International Youth Day is celebrated annually on 12th August. The theme for 2021’s International Youth Day is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health.” In celebrating, the United Nations hopes to remind us that it is only possible to achieve a significant change in human and planetary health with the essential involvement of our young people.
As well as transforming our food systems by producing food sustainably, it is clear that to ensure the improvement of human and planetary wellbeing we must address a variety of social and environmental challenges. These were highlighted in the UN’s 2030 Agenda as being poverty reduction; social inclusion; health care; biodiversity conservation; and climate change mitigation. By including these challenges in our efforts to transform food systems, we can work towards a healthier planet and better lives for us all.
Take a look at the United Nations page on International Youth Day.
Get empowered to create meaningful change this International Youth Day by reading these books!
Poverty Reduction
- Poverty and Hunger by Alice Harman, illustrated by Mimi Butler
Social Inclusion
- Some Brains: A Book Celebrating Neurodiversity by Nelly Thomas, illustrated by Cat MacInnes
- Culture & Diversity by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw, illustrated by David Broadbent
Health Care
- Looking After your Mental Health by Alice James & Louie Stowell; illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff and Freya Harrison
Biodiversity Conservation
- Wonder Earth: Exploring our Living Home by Zanni Louise and Tiff Bollhorn, illustrated by Sophy Louise Smith
Climate Change Mitigation
- Climate Change and How We’ll Fix It by Alice Harman, illustrated by Andrés Lozano