Preparations are going in full swing at Harmony: the Centenary Youth Village for the celebration of International Youth Day tomorrow. Every year, 12th August is designated by UN as International Youth Day and this year, the day will be observed on the theme “Youth and Mental Health” under the slogan “Mental Health Matters”. In Thimphu, the Youth Center Division, Dept. of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education is coordinating the event as usual. In keeping with the theme, the focus of the celebration is on educating our youth on the importance of mental health and mental health issues since people with mental health conditions are more likely to face social exclusions and stigma. The occasion will be graced by Hon’ble Dasho Neten Zangmo, Chairperson of Anti-Corruption Commission. The programme shall officially kick off at 09:30 AM and will continue till 12:30 pm. The programme consists of a youth panel discussion moderated by Namgay Zam, who was working with BBSC before, a skit by youth volunteers and presentation of the survey on mental health among youth in Thimphu undertaken by youth volunteers. In total, about 200 youth will be participating in the morning programme.
In the afternoon from 02:00 – 05:00, we have several interesting activities for young people in general and any youth can take part in the activities. We have different stalls by different youth groups, each providing different recreational and educational activities including interactive games, movie screening, music and dance, etc. So, we welcome all interested young people to be part of the afternoon programme.
Wish you a very happy International Youth Day 2014!
Nazhoentewa, the Youth Center of Bhutan! 