YSACJ: The Beginning

President University Youth Association (PUYA) is an organization of young, talented and motivated students and young people in President University. Membership is open to all youth studying in President University including the alumnus who are under 30 or who are acknowledged. I, the Indonesian Youth Delegate for UNESCO aim for getting young people to be more involved in global governance and foster greater awareness and understanding between people and cultures. We, within the association, share an interest in issues and concerns related to ‘The World Programme of Action for Youth’ (WPAY) to the Year 2000 and Beyond was adopted by the General Assembly in 1995. It is a blueprint for the development of national youth policies in relation to the following ten priority concerns:

1. Education

2. Employment

3. Hunger and poverty

4. Health

5. Environment

6. Drug abuse

7. Juvenile delinquency

8. Leisure-time activities

9. Needs of girls and young women

10. The effective participation of youth in decision-making

On the occasion of the ten-year review of the WPAY in 2005, the General Assembly decided to add the following as additional priority areas to the Programme:

1. The mixed impact of globalization on young women and men

2. The use of and access to information and communication technologies

3. The dramatic increase in the incidence of HIV infection among young people and the impact of the epidemic on their lives

4. The active involvement of young people in armed conflict, both as victims and as perpetrators

5. The increased importance of addressing intergenerational issues in ageing society

We work to further these goals and promote increased public awareness and debate of these crucial international issues.

Our activities are divided between campaigning and learning. We are going to work together with other 20 clubs and organizations in the university. However, we are also going to develop cooperation with another Student and Youth Association across the country organizing local events for our members, including Model United Nations, conferences and debates with keynote speakers, fundraising and lobbying.

Our national campaigns range from ‘Stop-Aids’ to ‘Sustainable Environment Development’. The new campaign for the coming year will revolve around promoting citizenship. We are currently projecting to have approximately 50 members and membership of PUYA continues to grow rapidly as the new students enrollment. Individual members who join directly via our Membership Administration Officer in President University pay IDR 20,000 a year for membership.

Through the wealth of members and knowledge that we collectively share, PUYA can provide the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) with an extended network of young people who are concerned about the UN. Our members join PUYA because they are interested in global issues. PUYA is the perfect body for the FAO to gauge the views of young people about the UN and many other global issues.