Raahgiri Day through the experience of a youth delegate
Written by: Deepanshu Gupta, Ritu Jain, Pankhuri Jain, Anjalai Tripathi, and Pradeep Patange
The 1.8 Billion Campaign is making waves as the largest-ever gathering for adolescent well-being, building on the reality of youth empowerment and inclusion gaining increased recognition around the world.
“By raising awareness and advocating for the inclusion of youth voices in decision-making processes, we can bring meaningful change.” With this statement, we joined the 1.8B team in raising their voices about the power and abilities of young people.
We were gathered at Central Delhi, Chandni Chowk, India amidst an open public place on 18th June 2023 for Raahgiri Day. The entire event was coordinated by the FIA Foundation and Raahigiri Foundation.
Raahgiri Day marked a continuation of how young leaders are stepping up to assert themselves and assume responsibility for instigating change. We were thrilled to meet exceptional youth leaders from all over the world who joined us at the same place for the same cause and to showcase the power, aspirations, and knowledge of young people to a global audience.
The Raahgiri Day event was a straightforward one. Everyone who was there understood that it was about promoting active and sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling. True to the theme of the event, the area, and the stage were easily accessible to people around the area. In fact, anyone walking along the road would be able to feel like they were attending the event.
There were different activities planned, all with a very diverse range of elements around mobility. However different, all the activities were designed to help citizens recognize the significance of road safety. Through the events, participants and even bystanders were encouraged to contribute to bettering mobility for people in India and around the world.
All the elements of Raahgiri Day and the 1.8 Billion Young People Making a Change Campaign were specially created to spread the message of safe and sustainable mobility through the eyes of young people. It showed a united approach towards building streets for life with cleaner, greener, and healthier cities.
“Raahgiri Day marked a continuation of how young leaders are stepping up to assert themselves and assume responsibility for instigating change.” - Anjali Tripathi
The 1.8B Campaign launched during Raahgiri Day marks the beginning of different campaigns for the G-20 Summit, an intergovernmental forum that is set to address major economic issues around the world.
The 1.8B Campaign showcased the theme of G-20 which is ‘One earth, one family, one future’. Young people around the world joined the program offline by traveling all the way from different nations and standing together for a common cause. It was a clear message to global leaders that young people are very much concerned about global issues like global adolescent health and well-being, youth empowerment, road safety, and sustainability.
“We could witness the roar among the youth of diversified cultures, religions, and backgrounds but standing firm for a common cause and eliminating all the differences. ”
