In anticipation of the 9th Edition of the International Youth Conference (IYC), set to take place at the UCLA campus in California from 5/30/24 – 6/1/24, IYC hosted a press conference at the Luskin School of Public Affairs on April 25.

IYC’s goal is to provide a platform for young people to come together in dialogue to address today’s most pressing problems, but also their solutions. The focus is intended to be on fostering innovation, unity, and youth empowerment to address global challenges.

At the press conference, founder and CEO Ali Mustafa explained that parallel IYCs will be observed worldwide in the US, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Chad, and Mexico. In addition to these being live streamed, multi-language assistance will be available to allow as many people as possible to participate.

Yet, in real time, youth voices are taking the forefront of societal change. Emma Sherbine, President of the United Nations Association (UNA) of Soka University of America, said that “it is so important to have the youth at an international level come to this space so that we can have a meaningful dialogue, but beyond dialogue, take action.”

Fulfilling this promise in a way has become manifest in IYC’s inclusion of a Community Volunteer Day, organized by IYC9 partner Tzu Chi USA. Taking place on May 29, the day before IYC’s kickoff, it’s a chance for conference attendees and the general public to both learn about the UN SDGs (or sustainable development goals) and put them into practice with hands-on activities at Tzu Chi USA National Headquarters in San Dimas, CA.

See more in our latest video and register for the IYC9 at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfckkS1n6XDeg5wMlA1MV8neh1S_bqSAflPXFhp_YicilZsvg/viewform

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