Local youth advocates participate in global youth-powered webinar

The Global Health Ad- vocacy Incubator (GHAI) and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids recently hosted their very first youth-powered webinar entitled “Rising in their Power - A Showcase of young leaders changing policies around the globe”.
Danielle Walwyn, Advocacy Officer at the HCC (GHAI Childhood Obesity Project), and Mr. Pierre Cooke Jr., HCCs Youth Technical Advisor participated in the pan- el, alongside Margianta Surahman Juhanda Dinata, Founding member of Indonesian Youth Council for Tobacco Control and Consultant for UNICEF HQ’s glob- al health programme to promote NCDs prevention among youth; and Sanele Zulu, Convenor of the South African To- bacco Free Youth Forum. The webinar was moderated by Ms. Lisa Lu, the CEO of International Youth Tobacco Control and CTFK 2020 Youth Advocate of the Year Award Recipient.
This webinar created a space for youth advocates to share their personal experiences in leading public health advocacy campaigns and on best practices for meaningful youth engagement. They also shared why building the advocacy capacity of youth and youth-serv- ing organizations is key to community success as well as successful youth campaigns for policy change in tobacco control and food policy.
In a news roundup release, the HCC noted that Danielle’s contributions targeted the allies persons in the private, public, and civil society sectors who may be interested in strengthening their engagement with young people and amplifying their voices. She shared lessons learned from the HCC experience, including ways in which the organisation has recruited and engaged young people through technical advisory roles, jobs, internships and consultatory positions. She emphasized HCCs value for young people’s perspective and vision and how they have meaningfully contributed to numerous NCD prevention and control events, regional guiding documents, and policy advocacy cam- paigns. Danielle shared her personal value for the HCCs mentorship, and provision of leadership, networking and capacity building opportunities for young people.
Pierre’s remarks highlighted the importance of a rights-based approach as a central pillar to advocacy work, as it undeniably justifies why barriers  to health, education, health care services, physical activity need to be removed.
“We should not have to beg for health or beg for medicines or beg the government to protect us from predatory marketing. Governments must do this because it is a responsibility, and it is our right,” he stated.
Pierre also emphasized young people’s right to health and their right to be engaged in policy making spaces. In fact, he stated that young people’s contributions are critical now more than ever given that “the world you lived in is not the world we live in in fact our world is exploding”.
All of the panelists highlighted the need for youth and allies across sectors to be involved in policy advocacy . The HCC has meanwhile congratulated the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids as well as the panelists, on a successful webinar. (RSM)