3rd Global Youth Meet (GYM) 2014

We are happy to announce the 3rd Global Youth Meet (GYM) on Youth, Health and Development during November 19-21, 2014 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh, India. Nearly 300 youth from over 35 countries and 15 states of India will participate to discuss changing youth health priorities in wake of the global
sustainable development agenda. GYM 2014 aims to empower youth with leadership and advocacy skills which will enable them to identify and address global
health concerns like non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the context of the post-2015 development agenda.
GYM 2014
November 19-21, 2014
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
O T N E E H
E M A
H L
T T
H U
O
Y

L
A
B
O
L
G
3rd Global Youth Meet (GYM) on
Youth, Health and Development
Calling youth advocates from
across the globe!
Why Adolescents and Youth?
Adolescents and youth, globally, comprising of a quarter of the world's population, come across
diverse political, economic, social and cultural realities. Globalisation exposes youth to a dichotomy
of situations that transgress burgeoning economies and trans-cultural exchanges. They are also
subjected to inequitable conditions particularly in developing and under-developed regions of the world.
There are ramifications of nutritional imbalances, mental health disorders, HIV/AIDS, STIs, child marriage,
teenage pregnancies which are further complicated by substance abuse (such as tobacco & alcohol), obesity &
over-weight concerns, domestic & social violence, injuries and suicide.
In order to positively alter behavioural patterns of any population, intervention through health education at an early age
is imperative. The 'youth empowerment' framework regards youth as community assets who are empowered to better
their own lives as well as of those in the community. Adolescence provides a window of opportunity for health promotion.
The GYM model seeks to encourage critical thinking amongst youth on issues of health within their existing ecosystem. Apart from
interacting with public health experts, youth participants are imparted health promoting and advocacy skills to strengthen their
ability to evaluate the existing policy environment and recommend innovative health reforms.
Technical sessions in GYM were conducted by national and international experts on key thematic areas followed by small working
groups and skill building workshops .
As an outcome of GYM 2006, a Youth for Health (Y4H) movement was launched aiming to connect youth to
undertake health promotion activities and advocacy in their countries and globally. The current membership of
Y4H has reached over 200,000 across the world. The Y4H Charter was presented to the United Nations
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York by a delegation of youth health advocates. In GYM 2009, the youth
delegates presented an appeal to the Health Minister of India to implement pictorial health warnings on all
tobacco products and adopted a youth declaration on tobacco control at the closing of the 14th WCTOH.
Previous GYMs (2006 & 2009)
The first GYM was hosted in 2006 in Delhi and Agra, India, and the second GYM was organised in 2009
as a Pre-Conference Youth Workshop to the 14th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health (WCTOH) in
Mumbai, India. Eminent resource persons from various global organisations such as the WHO, WHF,
UNESCO, UNEP and IUHPE have also participated in GYM.
2006
2009
35
27
GYM Countries
Thematic areas for GYM 2014
In wake of political, economic, social and cultural transformations, stakeholders, across
the world are committed to advancing action on sustainable development and fostering
inter-generational equity. Global issues of food security, green energy, economic growth,
good health, social protection and human rights, mandate concerted and collective
resolve of world leaders and civil society.
The Future We Want document endorsed at the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development in 2012, is a call to accelerate action for economic, social and
environmental wellbeing and begin a process for setting sustainable development goals.
The role of health is inextricably linked to the discourse of sustainable development, since
low and middle income countries bear the greatest disease burden, which impedes
progress. At the same time, development is a significant determinant of health.
Therefore, health must not only be considered the absence of disease, but also the
capacity to interact with ones environment.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) or chronic diseases are the largest cause of death,
worldwide killing 36 million people each year. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers
and chronic respiratory diseases are rising rapidly, particularly in low-and middle income
countries. More than nine million of all deaths attributed to NCDs occur before the age of
60 with 90% of these "premature" deaths in low- and middle-income countries (World
Health Organization, 2011). Risk factors related to NCDs including tobacco and alcohol
use, unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles are established in adolescence.

