YOURS to run Youth in Motion Workshop at Forum 2012, South Africa

YOURS to run Youth in Motion Workshop at Forum 2012, South Africa

by | Nov 22, 2023 | News & Blog

Forum 2012 which is to be held on 24-26 April 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa, is the beginning of an exciting new series of the well-known and respected Global Forum for Health Research meeting. This particular meeting is themed, ‘Beyond A…id…Research and Innovations as key drivers for Health, Equity and Development’. YOURS Director, Mr Floor Lieshout will be attending the event and running a workshop entitled, ‘Youth in Motion’.

YOURS will help to run the Youth in Motion Workshop at Forum 2012

Youth in Motion: Using Research and Innovation for Change
Context

The new Global Forum for Health Research series (2012-2017) are year-round processes for ‘Change Makers’ moved by the need for research to bring about concrete change in people’s health. We gather key players once a year to discuss what changes were successfully made in the previous year, and what changes will be made in the coming year. The central objective is to contribute to making research, science, technology and innovation – in all sectors affecting health – work for health, equity and development in a measurable way by showcasing examples and best practices in the field.

What?
As part of the new Global Forum for Health Research, we are creating Youth in Motion: a platform/network specifically for young people. The objectives are to include the next generation of ‘Change Makers’ in discussions taking place at Forum 2012, and to create a long-standing youth network where cross-sector partnerships and ideas will be fostered and normalised, enhancing possibilities for social change.

The Youth in Motion network will provide settings, both physical and virtual, for future leaders from all sectors to exchange ideas on how to mobilize actions and efforts to achieve global equity in a world moving “beyond aid”. It aims to encourage them to engage with leaders in their field, form valuable partnerships across sectors, and make concrete plans for the future. We want young leaders to be given a voice to ensure their impact on their future: the world’s future.

How?
Youth in Motion will:

  • Provide an international platform for young voices to be heard by today’s leaders and change-makers
  • Create a space for like-minded youths to come together, form partnerships and build long-standing networks for concrete change
  • Capture the thoughts and ideas of the next generation on moving “beyond aid”
  • Begin “improbable partnerships”by grouping young leaders from a variety of sectors with the aim of fostering and normalizing such partnerships.
  • Create an online innovation hub where these young leaders can expand on their ideas and implement their projects together
  • Provide young leaders with a chance to exchange, discuss with and learn from the experiences of today’s leaders and change-makers.

Who?
This initiative aims to bring together young leaders, 35 years of age and under, from all sectors who have an impact on health and development and a capacity to work towards a world beyond aid. This includes policy-makers, researchers, social entrepreneurs and innovators, business, media, government and civil society representatives.

Director of YOURS, Mr Floor Lieshout will help facilitate the youth in motion session and said, ‘This workshop will bring attention to the global road safety crisis facing young people and bring this cause to the table’.

New anti-texting while driving law comes into force today in USA State

New anti-texting while driving law comes into force today in USA State

by | Nov 22, 2023 | News & Blog

A new state law in Pennsylvania has come into force today which required drivers to pull over and stop if they wish to use text-based communications on mobile devices. The new law covers the use of phones, computers and other devices to send emails, texts or other distracted behavours to curb the amount of people driving distracted and posing a serious threat to people around them.

It’s time to think twice before picking up that phone while driving. A texting while driving ban is now in effect in Pennsylvania. The ban begins today and breaking the law will cost you.

Next time that text or email alert sounds on your phone, and you are behind the wheel in Pennsylvania, think twice about sending a response. It could cost you.

“I know some people they kind of pride themselves on being able to text and drive without, making it look like that they can,” said Jordan Delogu.

The texting while driving ban went into effect today at 12:01 a.m. The bill makes it illegal for anyone to send, read or write text on their phones, PDA’s or computers. State police attribute 14,000 accidents in Pennsylvania, in 2010, to distracted driving, with almost 1,100 of those tied directly to cell phone usage.

In other countries, talking on a mobile phone while driving is already against the law., concentration while driving is paramount for safety.

“As soon as you look the other way, it’s that one second that you’re looking away that something can happen. It’s just way too dangerous,” said driver Sheri Riley.

