Don't find fault, find value: Preliminary seminars for ILO Youth Congress started

TOKYO (ILO News) - Prior to the Youth Congress held at Osaka-Kansai Expo starting in April 2025, an online seminar was held for the pitch contest on 17 July 2024; school and university students gave presentations on the Calls to Action (CTA) on workplace well-being for companies. The event was attended by approximately 35 students from nine high schools and universities.

The ILO designed the contest to raise awareness among young people on their right to a safe and healthy working environment; 113 participants from 28 groups will participate in this big event, which offers seminars and mentoring, culminating in the final round at the ILO Youth Congress in the Expo venue in July 2025. The CTAs adopted by enterprises or organisations will be presented at the 24th World Congress on Health and Safety at Work in 2026.

A total of five seminars are scheduled from July 2024 to March 2025. In the first seminar on 17 July, filmmaker Shun Coney delivered a lecture, saying, “Respecting others is the cornerstone of our well-being. We often focus too much on the shortcomings of others, but instead of making rash judgments or taking biased views, we should find what we like about people, including ourselves.”

Shinichi Takasaki, Director of the ILO Office for Japan, gave an address as the organiser, “Your life is inseparably bound up with labour. You may be eating food or using goods produced by child labour without even knowing it. I hope this contest will provide you with a great opportunity to face various issues in this world.” Yuka Ujita, Senior Specialist in Occupational Safety and Health, stressed the importance of a safe and healthy environment for workers. “We’re here to solve all your questions,” she added.