International Youth Day and European Year of Youth 2022

International Youth Day is being celebrated worldwide and across Europe today on 12 August 2022.

It is important to consider mobility options that allow young people - and others to move sustainably and to ensure our cities include youth in sustainable transport choices.

Most young Europeans are very motivated to travel in a sustainable manner, but barriers - such as needing to own a credit card to access city bikes, reliability of services or the cost of longer train journeys - may prevent them from doing so.

As young people are an essential part of building a sustainable future, the European Commission declared 2022 the European Year of Youth to shine a spotlight on young people's key role in creating a better future and a promising post-pandemic society, featuring the voices of the next generation at the forefront.

Teenagers, young adults and school children are an important part of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK's campaigns to promote sustainable urban mobility and encourage behavioural choices that favour active mobility - including walking or cycling - and clean, intelligent transport solutions. Innovative ideas and experiences stem from engaging with youth actors on transport and, for young adults in particular, transport is an essential part of their daily lives. But it is important to note that the tools, techniques and language used to communicate with people between the ages of 13 - 30 change significantly depending on the target audience’s age (e.g. teenagers vs. young adults). As local organisers and administrations, it is key to listen and engage with youth in order to improve sustainable urban mobility options. Five ways cities can better engage young people in urban mobility planning and campaigns can be found here. Some social media tips for creating a dialogue with youth actors can be found at the link here.

Mobility Week calls on towns and cities to include young people in their Sustainable Mobility activities. There is a lot to understand about the Mobility Week landscape, but if you're a young person looking to get more involved in the campaign and your local community too, then here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Get involved on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook to see the latest updates, activities and information about sustainable mobility in Europe!
2. Find your city on the national websites page and learn more about local initiatives in your area;
3. Check out the MOBILITYACTIONS page here to see if any organisations, NGOs or schools near you have participated in promoting sustainable mobility throughout the year;
4. Learn about past campaign activities and actions to get inspired!