“I think the public has wanted this for a long time,” said Representative Eugene DePasquale, (D) York.

The bill is simple, no more texting or emailing while driving. The law is a primary offense which means police officers can stop a driver for that offense alone. The fine is $50. The new law does not include the use of GPS or cell phone calls.

“We know that once it gets enforced and people start getting fined, we know they`ll stop doing it,” said DePasquale.

Studies show texting drivers are 163 times more likely to get into an unsafe incident while distracted. And while it will take some getting used to, most drivers say safety is paramount.

Many believe the texting while driving ban is the first step towards a complete ban of cell phone usage in the car. Nine states and the District of Columbia already have a ban on talking while driving. Some Pennsylvania lawmakers even say such legislation could be discussed during this session.

YOURS recently featured an article on the dangers of smartphones behind the wheel as published by the Institute of Advanced Motorists UK.

While the law in Pennsylvania bans texting while driving, YOURS believes in a full road safety system approach; appropriate laws, enforcement coupled with awareness of the issue for safer road user decisions will go some way in curbing the growing trend of distracted driving. In our previous article on the danger of smartphones behind the wheel, the Insitute of Advanced Motorists UK (IAM) found that using a phone for texting and emailing is more dangerous than drink driving!

YOURS urges young people to leave the phone alone behind the wheel as the risk of a road crash is heightened; as a demographic already vulnerable to road crashes, young people must be smarter behind the wheel to avoid putting their lives in unnecessary danger. In Canada, the ‘Leave the Phone Alone’ initiative which asked young people to take a pledge to drive safely and leave technology for times away from the wheel.

Young Canadians were asked to take a pledge to ‘Leave the Phone Alone’ back in 2010.

The World Health Organization issued a report last year which stated; It is now evident that if you are using a mobile phone while driving you are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than a driver who is not using a phone. This risk appears to be similar for both hand-held and hands-free phones, because it is the cognitive distraction that is an issue, not only the physical distraction associated with holding the phone. Text messaging appears to have an even more severe impact on driving behaviour and crash risk.

Along with avoiding technology behind the wheel, YOURS asks its members to take the Road Safety Commitment some simple steps to bolster our safety as young road users.

Using smartphones behind the wheel: more dangerous than drink driving!

Using smartphones behind the wheel: more dangerous than drink driving!

by | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

Using smartphones for social networking while driving is more dangerous than drink driving or being high on cannabis behind the wheel, according to research published by IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). Despite this, eight per cent of drivers admit to using smartphones for email and social networking while driving – equivalent to 3.5 million license holders in the UK alone.

 

iam logo

The IAM is the United Kingdom’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving, motorcycling and cycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 100,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving, motorcycling and cycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.

Smartphones and distractions are a real risk to drivers
Twenty-four per cent of 17-24 year old drivers – a group already at higher risk of being in a crash – admit to using smartphones for email and social networking while driving.

For their research, the IAM and TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) used DigiCar – TRL’s car driving simulator – to examine the effects of young drivers using smartphones to access facebook. In every test of driving performance, young people who were using facebook while driving were badly affected.

When sending and receiving facebook messages:

  • reaction times slowed by around 38% and participants often missed key events;
  • participants were unable to maintain a central lane position resulting in an increased number of unintentional lane departures; and
  • were unable to respond as quickly to the car in front  gradually changing speed.

The dangers of checking social networks while driving is serious and the IAM research illustrates that it can be more dangerous than driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI).

When comparing these new results to previous studies the level of impairment on driving is greater than the effects of drinking, cannabis and texting.

  • Using a smartphone for social networking slows reaction times by 37.6 per cent;
  • texting slows reaction times by 37.4 per cent;
  • hands-free mobile phone conversation slows reaction times by 26.5 per cent;
  • cannabis slows reaction times by 21 per cent;
  • alcohol (above UK driving limit but below 100mg per 100ml of blood) slows reaction time by between six and 15 per cent; and
  • alcohol at the legal limit slows reaction times by 12.5 per cent.

