Young people are being invited to join a scheme to improve road safety and promote greener transport in the West Midlands.
The CityShift Road Safety Ambassadors Programme is looking for 18-25-year-olds from Birmingham with an interest in improving road safety to help shape transport plans and policies.
The new programme comes at an important time: road traffic crashes remain the leading cause of death for young people worldwide, and in the West Midlands under 25s make up around 36% of those killed or seriously injured on the roads.
In Birmingham, nearly 4 in 10 residents are in this age group.
Running over ten months until December 2026 with a combination of online learning and in-person workshops, the programme will train 25 young people to become CityShift Ambassadors, building new skills while being asked for advice on travel and transport initiatives in their city.
This project, from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) in partnership with YOURS – Youth for Road Safety with the aim of improving how young people travel about their city – with a primary focus on road safety.
“CityShift is a powerful example of how cities can incorporate youth vision into policies and strategies. Through this initiative, young people are not only sharing their experiences but also contributing to recommendations that can influence local strategies and shape the future of mobility in the West Midlands, bringing sustainability and effectiveness to the city’s investments,” said Raquel Barrios, Executive Director, YOURS
The aim is to strengthen the role of young people in developing, designing and improving the city’s streets. A Youth Action Roadmap for Road Safety, providing recommendations for local authorities and decision-makers, will also be developed.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) Director said: “Through City Shift we will make sure the voice of young people is heard as we design and develop new transport schemes across Birmingham. The new Ambassadors will get the opportunity to share their experiences and shape their communities while learning new leadership skills along the way.”
The programme is flexible, allowing participants to balance the work, study and other commitments while developing leadership skills and making a difference to their communities.
Applications are now open. No previous experience is required – just an interest in safer streets.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, works to create a more connected, fairer, greener and healthier region through inclusive and sustainable transport. YOURS – Youth for Road Safety is a global youth-led organisation working to support meaningful youth engagement in safe and sustainable mobility.
What started as a youth-led Local Action in Peru, supported by YOURS through seed funding, has grown into a multi-city initiative shaping safer cycling systems and securing $100,000 USD in global investment.
Pedalea Seguro, led by Jeffrey Leandro Díaz, maps cycling risks, mobilises communities, and works with local governments to turn data into safer streets. It didn’t start as a defined solution, but with a simple question: what are cyclists actually experiencing when they move through the city?
Cycling in many Peruvian cities is not designed to feel safe. It often means navigating streets that prioritise speed over people, dealing with unclear infrastructure, and constantly adapting to risk. For Jeffrey, this was not abstract, it was part of his daily experience.
That is where Pedalea Seguro took shape. Not as a predefined solution, but as a process of listening. Together with local cyclists and young leaders, the team began mapping routes, identifying high-risk areas, and collecting data that reflected how people actually move through their cities.
What made this work different was not only the data itself, but how it was built. It combined lived experience, community knowledge, and youth leadership, shifting the conversation from abstract planning to real conditions on the ground.
As the work evolved, it became clear that the model could go further. What started as a Local Action began to scale, leading to Pedalea Seguro 2.0, which expanded across Lima, Tacna, and Trujillo and brought together data, community action, and policy engagement.
This evolution did not go unnoticed. Out of more than 240 applications from over 45 countries, Pedalea Seguro was selected as one of three global winners of the Healthy Cycling Challenge, securing $100,000 USD to support its next phase.
The funding matters, but it is not the whole story. What it reflects is something broader, a recognition that solutions built from local realities, led by young people, and strengthened through collaboration, can move beyond small-scale initiatives and influence how systems are shaped.
As Pedalea Seguro 2.0 moves forward, it continues to build partnerships with organisations, local networks, and public institutions, strengthening both its reach and its impact.
This is how change takes place. It starts locally, with people who recognise what needs to be different. And with the right support, those ideas can grow, connecting communities, attracting investment, and contributing to systems that work better for everyone.
Jóvenes del municipio de Chimalhuacán, Estado de México, han sido seleccionados para participar en un programa que busca formar a nuevas generaciones de líderes comprometidos con promover una movilidad más segura en sus comunidades.
El programa cuenta con el respaldo de Fundación Aleatica y se desarrolla en colaboración con YOURS (Youth for Road Safety), con la participación de la Liga Peatonal y el Circuito Exterior Mexiquense como aliados estratégicos, en el marco de la Child Health Initiative de FIA Foundation.
