Cheers to Week Two, Youth, and the Future!

On Monday Kelly, Jennifer, and I had the opportunity to begin our week at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference. After an introductory tour of the stadium conference center, we found a place to sit down, discuss the week's agenda, and plan our schedule for the day. After reviewing our overwhelmingly exciting and seemingly endless list of options, a side event entitled "Green and Decent Jobs for Youth - Building Synergies between Climate and Employment Policies" caught our attention. This side event was the perfect introduction to the conference for me, because it was exciting, explained possible solutions to a problem we face everyday, and left an overall hopeful feeling in the air. 

The panel of 5 included the host Anabella Rosemberg, with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Dave Foster, Executive Director of the Blue-Green Alliance,  from the United States, two young people representing the youth perspective, and a member of the European Union Trade Union Corporation.  They discussed the concept of economic transfer to greener work places by those who are currently unemployed. These job opportunities would give them decent pay and the all the benefits that come from better quality jobs.  It all seemed so simple; give unemployed youth jobs that integrate greener technology and ensure economic growth in a low carbon economy. Programs like European Youth Guarantee and Green Skills Partnerships are leading the way in providing youth employment in jobs that use sustainable practices. If employers worldwide were able to follow the lead of these organizations and other programs with similar missions to link a sustainable agenda with youth employment, not only could we create a greener future for future generations, but also a better standard of living for the people here today. 

Greener jobs for youth will educate these otherwise unemployed young people to further understand climate change, while supporting and giving opportunities to youth who would otherwise not be able to find decent service jobs. This inspiring side event only grew my excitement for the rest of the events and meetings I will attend this week, and the diverse knowledge I will gain about a diverse topic that gives purpose to this entire conference.