Young people of the J7 send a message to the G7

On May 24th, the Junior 7 (J7) launched its message to the G7, submitted in a two-and-a-half minute video shot by the young people involved in the project. The venue chosen for the presentation of the video message is a first-line reception center for unaccompanied minors in Palermo, Sicily, near Taormina, city host of the G7 Summit. The center hosts three of the J7 participants.

The choice of the venue for the launch of the video is consistent with the theme of inclusion in the context of migration addressed by this year’s J7. Human mobility is a priority of the G7 agenda. Last month, with the support of UNICEF Italy, 22 young people met for two days to discuss and to develop the message of the video. Seven of the young people were unaccompanied minors. They had never met before. They spent the first evening in activities that enabled them to get to know each other and then went through a fruitful discussion. On the second day, with the support of a video-maker, they developed the narrative and filmed the video.

The message is not technical, but deep and heart-felt. It highlights values and actions that young people consider fundamental and that they are committed to put into practice. They called on the G7 leaders to do the same. The video addresses seven topics: education and knowledge, human rights, being together, listening to and understanding each other, integration, happiness and responsibility. The draft video was shared by UNICEF with young people in other countries, even beyond the G7. They all enthusiastically endorsed the message.