We recently returned from a great youth and road safety workshop in Iceland. We partnered with national search and rescue organization Landsbjörg, who often attend to road traffic crashes as part of their work. Through their ‘Youth Units’, young people from across the country working with Landsbjörg, joined us for a special workshop after their 2019 Safety Conference.
In conjunction with the Accident Prevention Conference 2019 (Slysavarnir 2019), on Sunday, October 13, a youth and road safety workshop was held for youth associations focusing on accident prevention in traffic and how the youth of Landsbjörg and other adolescents can be involved in thinking about and handling traffic safety issues.
The Slysavarnir conference focused on key issues regarding road safety, search and rescue and safety issues around tourism. Our Head of Communications, Manpreet Darroch was invited to give a keynote speech at opening of the conference following on from the Minister of Transport for Iceland and Local Government, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson and First Lady Eliza Reid who both spoke about the progress Iceland has made in terms of improving safety in the country across all sectors, and the continued work needed to make it safer.
Manpreet speaks to members of Landsbjörg about youth action in road safety.
At the Slysavarnir 2019 conference, Manpreet delivered a keynote presentation on ‘Meaningful Youth Participation in Road Safety’, and focused on how young people are valuable partners for positive development in reducing road traffic crashes in their communities and countries. He gave the case study of Belize and shared the principles of meaningful youth participation in creating more responsive, better reflective and more effective youth programmes and policies in addressing road safety.
Landsbjörg partnered with YOURS to deliver a unique youth and road safety workshop. “Traffic Crashes are the leading cause of deaths of young people aged 15-29 worldwide and it is important that young people are self-aware and participate in responding to the road safety crisis facing youth as well as finding solutions”.
The workshop was conducted in the signature YOURS style and had the following learning objectievs:
By the end of the workshop participants were able to:
- Explain the road safety crisis facing young people globally and in their country.
- Identify a key risk factor in road safety; drink and drug driving and demonstrate new knowledge on the issue.
- Understand peer education for road safety and some of the activities you can start in the Youth Units at Landsbjörg.
“YOURS has run workshops around the world, run campaigns, and has tremendous experience leading youth work in traffic safety”, Jónas Guðmundsson, Project Manager for Accident Prevention at Landsbjörg.
Twenty young people attended the workshop, many of the youth departments at Landsbjörg sent their representatives from across the coutry. After undergoing an intensive day of road safety interaction, the young people undertook a creative action planning session and pledged to take action in working with other young people in their areas.