesMatter. We still have a long way to go, and we must continue to work towards effective equality for all human beings.
Nelson Mandela is a great reference and a man who inspires us to be better people, he was the 1st Democratically Elected President in South Africa, and we are going to tell you a little about his story.  He was born on July 7, 1918, in Mvezo, South Africa, and he became to politician, activist and lawyer who dedicated his entire life to fighting apartheid to achieve equality in his country. 
In the middle of the 20th century, the black population began to protest and demand equal rights. In response, in 1948 the South African government promoted apartheid as a political system, which meant legalizing racism. Nelson Mandela, who had decided to move to Johannesburg, joined the African National Congress (ANC). With others, Mandela founded the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).
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It launched the “Defiance” Campaign in 1952, a massive civil disobedience campaign against unjust laws, and Mandela was elected National Volunteer-in-Chief for the campaign. After many campaigns to obtain equal rights in South Africa, Mandela was one of 156 accused in the Treason Trial. Finally, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. After 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela was released.
Mandela, or Madiba who his people called him, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his commitment to human rights. A year later, in 1994, he would become the first black president of South Africa and would mark the end of apartheid. April 27, 1994 was the 1st Multi-racial Elections in which the entire South African population, black and white, could participate. Nelson Mandela passed away in Johannesburg at the age of 95 in 2013.
Nelson Mandela is an example of how we must continue working to achieve a world without racial discrimination, where regardless of your skin color you can have a full life. In addition we can remember other black references such as Rosa Parks,  Martin Luther King, Malcolm X… Nowadays we also have some amazing influencers like Barack and Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Lebron James. We need to continue fighting against racism, because all together we are stronger. “We stand here today to salute the United Nations Organization and its Member States, both singly and collectively, for joining forces with the masses of our people in a common struggle that has brought about our emancipation and pushed back the frontiers of racism”, Nelson Mandela.

IRIA TORRES GUTIERREZ AND JESÚS ROSADO VÁZQUEZ

Iria and Jesús are a Spanish volunteer in Praxis organisation involved in the Nelson Mandela International Day.
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WHAT IS WORLD POPULATION DAY ABOUT ?

23/7/2021

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Statement: world population is exploding
The World Population Day is a global annual recurrence set for the 11th of July established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations in 1989. The ONU General Assembly made it official in December 1990 by resolution 45/216. The idea of inaugurating a new celebration arises due to the World population reaching 5 billion people in 1987 and  the subsequent establishment of the Five Billion Day. Today the population exceeds 7 billions and it grows by about 100 million people every 14 months. The World Population is exploding, it has never grown so rapidly. According to statistics, it is expected to reach 9.7 billion people in 2050, and could reach 11 billion people around 2100.
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Reaction: creation of the world population day
The main objective of the recurrence is to raise people's awareness about several challenges affecting the population. The annual day focuses on health, gender equality, environment, development, human rights and importance of family planning. This Day highlights the issue of overpopulation and its consequences, such as environmental deterioration, as well.
The event represents an opportunity to enrich our knowledge on several topics and to reflect on progress achieved in the field of human rights. It is particularly relevant to the topic of woman status, especially in patriarchal states. However, questions regarding gender inequalities, lack of protection towards pregnant women, are crucial in more developed societies. Moreover, in the last year, women's status has been threatened by a new global challenge; the Covid-19 Pandemic. Restrictions implemented by national governments in order to contrast the Pandemic, have limited women's access to contraceptives and caused an increase in domestic violence perpetrated against women.
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An inducement to think our collective responsibility

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World Population Day is an opportunity to remember that we all share the same world. It’s about unity between mankind facing the same challenges. As said previously, overpopulation influences lack of food or drinkable water, deforestation, unemployment, lack of teachers, hygienic conditions, pollution, price rise, refugee crisis due to environmental issues, pandemics...It’s those challenges that the World Population Day aims to discuss.
However, acknowledging that we are one, nor that our world is not adapted to overpopulation, is not an end in itself. The World Population Day seeks to trigger debate on one of the several issues raised by overpopulation, so that everyone can take action in a specific field. This international day is about realizing that since we all face the same challenges, we all have interest in solving and preventing such crises. 

