Shoot Nations is a joint partnership between Plan UK and Shoot Experience to encourage young people to express their thoughts on global issues through photography and drawings. Shoot Nations aims to use these art forms as tools of cross-cultural, language-free communication.
Shoot Nations is produced each year to coincide with the United Nations’ International Youth Day, annually commemorated on 12th August.
Download the Shoot Nations brochure with info and photos from 2006, 2007 and 2008 or view the Shoot Nations History section.
Because I am a Girl is a series of reports and an annual campaign run by Plan to highlight the raw deal that girls are receiving in less developed regions.
The Because I am a Girl campaign aims to empower the world’s poorest girls to combat the discrimination they face every day. Plan believe that girls’ access to education will enable them to create more equal societies and break the cycle of poverty which can pass from mother to daughter.
For Shoot Nations 2009, participants are asked to look at the world around them and think about their place in it, in terms of the limitations and opportunities that come with being born male or female. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Would you swap? How much does it matter?
Participants are encouraged to focus on stereotyping, on how their identity is related to being male or female and on the different paths boys and girls are encouraged to tread.
The photos will provide a vivid illustration of this topic from many different viewpoints and cultures and from across the political spectrum and globe.
International Youth Day
UN's International Youth Day - Wednesday 12th August 2009.
UN's International Youth Day gives the world an opportunity to recognise the potential of its youth and to celebrate their achievements. International Youth Day aims to assist and encourage young people to get involved with development. It presents a unique opportunity for all young people to take action, at the global, national and local levels, on issues relevant to themselves, and to the wider community.
2009 International Youth Day Theme — Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future
What is sustainability? It means living within our means in terms of the environment, the economy and our individual lifestyles. In many parts of the world we have not been doing that.
The global food crisis, climate change, and the current economic meltdown have proved beyond doubt that humanity must find a sustainable way to live it if wishes to prosper in the future.
How we shape our economy, society and environment depends on the actions and decisions we take today. If we continue to make short-sighted choices the world will become an increasingly hostile place to live for billions of people.
One area where we can make a difference is that of equality between the sexes. Laws and customs that discriminate against girls and women are unfair but research also shows that they are not good for communities or for the wider economy. We need to make sure that girls are educated if we are to build a world that is economically viable, safer and healthier. If we ignore the potential of half the world’s population we limit the future for us all.
Young people have a key role to play in planning for a sustainable future. It is essential that they are listened to and that they embrace sustainability in all areas of their lives, leading by example for the 21st century and beyond.