The IAM is calling for government action to highlight the dangers of using smartphones behind the wheel. Phone manufacturers and social network providers also have a key role to play in spreading the message. Attitudes to seatbelts and drink driving have changed dramatically over the last thirty years, and, with the right information, halting smartphone use could become a similar success story.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “This research shows how incredibly dangerous using smartphones while driving is, yet unbelievably it is a relatively common practice. If you’re taking your hand off the wheel to use the phone, reading the phone display and thinking about your messages, then you’re simply not concentrating on driving. It’s antisocial networking and it’s more dangerous than drink driving and it must become just as socially unacceptable.

“Young people have grown up with smartphones and using them is part of everyday life. But more work needs to be done by the government and social network providers to show young people that they are risking their lives and the lives of others if they use their smartphones while driving.”

TRL senior researcher Nick Reed said: “Our research clearly demonstrates that driver behaviour was significantly and dramatically impaired when a smartphone was being used for social networking. Drivers spent more time looking at their phone than the road ahead when trying to send messages, rendering the driver blind to emerging hazards and the developing traffic situation.

“Even when hazards were detected, the driver’s ability to respond was slowed. The combination of observed impairments to driving will cause a substantial increase in the risk of a collision that may affect not only the driver but also their passengers and other road users. Smartphones are incredibly useful and convenient tools when used appropriately and responsibly. Their use for social networking when driving is neither.”

Other campaigners for road safety have drawn attention to the unsocial nature of social networks; what is more unsocial than putting your own life and the lives of those around you in risk? Road safety tweeters; Don’t Tweet and Drive raise awareness of the dangers of tweeting while driving;

dtwive

Communications Officer at YOURS; Mr Manpreet Darroch who has been a long standing advocate of ‘turning off technology while on the road’ said, “We are living in a social experiment where being connected via social networks is something so new that we are yet to evaluate its long-term impacts on society. Having access to social networks at the palm of our hands has in one way created a constant ‘switched in’ world but there are clearly some real dangers to people being distracted on the road. We as young people are already vulnerable road users and these distractions are certainly not helping our road safety cause”.

The report from IAM is available to download in the attachments. You can read more about this story and find the full report here.

The YOURS CORE Group meeting – reporting back from the final 2 days!

The YOURS CORE Group meeting – reporting back from the final 2 days!

by | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

‘I can’t believe how quickly these three days have passed’, said Mr Joel Tucker, Coordinator of the Western Pacific region on day three of the CORE Group meeting. Our CORE Group undertook three intensive days of action planning, training and strategic direction in their role as Coordinators of the Regions in the YOURS Global Youth Network for Road Safety.

The CORE Group Meeting is supported by:

The CORE Group and YOURS Staff take a moment for picture outside the WHO building.

On day two of the YOURS CORE Group meeting, the group underwent communications and media training from Ms Elena Altieri, Communications officer at the Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability Deptartment (VIP) at the World Health Organization (WHO). In this session, Ms Altieri challenged the group to ‘Have a real grasp of which audience every piece of communication is aimed at’. The group tackled the myths on communication; that communication is an important part of every element of the organization’s work and should therefore be built in to everything that we do.

Ms Elena Altieri, Communications Officer at VIP proudly wears the YOURS tag during her communications workshop,

Ms Altieri created a stimulating atmosphere for brainstorming and her workshop also focused on the importance of media relations and to investigate whether YOURS’ current strategy can foresee media outreach through the CORE Group to raise awareness of youth road safety and to bring attention to our work.

In the latter part of the second day, Ms Nellie Ghusanyi, Programs Officer at YOURS gave a break down on the latest in road safety training the CORE Group on the ‘Systems Approach’ in road safety. Ms Ghusayni then went on to introduce the CORE Group to the Capacity Development Pillar one of YOURS’ key stategic pillars in its activities. Her workshop focussed on introducing the new Youth and Road Safety Action Kit; our maiden publication which is soon to be published.

The CORE Group undergo a training workshop on the YOURS Capacity Development Strategic Pillar.

On day 3 the group continued with training on the Action Kit including understanding the theory and motivations behind the kit, its design and the practical translation of the Action Kit into capacity development workshops. On seeing the Action Kit for the first time, The CORE Group’s response was that of excitement, enthusiasm and keenness to see the kit published and in the hands of young people around the world. Ms Sheila Atieno, Coordinator of the African Region (Anglophone) said, ‘ This kit is the first of its kind and I am so excited to see it in the hands of young Kenyans and wider Africa because it is a tool that can really change lives in simple steps’.

