TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL Youth Day and, to mark it, GOAL asked young people in Ireland and Kenya about their lives and dreams.

Staff from the aid agency spoke to young adults on the streets of Dublin, and some from an inner-city project for young people in Nairobi, and asked them about their lives, their loves, their passions and their dreams as part of its Youth Friendly Spaces project.

Here’s what young people living in Dublin and Nairobi had to say…

Elizabeth, from Nairobi, was passionate about equality in relationships.

A relationship is about me and you. It’s supposed to be fifty-fifty. We should share. The only difference is that she’s a woman and he’s a man.

Connor is living in Dublin. He said spoke about acceptance and relationships.

People should be able to love who they want. Not just inter-racial, but inter-gender. Why should love have any boundaries?

Orla and Jessica are both from Dublin.

Orla (left) said:

I don’t really think inter-racial marriage is a big issue. I don’t see why it should be.

Jessica added:

I would like to live and work in Kenya. I’ve heard a lot about it through charities doing work there. I’d like to go there. It sounds like an interesting place.

Shiku is from Nairobi. She says she’s impressed by humanitarian work.

When I think of the word ‘Ireland’, I always think about GOAL Kenya. It supports street children. Ask any street boy about an organisation they love and that is who they tell you about. That impresses me a lot.

Vikson from Nairobi spoke about his dream of visiting Jamaica.

If I could go anywhere on holiday, I would go to Jamaica. It’s the best place in the world.

Joseph from Nairobi spoke about what makes him happy:

I love playing football, very much, and watching movies.

Cristina, living in Dublin, was passionate about music:

I love Spanish and Catalan music, because I am from Spain. And I really enjoy live music. I don’t like reggae!

Mike is living in Dublin and spoke about his favourite pastime…

What do I do for fun? I play a lot of sport. At the moment I’m playing American football at university.

International Youth Day 2014 takes place today, Tuesday, 12 August.  To learn more about GOAL’s work with young people in Kenya, please click here.

Read: A day in the life of a 9-year-old living in one of Kenya’s largest slums>

Read: I was a vulnerable girl when I came to Ireland, and I’m forever grateful to the loving friends I met>

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