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Millions of young people are missing from public life. With the climate crisis, and generational inequalities running rampant, the inputs, perspectives, and representation of youth are needed more than ever.

Every day, thousands of important decisions are made about the future of planet Earth and the societies that call it home, but there are billions of young people who have no part in making them. They have no voice, no power and no stake in shaping the world they will inherit. Young people have the right to be included in global decisions that affect them, however, numerous barriers prevent their participation. The Body Shop and the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth are collaborating to change this through the global Be Seen Be Heard campaign to amplify youth voices in public life. 

The campaign seeks to create long-term structural changes to decision-making to be more inclusive of young people.It is launched today with the release of a joint report, The Body Shop Global Youth Survey. It’s the largest ever survey undertaken by The Body Shop. Carried out in December 2021 across 26 countries. It surveyed 27,043 people in total – 14,160 of whom are below the age of 30, the rest are aged between 30 and 60. The survey encompasses views from a broad range of demographic groups in society. For this report, ‘young’ voices are classified as those between 15 and 29.

Campaigning in 2,600 stores, in over 75 countries, across six continents.

The collaboration between The Body Shop and the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth will mean that young people and other stakeholders will be able to engage with the campaign through many routes. Local campaign activations will include partnerships with specific youth-led or youth-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and/or opportunities to support through petitions and other activations. 

In line with the Be Seen Be Heard campaign, The Body Shop UAE aims to empower the next generation of changemakers locally through its partnership with Emirates Nature WWFvia its “Leaders of Change” program. The program’s main objective is to enable the youth across the UAE to make a bigger and better impact on nature with every step they take – It’s where initiatives and ideas are born to support a greener planet.

Some of the local findings from The Body Shop’s Global Youth Survey about young people’s perspectives on climate change include:

• 94% of youth want to prioritise their relationship with nature.
• 78% of youth would like to see a culture of social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
• UAE youth are keen to act for the environment and 73% of youth think that reducing single-use plastic should be a priority.

To aspire and drive that transformative change among youth, Emirates Nature WWF plans to enrol200-300 young people in its “Leaders of Change” program by 2024. Some of the milestones The Body Shop and Emirates Nature WWF are looking to achieve through the “Leaders of Change” program include:

• Get educated and skilled with expert-led training and certification.
• Collaborate and grow with a community of change-makers co-creating solutions for sustainable development and shaping national policies.
• Give back to people and nature via unique volunteering opportunities.

The Be Seen Be Heard campaign is launching globally in May 2022 and will run until mid-2025.