“En México, los siniestros viales son una de las principales causas de fatalidades entre jóvenes. Ante este desafío, el programa apuesta por la participación activa de las juventudes de nuestras comunidades vecinas como protagonistas del cambio”, comentó Santiago Reyes, Director Comercial del Circuito Exterior Mexiquense.
El proceso comenzó oficialmente con una sesión de orientación, en la que los jóvenes pudieron conocerse, explorar los objetivos del programa y reflexionar sobre su rol como agentes de cambio para fomentar la seguridad vial entre sus pares.
Para el equipo de YOURS, esta experiencia representa mucho más que un proceso formativo. Como explicó Daniela Gómez, Senior Capacity Development Manager de YOURS: “Participar en este programa es una decisión que impactará positivamente la vida de estos jóvenes. No solo les brindará herramientas prácticas para sus vidas profesionales, sino que también les dará la oportunidad de transformar su comunidad.”
La primera capacitación del programa se llevó a cabo el sábado 14 de marzo, con una sesión dedicada a comprender la dimensión de la seguridad vial tanto a nivel local como global. Durante la reunión, los jóvenes exploraron datos clave sobre los siniestros viales, reflexionaron sobre cómo esta problemática afecta a sus comunidades y conocieron ejemplos de acciones concretas para contribuir a mejorar la seguridad vial en el país.
Además de analizar información y evidencia, el objetivo de este primer encuentro fue ayudar a los integrantes a conectar con la realidad del problema y reconocer su capacidad para generar cambios positivos en su entorno.
Para muchos de ellos, el programa representa una oportunidad invaluable para aprender y adquirir herramientas que, posteriormente, podrán replicar con miles de jóvenes estudiantes.
“Estoy aquí porque me interesa aprender sobre seguridad vial y adquirir herramientas para generar conciencia en mi comunidad, especialmente entre jóvenes”, comentó uno de los participantes.
Otra joven explicó que su motivación también nace de una preocupación cercana a su realidad cotidiana: “Estoy interesada en aprender más sobre seguridad vial para ayudar a mis amigos y amigas que usan constantemente motocicletas y automóviles.”
Durante la sesión de apertura, el Dr. Rodrigo Rosas Osuna,especialista en seguridad vial de Fundación Aleatica, recordó la urgencia de actuar frente a esta problemática.
“Hoy 45 personas perderán la vida en México, y muchas de ellas tienen sus mismas edades. Por eso no estamos aquí únicamente para hablar de seguridad vial, sino de cómo ustedes pueden ayudar a cambiar esta historia.”
En los próximos meses, los participantes continuarán su proceso de formación a través de capacitaciones, actividades prácticas y espacios de reflexión orientados a fortalecer su liderazgo e incidencia.
Con esta primera generación, se demuestra que los jóvenes tienen interés y pueden ser protagonistas en la construcción de entornos más seguros para contribuir activamente a transformar la realidad de la seguridad vial en México.
“Estamos seguros de que con alianzas como estas, tendremos participación activa de las juventudes para llegar a más jóvenes y estudiantes comprometidos con salvar vidas”, comentó Fernanda Espinosa, Directora de Fundación Aleatica.
En México, los siniestros viales siguen siendo una de las principales causas de muerte entre los jóvenes. Esta realidad plantea la necesidad de impulsar respuestas que no solo informen, sino que generen cambios sostenidos desde los territorios y con la participación activa de las juventudes.
En este contexto, YOURS y Fundación Aleatica anuncian una nueva fase de colaboración para fortalecer Seguro Es Cool, un programa dirigido a jóvenes de entre 18 y 25 años de Chimalhuacán, Estado de México, que busca promover una movilidad más segura desde una mirada juvenil, comunitaria y práctica; abriendo espacios con la campaña de #NoTeHagas. Esta etapa del proyecto se desarrolla en alianza con Liga Peatonal, aliado local clave con amplia experiencia en seguridad vial y trabajo comunitario en el territorio.
Seguro Es Cool da continuidad al trabajo que Fundación Aleatica ha venido impulsando en Chimalhuacán y se fortalece en esta nueva fase con el enfoque y la experiencia de YOURS en participación juvenil significativa y seguridad vial. El programa combina un currículo en seguridad vial con énfasis en el uso de seguro de motocicletas, un enfoque basado en las realidades y necesidades locales, y el fortalecimiento de capacidades de liderazgo y facilitación juvenil, apostando por un modelo de aprendizaje en efecto cascada.
