Coalition Members Talk about Sustainable Transport during the IRF Summit

To keep youth leaders connected and engaged, the International Road Federation (IRF) collaborated with YOURS – Youth for Road Safety to host a Young Professionals Summit. The summit featured different road safety leaders to discuss issues on safe roads and sustainable mobility. 

Included in the summit was a YOURS Panel where members of the Global Youth Coalition spoke about sustainable transport, employability, and young involvement. 

The panel was moderated by Coalition Youth Advisory Board Member, Maolin Macatangay. The speakers include; Alison Collard de Beaufort, Founder and Executive Director of the Youth Vision Zero Council or YVZC; Bashiru Mansaray, Founder of Open Space Corporation or OS Corp.; and Tumwine Hosea, Community Development Officer of the Resilient Women’s Organization. 

The panelists talked about how continuing work despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic. All have agreed that the internet and social media are useful tools to reach and connect with young people. Online communication helps raise awareness on different advocacies and allows more young people to get involved. 

Bashiru, who created OS Corp to stay employed and help struggling youth by providing them with work, helps groups and organizations create online spaces where they can work and communicate with ease. 

From the panel, it is clear that the “remote model” continuously helps young people work on projects around road safety, women empowerment, and employment. 

Apart from how the global pandemic has affected the interaction between friends, family, and co-workers, Alison sees it as an opportunity to assess conditions surrounding safe roads and sustainable mobility. The pandemic has seen a shift in how people travel and how public transport has accommodated their needs. 

The VZYC works on reducing traffic deaths and injuries to zero through its street safety program. One of the most important topics under the street safety program is on pushing for sustainable mobility for vulnerable road users. 

Photo: Harini Nagendra

During the panel discussion, it became clear that road safety and sustainable mobility is not just limited to transportation. Bashiru and Tumwine share how unpaved and unsafe roads limit people’s access to basic needs like food, medicine, education, and more. People who live in villages are cut off from the city because traveling is dangerous and transportation is limited. 

Even in the middle of the global pandemic, youth continue to work on advocacies and projects that contribute to the achievement of the global goals. Youth have the capacity and resources to energize global development efforts.

Be a part of the change and claim your space! Join the Global Youth Coalition to connect with passionate young leaders and contribute to local and global road safety efforts.