Press Release: Unlocking the Road to Safety: #ClaimingOurSpace and Raising our Voice – Youth Consultation 2023 

Young leaders from across the world have designed an exciting new activity to capture the voices of their peers. The Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety (GYC) has launched its latest online #ClaimingOurSpace campaign with the strapline “The Way We…”, a rallying call for young people to voice the way in which they currently navigate the world’s roads and cities as well as how they want it to change. Through an innovative new consultation, the GYC wants to know the way youth think about mobility, the way in which it needs to improve, and the way they envision combatting their leading killer road traffic crashes.

The GYC is a diverse organization that represents more than 1700 young people in more than 120 countries. These young leaders experience unsafe mobility on a daily basis. The GYC aims to understand the realities of youth in road safety to serve their nuanced needs better to influence policy on a local and global level in ways that reflect their experiences on the ground. This will be done through the Global Youth Consultation 2023 – a unique online survey that takes participants on a journey to capture their lived experiences when navigating the world’s roads.

CALL TO ACTION

The campaign, is initiated by the GYC and YOURS, in collaboration with UNICEF and 18 other organizations as dissemination partners. It is funded by the FIA Foundation and TotalEnergies under its TotalEnergies Foundation program, and emphasizes that youth engagement is not merely a checkbox but rather the driving force behind innovative solutions in road safety, inviting others to join in building a safer and more sustainable world alongside young leaders.

It invites young people aged 15-35 from anywhere in the world to take part in the Consultation by completing an interactive online survey to collate and gather unique insights that will help shape the GYC’s future work as well as formulate policy documents that will empower young leaders to demand and deliver change on a local level. Previous consultations by the GYC have led to key policy documents that have helped youth spearhead campaigns in the communities.

Raquel Barrios, YOURS Executive Director, said: “We know that road traffic crashes have been the leading killer of youth for over a decade. At YOURS, we assert that youth must be involved in the design, delivery, and review of road safety policies to tackle this scourge. The #ClaimingOurSpace campaign is a tangible example of how youth voices will be collected through innovative tools to inform better all those involved in hearing the youth’s voice. This consultation will once again represent a generation of youth opinions, and we will invite governments, decision-makers, and policymakers to integrate the outcome into road safety policy process systematically; our efforts of building intergenerational dialogue and reaching #50by30 .”

Collaborating partner UNICEF noted, “UNICEF believes that when young people contribute to social change, entire communities benefit. Young people have the right to be heard and the right to influence matters that affect them – including rights to safer roads and journeys. The #ClaimOurSpace Campaign and Youth Consultation will attain views and inputs of young people worldwide that global leaders can prioritize as part of their strategies and commitments to #RethinkMobility, road safety, and the sustainable development goals.” said Joanne Vincenten, Global Lead, Child Injury Prevention, UNICEF New York. UNICEF is a collaborative partner in this campaign.

The valuable insights gathered through the consultation will be used to influence and advise global and local policymakers in strategies to #RethinkMobility. This effort will further call upon global leaders to install mechanisms that recognise the power of youth perspectives and their unique role in reshaping the mobility landscape.

Completing the Consultation is short and takes around 7 minutes. It uses interactive and brain-friendly methods that allow participants taking the Consultation to connect road safety with other developmental issues they observe and experience. Youth leaders who complete the Consultation will be challenged to see mobility in a different light, connecting the road safety issue with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Safe System Approach, and other key strategic global plans. Take the Consultation here.

The outcome of the consultation process will inform a set of Policy Change recommendations for policymakers that put the road safety needs of young people and other vulnerable road users at the forefront.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Consultation 2023: This is the third edition of the global youth consultations and features interactive and informative videos, infographics, and prompted and general questions to gather youth insights on road safety. This campaign and the consultation process challenge us to envision a world where road safety is a shared responsibility, where mobility is accessible to all, and where our transportation systems are more sustainable, efficient, and green.

About Road Safety & Sustainable Mobility: Road traffic crashes are the leading killer of youth aged 5-29. YOURS – Youth for Road Safety and other stakeholders are working to ensure this is the last generation facing road traffic injuries (RTIs) as their #1 global public health threat. Youth have been demanding and delivering road safety and sustainable mobility through campaigns, advocacy actions to influence policies, capacity development, intergenerational collaboration, and other meaningful youth engagement tactics.

For media inquiries:
Contact: John Mwikwabe, Sr. Project Manager, YOURS
Email: john@youthforroadsafety.org CC. coalition@youthforroadsafety.org

PARTNERS BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN

 Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety: The Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety is a global network of young people and youth organisations dedicated to promoting road safety and advocating for safe mobility. The coalition works tirelessly to ensure that young people have a voice in shaping road safety policies and initiatives worldwide. https://www.claimingourspace.org

YOURS-Youth for Road Safety: YOURS-Youth for Road Safety is a global organisation that focuses on empowering young people to lead and deliver action on road safety. Through education, advocacy, and engagement, YOURS seeks to reduce the impact of road traffic crashes on young people. www.youthforroadsafety.org

UNICEF: UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a leading global organisation dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights and well-being of children worldwide. UNICEF works in over 190 countries to ensure that every child has a safe and healthy childhood. www.unicef.org

FIA Foundation: The FIA Foundation is an independent UK registered charity which supports an international program of activities promoting safe roads, clean air, and climate action. www.fiafoundation.org

About TotalEnergies: TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Its more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable, and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in nearly 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. www.totalenergies.com

TotalEnergies Foundation program: The TotalEnergies Foundation program brings together the public-interest initiatives carried out every day worldwide by TotalEnergies and its affiliates. Through the program, TotalEnergies aims to contribute to the vitality of its host communities and regions, with a special focus on young people. The Company works alongside partners in four priority areas: Inclusion & Education; Road Safety; Climate, Coastal Areas & Oceans; and Cultural Dialogue & Heritage. It also mobilizes its employees by giving them the opportunity to devote up to three days of their working time each year to public-interest initiatives. TotalEnergies Foundation hence contributes to the Company’s citizenship engagement. https://fondation.totalenergies.com/

Dissemination Partners: United Nations Special Envoy for Road Safety, UN Road Safety Fund, AIP Foundation, Global Road Safety Partnership, International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST), Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, International Road Federation (IRF), Youth Art Movement Uganda (YAMU), Indian Road Safety Campaign, Traffic Reforms and Advocacy Experts (TRAX) Road Safety NGO India, The NADA Foundation for Safer Egyptians Roads (NADA), UZIMA ARI UGANDA, GREENLIGHT Initiative, National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS), Star Rating for Schools, and Road Safety Pioneers (RSP).