News & Blog Archives - Page 164 of 188

The Story of YOURS: A step by step flash timeline for you to explore!

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 13, 2023 | News & Blog

As you will see, the YOURS website is expanding and developing every day. As you navigate around our website, you will see constant new additions, new information and new interactive data that is digestable for our youth network. Now, we have added flash timeline so you can read a step by step presentation of how YOURS came to be, all the way from inception to creation of the NGO.

The YOURS story is an interesting one and it illustrates how the youth of the world came together to create a global organization for road safety and harmonized energies for one common goal. You can now read about how YOURS began all the way from the United Nations World Youth Assembly 2007 to current 2011 activities!

‘Our Story’ is presented in an easy -to-view, easy-to-read PREZI presentation. Prezi is a great way to present information in a smooth, dynamic and interesting way and we feel that presenting to our youth network in this way is engaging while conveying our organizational journey right from the very start where ideas of a global NGO that would harness the youth energy from World Youth Assembly for Road Safety 2007 into a global youth movement for road safety.

The presentation goes through each key milestone for YOURS such as the establishment of the Global Youth Taskforce to set the strategic direction for a proposed global youth and road safety organization to the launch of YOURS at the First Global Ministerial Conference for Road Safety 2009.

You can view our flash timeline here!

YOURS to Report on African Youth Assembly at 14th UNRSC Meeting

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 13, 2023 | News & Blog

The Second African Road Safety Conference takes place today (9-11 November 2011) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. YOURS is very happy to see the attendance of Mr Aliou Oumarou (Coordinator of the French Speaking African Countries) as well as Mr Brian Mwebaze from Uganda attending. They bring their youth experience in road safety to the conference which will bring a much needed attention to youth and road safety issues to an African decision making delegation.

Mr Brian Kanaahe Mwebaze Bilal reports:

Following on from the 2007 Conference where the Accra Declaration committed African ministers to work together to stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on African roads, a second conference has been organized jointly by ECA, SSATP and the Government of Ethiopia, IRF, in collaboration with, AUC, AfDB and the World Bank and will take place from 9th-11th November 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is expected to bring together around 200 participants composed of officials from ministries responsible for road safety; representatives of RECs, Research institutions, NGOs as well as private sector who are involved in road safety activities.

As you might be aware, when YOURS enabled me and other participants to the first African Youth Assembly on road safety in Niamey, Niger,October 2011, among the outcomes was the formation of ‘African Youth Network on Road Safety’. This would work as an umbrella of youth organisations in Africa that work in road safety. While we recommended, participants to make sure they are on the national road safety working groups of their respective countries, we wanted this network to also provide a better platform for road safety advocacy in Africa.

When I heard about the conference, especially that there would be each african country’s decision makers, I talked to the organiser Mr Bekele of United Nations Economic Commission to Africa. He was impressed with the whole idea and told me ‘We most definately have been scratching ourselves on how we can work with youths’. So, bottomline, he accepted me in.

We (Youths) have been given a slot in the Plenary 2 to present/ some talks on mainstreaming road safety in Africa. I l will also look
forward to consolidate and contribute to the Decade Plan of Action, and will make possible discussion between NGOs & relevant Road Safety stakeholders on different topics from all over Africa concerning experiences, policies and programs on Road Safety.

Examine and validate the African road safety action plan 2011-2020 which will serve as guiding document for the implementation of the Decade;
Propose and validate a Resources mobilization strategy and a follow up mechanism.

The agenda of the conference can be found in the attachments and a report from Mr Mwebaze along with pictures can be expected soon.

A key area of attention at this meeting will be to review the hundreds of actions that took place around the world for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. There were lots of high level launch activities that took place with governments, organizations and activitsts around the world which brought international attention to road safety.

YOURS will reporting to the UNRSC with regards to its most recent assembly for road safety, The African Youth Assembly for Road Safety. This assembly created significant progress in youth and road safety action in the African Region.

Objectives for the UNRSC meeting are as follows:
1. To discuss progress on the Decade of Action for Road Safety
2. To update and inform on specific global activities conducted by UNRSC partners
3. To update on and define future activities for the project groups
4. To discuss new member applications and upcoming events

More information about the UNRSC can be found here.

The Second African Road Safety Conference – Ethiopia

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 13, 2023 | News & Blog

The Second African Road Safety Conference takes place today (9-11 November 2011) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. YOURS is very happy to see the attendance of Mr Aliou Oumarou (Coordinator of the French Speaking African Countries) as well as Mr Brian Mwebaze from Uganda attending. They bring their youth experience in road safety to the conference which will bring a much needed attention to youth and road safety issues to an African decision making delegation.

Mr Brian Kanaahe Mwebaze Bilal reports:

Following on from the 2007 Conference where the Accra Declaration committed African ministers to work together to stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on African roads, a second conference has been organized jointly by ECA, SSATP and the Government of Ethiopia, IRF, in collaboration with, AUC, AfDB and the World Bank and will take place from 9th-11th November 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is expected to bring together around 200 participants composed of officials from ministries responsible for road safety; representatives of RECs, Research institutions, NGOs as well as private sector who are involved in road safety activities.

