The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2021 is resilience and creativity of youth throughout the crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on young people and their response to the crisis. Although the pandemic has had many negative effects throughout the world, it has also been a great example of young people taking action to bring up important messages of hope, resilience, creativity, and support.
One challenge at a time
Unesco.org looks at Samaa (17), a young painter and activist from Iraq, who seized the opportunity and harnessed the power of creativity and digital technology during the pandemic.
Despite the challenges that Samaa has faced throughout her life (such as not being able to walk or be mobile), she has found the strength to inspire others. She believes that her volunteer art project will help the youth and change their thinking to be more connected and inclusive, creating more opportunities and addressing social change.
Together we face Corona
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, she had founded a volunteering network called “Life just like a palette” to support young talents and their artworks through workshops and exhibitions. Due to the restrictive measures undertaken to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the community, recreational activities, particularly exhibitions, had to find new ways to interact with creators and visitors. Therefore, she decided to apply her organisational, digital and design skills to create an online exhibition titled “Together we face Corona.”
“By setting up the “Together We Face Corona” exhibition, we try to link human values with art, education, and creativity, helping young people to build a positive mindset, highlighting the importance of will, attempt and positive thinking in making a better life, and emphasizing on the values of human rights, love, hope, tolerance and cooperation, as well as calling for standing together against extremism and discrimination.”
In the uncertain times of the crisis, where all the familiar things have acquired a new reading, the “Together we face Corona” exhibition gave a unique opportunity for young artists to share their ideas and opinions not only about the COVID-19 crisis, but also regarding the shape of the future, introducing them as torchbearers for peace, resilience, and support.
Source: www.unesco.org
