Youth

Ever since Korea was rocked by former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 25-year-old Yu Seul-gi’s life has gone in an unexpected direction.

Yu joined the Korean Graduate Employee Union, a chapter of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, in early January. Now she’s preparing to set up a local union shop at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, better known as KAIST.

While Yu has been in her combined master’s and doctoral program for five years now, she hadn’t planned on joining the union last year. But her experience as a protestor changed her mind.

Yu frequently joined demonstrations at Eunhasu Intersection, in Daejeon’s Seo District, to voice her support for Yoon’s impeachment. Those demonstrations were a vibrant forum where Koreans of all stripes swapped their viewpoints.

“I guess it was hearing all these different people’s stories that made me realize that many people who work in our society aren’t recognized as laborers. Listening to speeches by homemakers helped me see that domestic laborers aren’t generally seen as laborers. I saw joining a labor union as something I could do, right now, to ensure our society gives diverse kinds of labor the recognition they deserve,” Yu said.

Many graduate students in Korea work as researchers, but fall through the cracks of labor rights because of their status as students.

Read here the full article published by Hankyoreh on 9 of April 2025.

Image by Hankyoreh

Young people’s urban lives are often riddled with inequalities and everyday obstacles inhibiting their full societal participation, to negatively affect their health and wellbeing. Findings from a study in intermediary cities in six countries show that programming interventions that support adolescents contain much tacit knowledge in on how inequity and exclusion challenges may be overcome, that is worth sharing. Yet, these initiatives also face and must strategically respond.

“Support us and include us in intergovernmental processes,” said Ema Meçaj, a medical student and member of Albania’s youth steering committee, who was among young men and women panellists from around the world at an interactive dialogue at the 69th session of world’s largest annual conference on women (CSW69), which runs from 10 to 21 March.

In tackling gender-based violence and poverty, prevention is key alongside inclusion, Ms. Meçaj said, emphasising that efforts must centre on reaching the most vulnerable and recommending the establishment of a holistic approach to existing international commitments for gender equality.

Driving towards equality

The dialogue rounded up a busy first week, with thousands of delegates from around the world seeing the adoption of a landmark declaration on Monday as they continue to take stock of the rights of women and girls and identify challenges and paths forward to realise gender equality while gauging progress on the historical 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.

During the afternoon dialogue, youth leaders from Canada, Nepal, Nigeria and Panama identified challenges and proposed concrete solutions to pressing issues, from violence against women to equality for all, including Indigenous Peoples and women and girls with disabilities.

They also described what the Beijing Platform for Action meant for them, from a blueprint for equal rights to a “cry of resistance”.

Read here the full article published by the UN News on 14 March 2025.

The Women and Youth Democratic Engagement (WYDE) Women’s Leadership Initiative convened a Southern African Young Women´s Empowerment Academy in Malawi between 11 to 13 February 2025. The Academy focused on promoting additional empowerment strategies for young women to politicians from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

The Minister of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, honourable Jean Muonaouza Sendeza opened the Southern Africa Academy for Young Women’s Empowerment. She emphasized that the initiative did not just represent an event but a transformative journey that will shape the future of the region. Through such interventions young women will be able to claim their rightful place in shaping policies that govern us all. By investing in its greatest asset, the potential of its young women together we can build a more inclusive society’. She further thanked the European Union, International IDEA and other WYDE partners for their support in making such an initiative possible.

Michele Crimella, Team Leader for Social Sectors, European Union and Fatma Mohamed Abdelkarim from UN Women Malawi also gave remarks, expressing their support and continued commitment for the young women politicians in their political leadership journey. The European Union Ambassador to Malawi H.E Rune Skinnebach, also attended the event and expressed support to the young women politicians urging them to take gender equality as moral duty and a matter of social justice. 

This training of a diverse group engaged participants in discussing strategies to transform traditionally patriarchal political structures into gender-balanced ones. Through the Access=Participation & Representation=Transformation approach, this academy for young women’s empowerment focused on discussing key themes related to gender inclusive political participation. Through capacity development exercises, knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning participants were able to engage with deep-rooted narratives surrounding patriarchal social norms, build networks of building and solidarity and be active advocates for transformative social change. Participants throughout the academy were asked to develop and polish their personal development plans based on the discussions throughout the three days. 

MANGWE Rural District Council proportional representation Councillor Simphiwe Vuyelwa Mguni is among the Zimbabwean representatives attending the Southern Africa Academy for Young Women’s Empowerment in Malawi.

The event, which brings together 30 participants from South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Namibia, aims to enhance young women’s leadership and political engagement. Cllr Mguni is representing Zimbabwe alongside Ms Anna Sande and Mrs Tendai Chatikobo.

Her participation marks a major milestone, particularly as she represents a rural community under the Government’s 30 percent women’s quota system at the local government level, which was implemented during the 2023 harmonised elections.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), in collaboration with UN Women, is hosting the three-day event, which began on Tuesday and concludes tomorrow.

Read here the full article published by The Chronicle on 12 February 2025.

Image by The Chronicle