Mr Axl Druart, Coordinator of the European Region said, ‘This kit is truly special, there is nothing like it ever created before on understanding and tackling the youth and road safety crisis around the world and YOURS have done such a great job’.

Ms Ghusayni went on to train the group on theory behind peer-to-peer communication and the theories related to future YOURS workshops. She gave a comprehensive picture of the capacity development pillar and especially on how this area of work will be bolstered significantly during YOURS’ launch of the Youth and Road Safety Action Kit and subsequent workshops.

The Coordinators of the Regions mapped how best to market the Action Kit for maximum global outreach.

Mr Manpreet Darroch, Communications Officer and Global Network Coordinator at YOURS filmed individual video interviews with the CORE Group on the importance of road safety with young people in their regions as well as what they have learned in the whole meeting. These videos will be available very shortly on the YOURS website!

The meeting ended with final action points for the group to take away and implement on return home. The group were joined by World Health Organization Staff, Dr Margie Peden; Coordinator, Ms Laura Sminkey; Communciations Officer at VIP and Ms Jelica Vesic; Communications Officer at VIP.

Mr Floor Lieshout, Director at YOURS thanked the World Health Organization for hosting the CORE Group meeting as well as the Road Safety Fund for its support of the meeting via a contribution from Johnson and Johnson as well as long standing support from YOURS Founding Member; Michelin.

Dr Peden told the CORE Group, ‘I cannot believe five years have passed since the United Nations World Youth Assembly and back then we really took a gamble on bringing young people together to act on road safety. The movement has grown so much and YOURS has developed so much since 2009, continue to do what you are doing and continuously bring in the new generation of youth and road safety leaders’.

A video report will be available to view shortly as well as the CORE Group’s video interviews!

The CORE Group are in high spirits after their three day meeting!

The YOURS CORE Group meeting – Reporting back from Day 1

The YOURS CORE Group meeting – Reporting back from Day 1

by | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

The YOURS CORE (Coordinators of the Regions) Group representing five regions of the world came together today at the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland to create a concrete action plan for their role as Coordinators of the Region. Day one of three has proven to be an incredibly fruitful and energizing exchange of information and ideas which holds testament to the exceptional leadership qualities of this group.

The CORE Group Meeting is supported by:

Today the YOURS CORE Group along with the YOURS Staff Team were warmly welcomed to the Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability Department (VIP) of the World Health Organization (WHO) to begin plans for the CORE Group meeting. Mr Aliou Oumarou; Coordinator of the African Region (Francophone), Mr Axel Druart; Coordinator of the European Region, Mr Joel Tucker; Coordinator of the Western Pacific Region, Ms Jennifer Heatley; Coordinator of the North American Region (via remote connection) and Ms Sheila Atieno; Coordinator of the African Region (Anglophone) travelled from around the world to take part in a momentous occasion for YOURS; the first CORE Group Meeting.

core group

The group meeting was opened with an welcoming word from Dr Margie Peden, Coordinator of Unintentional Injury Prevention who told the CORE Group, ‘It is exciting to have a next generation of young leaders taking up the cause of road safety and it is inspiring to see that young people are so active and passionate about road safety since the 2007 United Nations World Youth Aseembly for Road Safety’. Dr Peden has been a supporter of the youth movement for road safety from its start and co-organized the World Youth Assembly almost five years ago. Dr Peden commended the ‘evidence based information featured on the YOURS website’ and challenged the group to ‘enable road safety at a grass roots level and for young people to demand for road safety’.

The YOURS CORE Group introduced the road safety situation in their region.

Director of YOURS, Mr Floor Lieshout thanked The Road Safety Fund and its supporter Johnson & Johnson as well as Founding Member of YOURS Michelin for their contribution in making this meeting happen. In addition Floor thanked the World Health Organization for hosting the meeting. He told the story of how we started as an organization and welcomed the group. He explained the important role that the CORE Group will play in the YOURS network and said, ‘This group will enable us to be closer to the network, develop capacity on the ground; to meet its needs easier and expand our impact bringing YOURS closer to young people’. He continued, ‘We are honoured to work alongside such talented, connected and passionate youth leaders and we are excited for the work ahead’.

