On 9 March 2020, ESN gathered its members and partners for a day of collaboration around the theme ‘Youth engagement for social protection’. MGEN, the Social Protection department of ILO, Adosen, Latitude Jeunes, ESPER, EN3S, CEMEA-Haïti and Essentiel took part in the discussions.
On 9 March 2020, ESN gathered its members and partners for a day of collaboration around the theme ‘Youth engagement for social protection’. MGEN, the Social Protection department of ILO, Adosen, Latitude Jeunes, ESPER, EN3S, CEMEA-Haïti and Essentiel took part in the discussions.
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Born out of the aim to bring education and health actors around the same table, ESN gathers mutuals, education and research stakeholders, each with varied fields of expertise and work: health promotion, school health, community mobilisation, social protection, animation, research. The goal of this day was to share ESN members’ initiatives related to the creation of a culture of social protection and the mobilisation of the youth, and to collectively build an education to social protection project.
In opening, Victoria Giroud-Castiella contextualised the theme of the day by presenting the work of the Social Protection Department of the International Labour Office (ILO), by noting that:
- Progress in the extension of social protection in many parts of the world is undeniable, but the human right to social security is not yet a reality for a majority of the world’s population. In fact, only 45% of people are covered by at least one social security benefit. The remaining 55%, or 4 billion human beings, have absolutely no form of protection.
- The extension of social protection calls for political, technical and financial action. Experience shows that the countries that have been able to significantly expand social protection coverage have, in addition to the above-mentioned actions, developed and implemented programmes aimed at developing a culture of social protection. Efficient awareness-raising requires a joint action by political actors, social partners, beneficiaries and public officials.
- The Global Social Protection Week, held in Geneva from 25 to 28 November 2019 under the auspices of ILO, called for a set of actions to guarantee universal, comprehensive, adequate and sustainable social protection systems that provide adequate levels of benefits to all, including ‘Recognising the need to create and strengthen a culture of social protection throughout society as a whole to design and implement appropriate social protection policies as a way of sustaining the social contract, accelerating the achievement of social protection rights and enabling the emergence of a strong consensus around social policy reforms and the attainment of results.‘
The participants took part in ‘mutual group interviews’ workshops to share and pool their experiences, needs and issues surrounding youth mobilisation and health and social protection education. The subjects of interest identified by participants were:
- Tools to better understand the needs of young people and to involve them in the process
- Communication (channels and tools to communicate with all young people, communication campaigns on social media, outreach on social protection subjects)
- Assessment of the effects and impacts of the tools
Through different media and means (games, videos, festivals, educational programmes), ESN members and partners are mobilising the youth to participate in the creation of a culture of solidarity and social protection. After the presentations of their tools, participants identified some complementarities between their resources and activities and committed to relaying them in their networks. Themed working sessions will be organised in the near future.
