AACC’s International Youth Day Celebrations Focus on Ending SGBV
Every 12th day of August, the world observes the International Youth Day (IYD), celebrating the role of young people in driving sustainable development across the globe. This year, the theme is “local youth actions for Sustainable Development Goals and beyond”.
In Africa, this celebration takes on a unique dimension as young leaders rise to confront one of the continent’s most persistent challenges—Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Through the Churches Campaign against SGBV in Africa, twenty-eight All Africa Youth Network members are leading local events and campaigns mobilizing fellow youths in 12 African countries to shun all forms of SGBV, embrace transformative masculinities and femininities and work for gender equality and justice in their pursuit for a peaceful and secure Africa.
“Since the Churches Campaign Against SGBV was launched at AACC’s 12th General Assembly in Abuja, Nigeria in 2023, the All Africa Youth Network decided to begin celebrating and commemorating international and continental significant days in ways that mobilize and empower young people in our constituencies to work for an end to SGBV in Africa.” Noted Rev. Stanley Toddison of the Presbyterian Church in Ghana, Chairperson for the Technical Work Group spearheading AACC’s Campaign against SGBV in Africa.
“For this year’s international youth day, we are celebrating through 14 events and activities involving the use of digital advocacy, creative arts, and community engagement to challenge harmful gender norms and stereotypes, creating awareness on Tech-facilitated GBV, and emphasizing the significant role of Gender Justice and equality in achieving sustainable development.” He added.
All the fourteen events celebrating the 2025 IYD feature AACC’s rallying call, “Let Love Lead: End GBV Now” and they include focus group discussions and Contextual Bible Studies at church premises in Namibia and Mozambique, outreaches to immigrant communities in Morroco, schools, tertiary institutions, and other community centers in Tanzania, Music, poetry and other creative art shows in Kenya among others.
In all these activities, the youth leaders will use the pledge of commitment against SGBV developed by the All Africa Youth Network in March 2024 to lead participants in expressing their commitment to shunning all forms of Violence and advocate for a peaceful and secure world that is free from all forms of SGBV.
In the photo: Youth leaders of the Evangelical Church, Morrocco during their National Gathering in August 2024.