YOUTH,
HEALTH
AND
DEVELOPMENT

YOUTH,
HEALTH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
Post -2015
Sustainable
Development
Goals
(SDGs)
Post -2015
Sustainable
Development
Goals
(SDGs)
Youth
Voices
Youth
Voices
Youth
Employment
&
Migration
Youth
Employment
&
Migration
Enabling
Environments
Enabling
Environments
Non-
communicable
Diseases
(NCDs)
Non-
communicable
Diseases
(NCDs)
Health
Rights
Health
Rights
Adolescence is the ideal phase to build healthy habits and develop advocacy skills to strive for agency. As the largest set of beneficiaries,
youth are an important stakeholder in the process of sustainable development. They are vulnerable to NCDs and therefore must be involved
while addressing preventive health needs. Minimizing risk factors early on, contributes to improved health, more productive years and lower
healthcare costs. With worldwide focus on the Post-2015 development agenda, sensitized youth can play a crucial role in positioning NCDs
and more broadly health, in the framework for SDGs. Sustainable development warrants focus on achieving health and wellbeing at all
ages.
GYM 2014 envisions addressing the overarching theme of Youth, Health and Development with special focus on youth perspectives on
creating enabling environments for development (sustainable cities, green transport, waste management, environmental sustainability),
tackling NCDs including injuries and mental health, upholding health rights and facilitating youth employment (life-skill building, worksite
wellness, careers in public health). With the context of SGDs, GYM 2014 will also focus on youth engagement in health policymaking and
governance, fostering multi-sectoral partnerships and investing in youth capacity. Facilitating youth voices through innovative techniques
like social media, crowd sourcing and resource mobilization will be integral aspects of GYM 2014.
Expected outcomes
lTransforming youth by inculcating leadership and advocacy skills to become change agents and
global health advocates.
lEmpowering youth to initiate and contribute to public health action in their individual countries.
Expected participation:
300
Age group: 15 - 23 years
Venue
Organisers
Hotel Novotel, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Visakhapatnam (Vizag) with a population of 2 million is the second largest city in the southern state of
Andhra Pradesh. Located along the Eastern coast of the Indian Penninsula and nestled within the
Eastern ghat mountain ranges, Visakhapatnam is praised as the city of destiny. Besides being a major
industrial city, Visakhapatnam boasts of unspoiled virgin sandy beaches, well built hill parks and stunning
landscapes. Bestowed with natural deep sea waters, the city has a natural harbour and port.
Visakhapatnam also has many temples of architectural splendor and buddhist monasteries. A modern
international airport is well connected with all major Indian cities. The people of Visakhapatnam are
cosmopolitan, warm & friendly and November with moderate temperatures is the perfect time for a visit
to Visakhapatnam.
NOTE: The travel expenses to Visakhapatnam will have to be borne by a local sponsor in your country. All
local costs of participants in Visakhapatnam (accommodation, meals, travel etc.) will be taken care of by
Visakha HRIDAY-SHAN.
HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) is a Delhi based voluntary
organisation of health professionals, advocates and social scientists, engaged in non-communicable
disease (NCD) prevention and control in multiple settings by promoting health awareness and informed
health activism among school and university students in India, since 1992. HRIDAY works in
collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
(MoHFW), Government of India. It has been recipient of research / programme grants from National
Institutes of Health (USA), WHO, Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (USA), International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (Canada), United
Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) and Government of India (MoHFW) and has been awarded the WHO
Director Generals Award for contributions to tobacco control in 2002. The programme has been
listed as a Best Practice Model and recommended for global replication by WHO. In 2013, HRIDAY co-
organized the International Conference on Public Health Priorities: The Endgame for Tobacco in New
Delhi, with various national and international partners, on the theme of endgame concepts and solutions
to counter tobacco use. The conference was attended by nearly 600 delegates. At a same time, HRIDAY
collaborated with Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to launch a global youth-led movement No
More Tobacco in the 21st Century (NMT 21C)
As an offshoot of HRIDAY, Delhi, Visakha HRIDAY-SHAN (Student Health Action Network) has been
active since 2004 and is organizing various health promotion activities in Visakhapatnam with youth as
the ambassadors ( ).
(www.hriday-shan.org)
www.visakhahriday-shan.org
gym2014@hriday-shan.org
For more details contact:
www.twitter.com/youthforhealth
FOLLOW US ON
Organising Secretary
Dr. Monika Arora
Senior Director, HRIDAY
&
Director: Health Promotion
Public Health Foundation of India
Email: monika@hriday-shan.org
GYM President
Dr. K. Srinath Reddy
Hony. Executive Director, HRIDAY
&
President
Public Health Foundation of India
Chair, Organising Committee
Dr. M. Bhaskara Rao
President
Visakha HRIDAY-SHAN
Email: bhaskarstudies@hotmail.com
JOIN US ON
www.facebook.com/youthforhealth
www.facebook.com/yuvaa.coe
HEALTH RELATED INFORMATION
DISSEMINATION AMONGST YOUTH
HRIDAY
HRIDAY- SHAN
VISAKHA