The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, today issued the following statement to mark International Youth Day:
"On International Youth Day, we celebrate the vibrant energy, creativity and resilience of young people in communities across Canada. The power of youth knows no bounds-it's a force for positive change, innovation and progress.
This year's theme, 'Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World,' is an opportunity to reflect on the many ways in which young people are working to build a greener future. To build a strong future for everyone, we need to find ways to shift towards a net-zero economy and create jobs that are contributing to sustainable development goals.
Our government is doing just that.
Through the Canada Service Corps, we are connecting youth with volunteer opportunities to help them develop the skills necessary to succeed in the green economy.
The Student Work Placement Program is helping post-secondary students develop new skills in all sectors, including the green economy, where they can gain hands-on experience.
With the Canada Summer Jobs program, we are providing more than 70,000 job placements for young people across Canada this year, including placements in the environmental sector.
On this day, we also reaffirm our commitment to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including our goals to combat climate change, build safe and sustainable communities and ensure responsible consumption and production patterns.
Every time I have the chance to meet with young Canadians who have taken advantage of these programs, I see just how excited they are about our collective future-a future that refuses to accept the status quo, and one that is focused on creating a more sustainable world for everyone."
