International Youth Day Competition - Young Co-operators Network

To celebrate International Youth Day this year, the Young Co-operators Network are giving away 2x £50 vouchers to Miller & Carter. It's held each year on the 12th of August helping to celebrate young people's qualities and recognise the challenges that today’s youth can face.

Enter the exclusive competition!

To be in the chance of winning, simply email your full name to ycn@midcounties.coop and like our Facebook page here.

How International Youth Day makes a difference

International Youth Day began in 2000 and was organised by the United Nations to celebrate the contribution that young people make to education, employment, conflict resolution and social justice to name a few.

You may have heard of many inspirational young people like Malala Yousafzai, an Activist and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Greta Thunberg, Environment Activist.

However today we are focusing on the story of Louis Braille. His story begins at three years old, playing with the tools in his father’s harness shop when he suffered an injury to his eye. The resulting infection led to complete blindness.

From the age of 13, Braille worked on inventing a better raised, or embossed, dot system. His system is made up of a six-dot code in various combinations. He later adapted his system to musical notation.

Braille then published his system in 1829. By that time Braille was a teacher at the Institute, and he introduced his students to his system. They quickly accepted it. However, it was not until after Braille’s death that his system gained acceptance throughout the world. It is now a universally accepted system of writing.

His blindness led him to develop a system that allows blind people to read and write. This system is now known as what we call braille!

Source: Louis Braille - Scholars | Britannica Kids | Encyclopedia