Our #ClaimingOurSpace campaign has officially wrapped

Our three-phase #ClaimingOurSpace campaign has officially ended. In April this year, we launched our second art campaign which focuses on capturing youth voices in road safety on why they should be meaningfully engaged in road safety policymaking and decision-making processes. The campaign put a particular focus on using art and other creative mediums to express and present the ideas of youth. 

The process ran for half of the year. It gathered the voices of youth from all over the world and culminated in its delivery at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Road Safety (UN HLM) in New York from June 30 to July 1.

The campaign was held in six countries; Argentina, Brazil, India, Jordan, Nigeria, and South Africa. More than 18 local organizations supported the campaign's development, promotion, and implementation - as a result, we were able to gather the voices and ideas of over 300 young people from 49 different countries globally. 

The artists from the six countries went through an art residency on road safety so that they were equipped with the resources necessary to create and deliver art pieces that highlight the fact that youth need to be included in designing and implementing solutions for road safety and that policymakers and decision-makers need to start meaningfully involving youth in these processes. 

The artists based their pieces on phase one of the campaign where youth around the world were invited to submit power poses that showed that they were claiming their space. The art pieces were then showcased through a global art exhibition launched during the High-Level Meeting on Road Safety at the UN Headquarters.

For the High-Level Meeting, we were able to bring four youth delegates to represent us. These delegates supported hosting our official side event “Stop Blaming Us & Start Engaging Us”. During the event, our youth delegates spoke about their experiences with policymakers when it comes to road safety and sustainable mobility. This was done through an intergenerational dialogue attended by leaders from different parts of the world. 

Our participation at the High-Level Meeting concluded with the presentation of our now-released Policymakers’ Toolkit; a document that will guide policymakers and decision-makers on meaningfully engaging and involving young people. 

Our Toolkit highlights that meaningful youth participation happens when youth experiences, ideas, expertise, and perspectives are integrated into institutions that support the development and implementation of programs, policies, and decision-making efforts.

The #ClaimingOurSpace campaign was supported by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Create2030, art curation by Lisa Russell, and financial support from TotalEnergies Foundation.