14th October 2024, Lisbon, Portugal – YOURS – Youth for Road Safety is participating in Walk21 Portugal: Everybody Walks in three key sessions to share youth-led projects focused on fostering active modes of mobility.

Throughout the event, YOURS will participate in the WalkShop on Inclusive Street Design for children, women, and people with disabilities, the Pecha Kucha Presentation on the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) Project in Yaounde, Cameroon, and the WalkShop about the app “YEA”.

The 24th International Walk21 Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities is being hosted by the Institute of Mobility and Transport on behalf of the Government of the Portuguese Republic in partnership with the City of Lisbon, Iscte, and Walk21.

Participants are invited to discuss how walking policies and projects are transforming the urban paradigm; impacting people’s walking experiences; helping deliver on safety, equity and climate goals and attracting investment for urban development that supports people walking.

Featured during the Walk21 sessions are Local Actions projects “Pedestrian First” in Colombia and “Waka Fine To School” in Cameroon. 

Pedestrian First raises awareness around pedestrian vulnerability and the need to respect their integrity. Implemented in 2023, it amplified the message about how road users are co-responsibility for creating safer spaces and how they can advocate for safer roads in Bogotá.

Meanwhile, Waka Fine To School mapped school zones, created risk maps, implemented the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) methodology pioneered by the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to implement road safety infrastructure interventions which will result in the creation of school signs, enforcement of speed limits, and the maintenance of pedestrian crosswalks in ‘risky locations’.

These youth-led projects fit within the Walk21 objective of stakeholders sharing insights and expertise on developing and implementing walking policies and programmes that deliver walkable communities and safer streets, broader community participation and enhance the value of walking.

The event is an opportunity for YOURS to connect with organisations sharing similar goals geared toward improving road safety and sustainable mobility.

By exploring different synergies anchored on the importance of investing in youth, YOURS can bridge the gap between young people and investors to help amplify road safety impact on the ground. The space is also an opportunity for knowledge sharing, paving the way for more improved and more strategic projects supported by the organisation.