Como parte de esta fase, el proyecto tiene como meta formar a 15 jóvenes facilitadores, quienes recibirán formación remunerada a través de sesiones virtuales y presenciales. Estos jóvenes liderarán talleres en escuelas de nivel preparatoria, con el objetivo de capacitar a aproximadamente 2,000 estudiantes, generando un impacto directo entre pares. A su vez, el programa contempla una estrategia de involucramiento y movilización comunitaria a través de una campaña digital, con la que se espera sensibilizar a alrededor de 20,000 personas en el municipio.
“Promover que el derecho a la movilidad en condiciones de seguridad vial sea una realidad para todas las personas”
Fernanda Espinosa Directora de Fundación Aleatica
Desde la perspectiva de YOURS, Seguro Es Cool refuerza la idea de que las juventudes deben ser protagonistas del cambio. El programa reconoce su capacidad para liderar procesos de concientización, construir redes locales y promover una cultura de movilidad más segura entre pares.
“Desde YOURS, creemos profundamente en el poder transformador de la juventud. Esta alianza con Fundación Aleatica marca un paso decisivo para fortalecer las capacidades de los y las jóvenes en el Estado de México, brindándoles las herramientas necesarias para liderar cambios reales en la seguridad vial y en el uso responsable de las motocicletas. Cuando la juventud comprende su realidad, tiene la capacidad de participar activamente en el diseño de políticas públicas y, por ende, las soluciones se vuelven más justas, más efectivas y verdaderamente representativas de sus necesidades. Estamos orgullosos de iniciar este camino conjunto y de impulsar una generación que no solo imagina un futuro más seguro, sino que también lo construye”.
La convocatoria para participar en Seguro Es Cool está abierta hasta el domingo 22 de febrero. Está dirigida a jóvenes de 18 a 25 años que vivan, estudien o trabajen en Chimalhuacán. Si estás interesado o interesada en participar, o si conoces alguna organización, colectivo o comunidad juvenil a la que esta oportunidad pueda interesarle, puedes compartir la convocatoria y aplicar a través del siguiente enlace: https://claimingourspace.typeform.com/SeguroEsCool
On 9 January 2026, the Empowering Youth for Livable Cities programme took a decisive step forward, 44 core teachers from An Giang and Vinh Long provinces came together for the official kick off of the project’s training phase, marking the start of a learning journey designed to equip educators and young people to lead safer and more sustainable mobility initiatives in their communities.
On 9 January 2026, the Empowering Youth for Livable Cities programme reached an important milestone. Forty four core teachers from An Giang and Vinh Long provinces came together for the official kick off of the teacher training phase, marking the start of a learning journey designed to equip educators and young people to lead safer and more sustainable mobility initiatives in their communities.
This session introduced teachers to a tailored hybrid training journey that combines online learning through the YOURS Academy with in person workshops. This approach was designed to reduce barriers linked to time, geography, and language, while maintaining the depth and quality needed for meaningful capacity development.
Real time translation was integrated into the training experience to ensure accessibility and inclusion, enabling participants to engage fully across languages. Instead of treating technology as a standalone feature, the programme embedded digital tools as practical enablers of learning, collaboration, and long term impact, introducing platforms such as the YOURS Academy, the Youth Engagement App, and School Road Safety tools to support data driven advocacy and help connect local evidence with broader policy conversations.
At the core of the programme is a Cascade Model designed to ensure scale, ownership, and sustainability. Through this approach, expertise flows from Master Trainers to School Educators, then to Youth Leaders, and ultimately to students.
The 44 teachers participating in the kick off are the future Master Trainers who will play a critical role in expanding the programme’s reach. Over the course of the project, this model aims to reach more than 40,000 students by 2027, transforming individual learning moments into system wide change.
As the training journey unfolds, the programme will continue to link local action in Vietnam with global networks and advocacy efforts, reinforcing the idea that youth led, evidence based approaches are essential to building safer and more liveable cities.
The programme reflects how YOURS works across contexts: aligning with global agendas such as the Decade of Sustainable Transport while designing solutions that respond directly to local needs, realities, and lived experiences. What is unfolding in Vietnam is intended to be relevant not only nationally, but as a model for cities facing similar challenges around the world.
As the United Nations inaugurates the Decade of Sustainable Transport (2025–2035), Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) presents its official position for the decade ahead: A call for transport systems that honour human dignity, protect life, and expand opportunity for all.Transport defines how people access education, work, healthcare, connection, and possibilities. Yet for millions, mobility remains unsafe, unequal, and unsustainable. As the global transport community steps into this decade, YOURS underscores that sustainable transport will only succeed if it is built through inclusion, collaboration and accountability, where communities shape the solutions that affect their lives, young people help drive decision-making, and every system is designed with safety at its core to ensure that no one is left behind.