Every year, the United Nations decides to emphasize debate of one aspect of world population. In 2021, the theme was the impact of Covid-19 on fertility, and more generally on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive behaviour. We will now deepend the issues of refugees and the environment.
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What about me ?

In view of the above, increasing people’s consciousness about population issues is essential in order to promote sustainable development. Within this framework, young people play a key role, since they constitute the main means and resources to achieve a new development model. Every year, every day, people as individuals, organizations, make an effort in this regard. It is possible to make the difference, thus to protect our Planet its inhabitants throw individual collective small actions. Are you wondering what you could do to make the World a better place? First of all, increase your knowledge about the topic. Take advantage of the World Population Day to be more aware and informed about population issues. You may read articles on the internet, read books, listen to broadcasts, watch youtube videos, and so on. Once you have informed yourself, spread the world. After all, as already highlighted, the World Population Day is aimed to increase people's awareness on population issues and to make them reflect. Fighting against indifference, active citizenship are the most powerful available means we have.
The main question, still unresolved, is: Will we be able to ensure prosperity and development, and be sustainable at the same time? 
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CHLOÉ DAVAL AND VALERIA CANGELOSI

Chloé and Valeria are French and Italian volunteers in Praxis organisation involved in the World Population Day.
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How is the EU tackling youth unemployment?

15/7/2021

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The concept of youth may vary from one international organization to another but it cannot be denied that the youth are the most negatively affected population during the crisis periods.
As a matter of fact, during the financial crisis youth unemployment went up from 16% to 26% within the EU. The same goes for the COVID19 crisis, when the youth unemployment has increased from 15% to 17.8 %.
 
Although the decline of young people’s engagement in the labor market can be explained by a longer enrollment in education, it also shows deficiencies when it comes to tackling the NEET (not in education, employment or training) youth. Due to the Covid19 outbreak the share of NEET within the EU rose from 12.6% in 2019 (the lowest in 10 years) to 13.7% in 2020. In addition, half of the young workers are informally employed which makes the youth one of the most precarious age groups. 
 
In order to face this situation, the EU has developed different strategies that will be explored in this article. 
 
The first one is the Next Generation EU, a temporary instrument designed to support the recovery. Next Generation EU is the largest stimulus package ever financed in Europe. It has the youth at its heart with more than 22 billion euros to support youth employment. 
 
On the other hand, the Youth Employment Support Package was launched in 2013 for the first time. Through this package, the Youth Guarantee ensures that all young people up to the age of 25 receive a good quality job offer, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed. To meet the social demands following the latest events some changes have been added to this program: 
 
-       The targeted age group is from 24–29-year-olds.
 
-       There is a widening of the outreach to more vulnerable youth groups, such as racial and ethnic minorities and the disabled.
 
-       Ensures better matching the needs of companies with the right skill sets.
 
-       Provide tailored guidance and mentoring.
 
 
The EU has as well set up the European Skills Agenda, a five years plan to help individuals and businesses. This Agenda focuses on skills for jobs by partnering up with Member States by using the EU budget as a catalyzer to unlatch public and private investment in people’s skills.  It also builds a clear strategy to ensure that skills lead to employment. The goals set through this Agenda are ambitious and will be monitored semesterly with existing indicators. 
It can therefore be stated that the EU has not left behind its youth, even though these numerous initiatives are still perfective, the youth is at the heart of the EU policies.
As Ursula von der Leyen declared “Young Europeans deserve opportunities”, it seems that the third largest economy in the world steps into the future with hope and determination.

Julia Aguilar Cabello and Ana Rojo Sánchez

Julia and Ana are a Spanish volunteer in Praxis organisation involved in the Youth Skills International Day.
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