On August 22, I had the privilege of attending the 67th UN DPI/NGO Conference held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Though I passed by it many times, I had never been in the building, and I was excited to experience the large conference rooms — complete with translating, multi-lingual earpieces — and to witness the diverse attendants merge their goals.
Over the past several years, youth involvement has become more of a focus at the UN. The energy and optimism emanating from young people can be incredibly inspiring, and it will be needed to help fulfill the impressive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the UN has set out to achieve by 2030. This year’s UN DPI/NGO Conference put an even greater emphasis on youth participants, three of whom especially impressed me.
First, at the Opening Plenary, was Kehkashan Basu, the Youth Ambassador for the World Future Council. At eighteen, she has done more to advocate and mobilize others in achieving sustainable goals than many will in their lifetimes. She spoke with conviction, and after her remarkable speech, those around me turned to each other with admiration. From the Japanese official sitting in front of me, to the woman listening through her translator earpiece in French, the message was clear and decisive: we need to take action.
Next, at Roundtable IV: Youth, Today’s Leaders, was Alexandria Bramel, a high school student who has worked with students in Ohio and Korea to create Jee Foods, a nonprofit that collects food and distributes it to those in need. Alexandria spoke on a panel dedicated to inspiring other youth to achieve their goals. This small group of students, with the sponsorship of Samsung, were tasked with developing solutions for SDGs geared toward no poverty and no hunger. Through collaborative efforts, the group was able to get their organization off the ground within their local community.
Nancy A. Henkin, founder of the Intergenerational Center at Temple University and senior fellow at Generations United, also spoke at Round Table IV. She shared the impressive results her organization has seen from intergenerational collaboration, and she spoke of the importance of programs geared toward bringing groups together. Common goals can be used to bridge the gap between groups, and the diverse skill sets brought to the table can then be used to achieve those same goals.
As I listened to these speakers, it occurred to me that this is also a challenge and call to action for the Women’s National Book Association. Our membership is so varied in age, but our commonality is our love of reading, writing, and books. Working together we really can make a big difference in our communities. You can see this opportunity in our annual book wrapping party, where we partner with the CBC and YPG, to supply books to the under-served. Together we can work together toward common goals.
As we move into this upcoming year, I challenge our members to take a look at the SDGs and consider how we can work together with others in the organization to help make #agenda2030 a reality.
Written by Christine Sikule
Member, NYC Chapter; National Treasurer, WNBA
All photographs by Christine Sikule.
