Media Takeover: our youth leaders support the UNRSF in #Moments2Life4 wrap-up

On World Youth Skills Day last July 15, the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) wrapped up the first edition of its #Moments2Live4 campaign. The campaign highlights the value of life by encouraging the importance of road safety and sustainable mobility. It puts into focus the reality of people dying every day on the world’s roads. 

The wrap-up shed the light on how young people are affected and was specially designed to equip young people with the skills necessary to disrupt the road safety crisis “so that young people everywhere can enjoy their best moments2live4”. 

Two of our youth leadership board members, Estiara Ellizar (Indonesia) and Oliva Nalwadda (Uganda), took over the UNRSF’s official Instagram account on July 15 to highlight youth experiences in road safety.

Estiara and Oliva shared their thoughts on road safety and why its important to have youth in the process of addressing issues around it. Asked about what road safety means in #Moments2Live4, Estiara shares that road safety means saving lives. “I’m not a doctor but a young woman engineer - but here we are, working together to ensure that everyone has equal rights to access jobs, education, and most importantly - going home safe” 

Asked the same question, Oliva answered “Road safety means a chance at a future and a chance for me to realize my dreams such as going back to school and changing the world.”

During the takeover, our youth leaders also shared the role of young people in helping ensure that everyone can also experience their own moments. Estiara shares that it is important to utilize youth advocacy skills such as creative thinking to promote road safety and raise awareness around it. 

Oliva encouraged everyone to empower youth, pointing out that “empowered road users make for safe road users”. She explains that equipping youth with skills, we are changing the narrative of youth as victims. “Instead of blaming them, we are making sure that they make informed decisions, they are empowered, and that they are part of the solution”. 

To wrap up the takeover, the youth champions called on youth leaders to involve youth and to put road safety higher on the global agenda. They also encouraged young people to take action and start where they can, emphasizing that youth have the power to change the world. 

As of this month, the #Moments2Live4 campaign has reached over 10 million people on social media. UNRSF names High profile champions of the campaign, including Jean Todt, UN Special Envoy for Road Safety; Michelle Yeoh, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and actor; Yohan Blake, Jamaican sprinter and world-record holder; Mick Schumacher, internationally renowned German F1 racing driver; Wayde Van Niekerk, South African sprinter and world-record holder, as well as Charles Leclerc, internationally renowned Monacan F1 racing driver.