As you might be aware, when YOURS enabled me and other participants to the first African Youth Assembly on road safety in Niamey, Niger,October 2011, among the outcomes was the formation of ‘African Youth Network on Road Safety’. This would work as an umbrella of youth organisations in Africa that work in road safety. While we recommended, participants to make sure they are on the national road safety working groups of their respective countries, we wanted this network to also provide a better platform for road safety advocacy in Africa.

When I heard about the conference, especially that there would be each african country’s decision makers, I talked to the organiser Mr Bekele of United Nations Economic Commission to Africa. He was impressed with the whole idea and told me ‘We most definately have been scratching ourselves on how we can work with youths’. So, bottomline, he accepted me in.

We (Youths) have been given a slot in the Plenary 2 to present/ some talks on mainstreaming road safety in Africa. I l will also look
forward to consolidate and contribute to the Decade Plan of Action, and will make possible discussion between NGOs & relevant Road Safety stakeholders on different topics from all over Africa concerning experiences, policies and programs on Road Safety.

Examine and validate the African road safety action plan 2011-2020 which will serve as guiding document for the implementation of the Decade;
Propose and validate a Resources mobilization strategy and a follow up mechanism.

The agenda of the conference can be found in the attachments and a report from Mr Mwebaze along with pictures can be expected soon.

United Nations Secretary General publishes road safety report

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 13, 2023 | News & Blog

The United Nations Secretary General has published his 2011 final report on road safety presented to the United Nations General Assembly. It shows that there have been concerted efforts for road safety around the world and many more after the launch of the momentous Decade of Action for Road Safety.

At YOURS, one of our aims to provide our youth network with key information, resources and reports to build the knowledge capacity of our young activists. In this article, we draw attention to the United Nations Secretary General’s report for 2011 reporting on Improving Global Road Safety.

It is noted: The Secretary-General hereby transmits the report on improving global road safety, prepared by the World Health Organization in consultation with the United Nations regional commissions and other partners of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration.

A summary is provided:
The present report provides an update of the status of the implementation of the recommendations contained in General Assembly resolutions 58/289, 60/5, 62/244 and 64/255 on improving global road safety. It covers the two-year period (October 2009-August 2011) since the issuance of the last report to the General Assembly (A/64/266). The report provides an account of activities undertaken and achievements attained by the global road safety community towards the objectives of the Decade of Action for Road Safety.

It also describes some of the ongoing road safety activities, which are a testament to both the recognition of the problem around
the world and the solutions that Governments and other stakeholders need to implement in order to stem the current tide of road traffic crashes and their consequences for both public health and development.

The two most notable road safety events during the reporting period were the hosting of the First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety by the Russian Federation in November 2009 and the launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety in May 2011. Both events drew significant attention to the issue from the highest political levels in many countries, resulting in the development of plans and targets to address the problem. The report concludes with a number of recommendations for consideration by the
General Assembly to achieve the goals of the Decade.

Point 52: The UN Secretary General mentioned YOURS’ work in the field:
52. Following the World Youth Assembly, in April 2007, a Youth Task Force shaped the first global youth-led non-governmental organization for road safety, called YOURS — Youth for Road Safety. YOURS was officially launched during the opening ceremony of the First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety and started operations in early January 2010.

Significant progress has been made during its first year as an independent organization. YOURS is focusing on three strategic pillars: advocacy; inspiring — connecting — uniting; and capacity development. Activities to date include, for example, the launch of an advocacy campaign (the World Crossing Campaign), a Youth and Road Safety Workshop organized in Cambodia in partnership with the Global Road Safety Partnership, and expansion of the global youth network for road safety and online presence under the MINE section. Furthermore, a website was developed, monthly newsletters were sent out and social media channels were launched.

The English report can be downloaded in attachements and all 6 UN languages here: http://documents.un.org/mother.asp

Vote for your favourite road safety poster for Europe!

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 13, 2023 | News & Blog

Last month, European Directoral General MOVE initated a poster competition for Europe. They receieved over 800 entries from designers all around the 27 EU Member States. The European Commission’s own poster judging jury have selected the 10 best posters and nows its over to you to choose your favourite one!

Engaging young people in road safety through design is one of the ways the European Commission are passing a message of road safety to young people to make their own posters.

You can vote for your favorite poster out of 10 potential winners by clicking on the image below:

This unique opportunity had the following briefing:

“Safer roads in Europe. Yes we care!”
You think you’ve got what it takes to design a poster that speaks to young European drivers and gets them thinking about road safety? We are looking for cleverly thought-out, eye-catching and original designs – we are not looking for posters that rely on lazy shock and awe tactics or tired clichés. We need to inspire drivers in the 18 to 25 age bracket to take care on the roads and we want to grab their attention through your creative flare.

There are few rules and how to approach the poster remains largely up to you! The only mandatory text that must appear on the poster is the baseline:

“Safer roads in Europe. Yes we care!”
This text will remain in English in all language versions of the poster; however a few lines of explanation may be added in local languages at a later stage. It is up to you whether you want to include any other text on the poster, but if you do include some, make sure it is in one of the EU’s 23 official languages. You must also provide a translation of any text on the poster in either English or French. Bear in mind that sometimes phrases and puns don’t translate very well!