“The Decade challenges us to rethink transport systems based on evidence and concrete action, listening to communities, working across sectors, and embedding accountability in every decision. Only by placing safety and communities at the centre can sustainable transport move from ambition to impact,” said Raquel Barrios, Executive Director of YOURS.
Grounded in lived experience and global youth leadership, YOURS outlines a set of non-negotiable priorities that must guide the actions of this new decade, based on the global vision of youth: safety, equity, decarbonization, finance, technology, accessibility, and accountability.
Road Safety at the Foundation
Any system that calls itself sustainable must pass the safety test. Nothing else matters if people keep dying on the way to school or work. Governments must embed the Safe System approach everywhere: designing roads and vehicles that protect people even when mistakes occur, managing speed to prevent crashes from being fatal, and building accountability into every decision. A truly sustainable transport system is one that protects and preserves life.
Equity Begins with Access
Transport must work for everyone, not just those with cars or privilege. Women walking unsafe streets, children crossing chaotic roads, and elders and people with disabilities left out by design; this is the inequality we must end. Universal design must be at the centre of every transportation system to ensure equal access for all, gender- and disability-responsive planning, and regular safety and equity audits. Equity starts when everyone can move safely and affordably. By 2035, cities must invest in and have in place urban and mobility plans that ensure social equity in mobility for all, especially in low- and middle-income countries and rural areas, where most marginalised and disconnected communities are located.
Decarbonise Transport, Decentralise Power
We refuse a future where mobility accelerates the climate crisis. Transport must decarbonise faster, not later, if we are to safeguard health, equity, and the planet’s future. Governments must demonstrate progress in phasing out fossil-fuel vehicles, electrify public transport and two- and three-wheelers, and invest in cycling and walking infrastructure as climate and active mobility solutions. A just transition must protect workers and low-income communities while ensuring that transport contributes its fair share to global climate goals.
Financing that Works for People and Planet
Financial resources should reflect values. If financing continues to flow to car-dependent, fossil-heavy systems, then talk of “sustainability” is meaningless. This Decade must mobilise financial resources guided by proven solutions, global goals and community needs, redirecting investments toward equitable, low-carbon mobility. Every public dollar must be traceable, every project transparent, and every investor accountable. By 2035, government investment must focus on implementing the NDCs, as well as urban and transportation plans, to ensure a return on investment in people, communities, and a healthy environment.
Technology for Safety and Dignity
The future of transport is digital and AI-powered, and that demands a new social contract. Data and information must be accessible so young entrepreneurs can build and refine the tools that will shape tomorrow’s mobility. Governments must also safeguard user data and ensure technology serves the public good. Every digital advancement in transport should increase safety, expand access, and protect the dignity of every traveller. Anything less isn’t progress.
Accessible Systems that Move Everyone
Progress isn’t measured by the speed of cars but by the freedom of people. Cities must set mode-share targets that prioritise walking, cycling, and public transport, and build continuous, safe networks for each. Every person should be able to reach school, work, and healthcare safely without owning a car or risking their life. By 2035, cities must invest in multimodal transportation systems that enhance connections and foster economic growth within their communities, at a price that is accessible to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Accountability Through Action
Accountability is what brings promises closer to real progress. Every country must set measurable annual targets for safety, accessibility, and emissions in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), developed in collaboration with communities and monitored in the public domain. What isn’t transparent cannot be trusted. This decade will be remembered for what it delivers, not what it declares.To achieve these seven priorities, civil society, communities, and youth must be recognised not merely as beneficiaries of change, but as essential allies in shaping it. Lived experiences, local knowledge, and collective power are critical to designing transport systems that are equitable, inclusive, and effective. When youth and communities are treated as co-creators, rather than passive recipients, policies become more grounded, resilient, and responsive. This decade requires a shift from top-down decision-making to collaborative governance, where those most affected by mobility challenges help lead the solutions.Alongside global partners, YOURS commits to driving community-led, evidence-based actions that bring safety and sustainability closer to reality.
A Call to Collective Action!
YOURS invites governments, civil society, youth networks and global partners to work together to build mobility systems that safeguard dignity, protect life, support the planet, and enable a sustainable future for all.Stay tuned for updates as YOURS continues contributing to the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport, and check out our official commitments on the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport website.
