International Youth Day celebrates the creativity, resilience, and leadership that young people bring to our communities. It’s a moment to champion every young person’s right to dream, achieve, and shape the future together. On the occasion of International Youth Day 2025, Mr. Sony Thomas Varghese, Executive Director of CBM India, shares his thoughts on the need for complete and intersectional youth inclusion, particularly for young persons with disabilities:
“On International Youth Day, we are reminded of the incredible potential that young people hold, not just as future leaders but as present-day changemakers who translate global ambitions into community-driven realities. However, this potential often goes unrealized, especially for young persons with disabilities who continue to face systemic barriers in education, employment, and social and political participation. Across many communities, lack of accessibility, limited opportunities, and social stigma hinder young people with disabilities from leading lives of dignity and independence.
As a society, we must move beyond token gestures and ensure that youth inclusion is not conditional; it must be complete and intersectional. The voices, aspirations, and lived experiences of young persons with disabilities need to be respected and reflected in policy and action.
At CBM India Trust, we work to create an inclusive society where every young person, with and without disabilities, has access to quality education, skill development, and opportunities for leadership. Meaningful progress, however, requires collective effort. Governments, institutions, organizations of persons with disabilities, and communities all play a vital role in building systems that actively challenge exclusion in all its forms. By working together, we can break barriers and ensure that all young people have the chance to thrive.”
Breaking barriers and creating opportunities paves the way for possibilities, for young people with disabilities and for society as a whole. This International Youth Day is a moment to envision and work towards a world where every voice is heard and every dream realised.