The pariticpants could also choose to focus one of 12 areas of focus on road safety:

1. Alcohol & Driving: Drinking and driving has not been socially acceptable for a long time, and young people are (literally) driving the fight against it. Night owls know that having a designated driver or planning ahead and booking a taxi are key ingredients for a good night out.
2. Drugs & Driving: If your ability to drive is affected by alcohol, then it is certainly affected under the influence of drugs. No ifs or buts.
3. Speed: What’s the rush? Respecting the speed limit doesn’t ruin your street-cred, causing an accident whizzing up and down your local high street does.
4. Distraction: We’re talking mobile phones and checking your Twitter feed behind the wheel here. In a world full of instant updates how can we keep young people’s eyes on the task in hand?
5. Tiredness: The biggest killer on the road is weary eyes. Break up journeys and stay fresh.
6. 2-wheels (Motorbikes / Cyclists): Four wheels good, two wheels better! Are young drivers aware of their effect on other road users? And are they ever tempted to leave the car at home and join the green road revolution?
7. Helmet and other security issues: Did you know that yellow vests and sturdy helmets are in this season? All the trendiest people around town are wearing them!
8. Visibility: For all road users visibility is vital. If you want to be safe, make sure you are seen.
9. Seat belt: As well as saving your own life, this tiny piece of apparatus can save the lives of your passengers too.
10. Pedestrians: Pedestrians and drivers – where is the love? Do drivers respect pedestrians, and do pedestrians make life difficult for cars?
11. Consequences: We all know the realities of dangerous driving, but how can we illustrate these consequences beyond the obvious?
12. Other theme: Your poster can also reflect any other road safety issue not mentioned above.

Choose Your Way – Road safety research with young people in Bulgaria

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 13, 2023 | News & Blog

‘Choose Your Way’ is an interesting research initiative focused a fundamental understanding of human behaviour in relation to young people. The project was undertaken with young people and included a range of road safety activities to gauge young people’s opinion of an improved road safety situation and what this would look like. The results show that in Bulgaria, the short and long term solutions differed illustrating that road safety is a multi-faceted problem with numerous solutions in a given time and place.

Nearly one third of Bulgarians believe the fines for road rule violations to be too low. This result is derived from the study held within the “Choose Your Way” campaign. The study involved 915 people. 32% of respondents indicated “increasing fines” as a means to improve the situation on Bulgarian roads in the short term. “Road improvements” follow by 17%, “reduction of corruption among police officers” by 16%, “preventive information campaigns” by 15% and “rewriting the laws” by 14%.

As a long-term solution, fines are ranked third with 19%, following “rewrite the laws” by 21% and “preventive campaigns” by 20%. “Road improvements” and ” reduction of corruption among police officers” retain their relative weight.

82% of respondents gave a positive response to the “Choose your way” campaign as a whole, which completely coincides with results of similar studies of the “Open Youth” on the effects of prevention campaigns.

The campaign itself was implemented by “Open Youth” in the period from 7 September to 6 October 2011 and in ten large cities: Sofia (09 September), Pernik (12 September), Vidin (15 September), Montana (18 September), Vratsa (21 September), Blagoevgrad (24 September), Kyustendil (27 September), Pazardjik (30 September), Kardjali (03 October) and Haskovo (06 October). During the campaign 110 volunteers were trained to carry it out for their local community. They helped our message to reach 1964 people through the alcogoggles and 696 through the driving simulator.

Detailed information on cities is given below.

“Choose Your Way” aims to inform the young people in Bulgaria, how they can improve their quality of life and the atmosphere in the local community by organizing preventive voluntary initiatives, aimed at reducing alcohol abuse, drug use, driving risks and risk of AIDS. Through the campaign will be presented an example of such socially useful activity directed at reducing alcohol abuse and subsequent driving. Within this activity, participants can use free of charge:

alco-simulator that will visualize personal results of simulated sober driving and of one under the influence of alcohol;
alcogoggles that simulate human behavior under the influence of alcohol with different concentration of the alcohol in the blood (e.g. between 0.7 and 1 promiles, between 1.2 and 1.5 promiles, and between 1.7 and 2 promiles).

Within the campaign, for the first time in Bulgaria, citizens can see themselves how they will look after computer-simulated accident resulting from alcohol abuse, called “Fatal Reflections”. The last generates customized multimedia presentation in the form of news involving a group of actors whose digital photos were taken and they were given roles in an accident with a vehicle. The simulation creates a “top” story, which describes the incident as a result of alcohol abuse and puts participants in the center of the situation. The result engages the audience in a discussion about the real consequences of alcohol abuse.

“ChooseYour Way” is part of the “Open Youth” project “Volunteer! … through road safety”, which is the only approved project for Bulgaria within the European Union initiative “European Year of Volunteering 2011”. Details of the entire project can be found at http://roadsafetyvolunteers.open-youth.org

More information with detailed respondent results can be found here.