by Lauren Galley, Youth Assembly Delegate; President, Girls Above Society
“Don’t build a good CV, build a story.” As a Youth Assembly Delegate, this quote by the United Nations Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, continues to resonate with me as the 2017 Winter Assembly comes to a close. Together, delegates from over 85 countries with a multitude of cultural backgrounds gathered together at the United Nations Headquarters, and the room was immediately filled with excitement. Regardless of our differences, we all shared an eagerness to express our voices, ideas, and solutions to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with an implementation goal by the year 2030. As each delegate travels back to their home countries, our roles have just begun… It’s time to build a story.
The SDGs, also known as Global Goals, build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and aim to go further to end all forms of poverty. The new goals are unique in that they call for action by all countries, poor, rich, and middle-income, to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.
My story began when I was 15 years old. I never imagined that my passion to create a non-profit organization and develop a curriculum that empowers girls to be confident and know their self-worth would one day align with SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Eliminating discrimination, violence, and harmful practices provides girls with opportunities such as education and leadership roles, as well as reproductive health rights and access to land and natural resources. When girls gain the skills that inspire them to lead, my story aligns with the goals of SDG 4 (Quality Education). Aaron Benavot, Director of the Global Education Monitoring Report, reminded us during the opening ceremony that in 2014, there were 61 million out-of-school children ages 6-11 years old, 61 million out-of-school adolescents ages 12-14 years old, and 143 million out-of-school youth of upper secondary ages 15-17 years old. A girl’s self-worth directly impacts her desire to learn and receive an education. Imagine if all girls had access to a secondary education, child marriage would drop by 64%.
Oftentimes we place focus on our individual goals, and in the process we lose sight of the details that make up our story. We forget to educate, inspire, and rally with others. These moments are the chapters of our story that affect us all on a global scale. Four simple words… How can I help? If every single human being added this action to their story, we would create a revolutionary movement of real change. A single person cannot change the world, but we can each change something that will make the world a better place.
What SDG do you align with? It’s time to build your story. When you contribute, inspire and educate, your CV will take care of itself and your story will resonate, making the world a better place for humankind.
This post is part of a series called #ActionBeginsWithYouth written by delegates of the 2017 Winter Youth Assembly at the United Nations, which was held on 1-3 February 2017. To see all posts in the series, click here.
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