The group were introduced to the YOURS organization in depth through an interactive workshop and set about understanding their place in YOURS’ organizational structure.

We were then joined by Ms Jelica Vesic, Comminications Officer of VIP who co-faciliated a workshop with Mr Manpreet Darroch, Communications Officer at YOURS, to map the current communication activities carried out by YOURS. Ms Vesic offered the group valuable feedback on the current status of YOURS’ communications and commended us on the appealing and ‘youthful’ nature of our website which made it easy for young people to find information. She also offered the group expert tips on how to maximize our online presence such as capturing ‘local stories’ of road safety and offering a platform for the network on which share their opinions about road safety in their region.

Ms Jelica Vesic, Communications Officer at WHO gives us feedback on YOURS Communications Activities.

The CORE Group then undertook their next workshop which went about tackling one of their primary objectives for the meeting; the creation a CORE Group Action Plan for their term of office to guide their work in the years to come. The group set goals to expand the YOURS network; to represent more youth and road safety organizations around the world and offer clearer incentives for youth active in road safety to join the global youth movement for road safety.

As the day drawed an end, the CORE Group had a clear idea of their roles and as they move forward in their positions, will develop regional action plans to tailor their global objectives to the unique dynamics of each region. Coordinator of the Global Youth Network for Road Safety Mr Manpreet Darroch said, ‘We are so excited at the clear potential of the group and after an intensive workshop of brainstorming and bringing ideas to the table, the CORE Group will leave with a global picture of YOURS’ global activities and a concrete action plan on how we move forward as an organization’.

Tomorrow, the meetings continues with a media training workshop from Ms Elena Altieri, Communications Officer at VIP as well training from our Programmes Officer, Ms Nellie Ghusayni on the soon to be release Youth and Road Safety Action Kit.

It has been an incredible day and a video report is to come in due course.

Spotlight On: Youths for Road Safety Kenya – grass roots and youth led!

Spotlight On: Youths for Road Safety Kenya – grass roots and youth led!

by | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

Youths for Road Safety Kenya is a unique African organization which was conceived by young people and is led by young people. YOURS-K, as referred to by its members, operates in Nairobi, Kenya and has undertaken a range of projects to sensitize young people in Kenya and the African region as a whole.

YOURS-K is an NGO founded in 2010 by a small group of youths from Nairobi-Kenya who are bound together by their conviction that too many lives have already been and continue to be lost on our roads unnecessarily, and that there are already too many young casualties.

YOURS-K are convinced further that these unfortunate deaths and injuries can be minimized or completely done away with, with some discipline on our roads. The organization are kept on track by the following vision, mission and motto:

VISION
YOURS-K envisions a society that is enthusiastic enough to utilize the road to its full potential to spur both socio-economic and political growth and development while at the same time cautious enough not to turn the same road into a death trap.

MISSION
To use all means possible to ensure that all road users arrive safely to their destinations. We hope to accomplish this through advocacy, research, collaborations and trainings.

MOTTO Respect for humanity, for the road and for the vehicle!

TARGET GROUP
Their major target group is the youth who are statistically the most vulnerable.

MAJOR ACTIVITIES Our activities include: advocacy for road safety, organizing for youth assemblies to lobby the youth to own the road safety agenda as well as networking with several stake holders to try an influence road safety oriented policies.

Kenya submitted many photos to the Embrace Life Campaign facilitated by YOURS-K.

YOURS-K recently ran the 3,000 Shoe Parade in Kenya which placed a direct link between road crashes and blood donation, road safety organizations YOURSK – Youths for Road Safety Kenya and the  Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) partnered with blood donation organization BloodLife to raise awareness of both causes simultaneously. This manifested in the 3,000 Shoe Parade.

Additionally, Ms Sheila Atieno, Coordinator of the African Region (Anglophone) in our CORE Group started her road safety journey in the organization!

You can read about YOURS-Kenya in the YOURS MINE Section.