Right to a clean, healthy and sustainable neighbourhood
In 2024, YOUCA joined hands with KIYO and the Burundian youth of Spring Communities to stand up for the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable neighbourhood. We also worked again with our 2014 partner Ayyam Al Masrah (Theatre Day Productions or TDP) in Gaza.
Burundi
Young people have the right to a living environment where they can develop themselves, build a network of like-minded peers and make their mark on society. This right is explicitly stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is essential for the exercise of other rights. How can young people enjoy a good education in a neighbourhood that is not adapted to them? Do they feel adequately protected? Is there room for their wishes and ideas?
In Burundi, young people face the effects of severe environmental pollution on a daily basis; many live next to vast rubbish dumps and experience the direct impact of harmful waste materials released into the air and drinking water . In addition, climate change causes heavy rainfall, floods and unpredictable droughts, resulting in soil erosion . This complicates small-scale, local agriculture, on which many residents depend for their livelihoods, resulting in many Burundian youth growing up in poverty .
The youth of Spring Communities tackle these social challenges in a creative way, by breathing new life into waste and turning it into art . In this way, they transform their own neighbourhood into a stimulating place where dreams of the future become tangible. Through the activist use of art, ' artivism', they also address the impact of pollution and encourage others to also take action against the environmental and climate crisis.
Watch the 2024 project film!
Gaza
The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable neighbourhood is also far away in Gaza . On 7 October 2023, violence escalated between the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. Since then, tens of thousands of people became victims of horrific war violence. The situation in Gaza is particularly alarming. The Gaza population is being wantonly starved and denied potable water, electricity, medication, sanitary products and any form of humanitarian assistance. This conflict originated decades before the 7 October 2023 attacks, which have been violating the rights of young people in the occupied territories for years.
Gaza
Growing up in a healthy and safe neighbourhood in the Gaza Strip is impossible. There is a need for support that gives young people a long-term future, even after the end of the war, in which they can really be young. In 2024, YOUCA is therefore also committed to Ayyam Al Masrah ('Theatre Day Productions') in Gaza, where the dream of a warm and protected neighbourhood for young people is far away. Here, theatre is the tool of choice to process traumatic events and awaken hope . TDP was the project partner of YOUCA (then called Zuiddag) back in 2014. Together with Broederlijk Delen, they worked on the healing power of theatre and an exchange took place between young people from Belgium and Gaza. TDP creates a safe space for young people to relax and express themselves freely at the time of this military occupation, but also teaches them to stand up for their rights.
In short, even though young people worldwide have a right to a healthy, safe and sustainable neighbourhood, this right is often violated. But young people are not sitting on their hands and letting their imagination run wild to create a neighbourhood in which they can build a just future . In Burundi and Gaza, young people are already showing how art can bring about collective change across national borders.
Belgium
What about you? What about your neighbourhood? Do you enjoy going out in the morning to admire your neighbourhood? Do you feel safe on the streets? Is there a place where you can go with your friends to chill out, clear your head and vent your heart? Do you sometimes worry about the lack of greenery in your street or the rubbish on the side of the road? Do you have no idea who your neighbours are and would like to get to know them? Is there room for you to be really young?
Belgian youngsters can also join forces in all sorts of creative ways to improve their neighbourhood! Just think of an initiative like Mooimakers, which keeps litter out of the streets in various ways. Who knows, you might soon be able to convince your school board to put solar panels on the roof or organise a cosy neighbourhood party? Maybe you will persuade the city council to plant extra trees in your neighbourhood and everyone will soon enjoy healthier air? Or do you and your neighbours set up a place where you can swap clothes or lend each other stuff? Maybe you will even build a giveaway cupboard, where people who are less fortunate can take things for free? Or will your neighbours' mailboxes be full of drawings to encourage them to set up campaigns too? The possibilities are endless and you too can make a difference. Get inspired by our hashtag #quartiertransformé and join young people from all corners of the world.
Educational material
To deepen and make YOUCA Action Day live widely in schools, we developed a curriculum with KIYO on Burundi and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable neighbourhood. In 2014, we did the same with Brotherly Sharing, with lessons on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the healing power of theatre. In 2024, we made an updated version of this.
