Ewurasi, Barbara and Maherunesa quickly sum up their experiences:

Ewurasi: “MY SUMMIT provided us with great insight into the pressures and obstacles faced by our leaders when trying to negotiate and represent their countries effectively amongst others…it provided the preparation and stimulus we all need to persist in our campaigns to make youth representation more inclusive and effective in global affairs.”

Barbara: “Being part of the UK delegation to the G8 and G20 summit set a precedent for future youth participation at this level and offered a unique opportunity to engage with the key issues and put forward tangible recommendations. There were alot of important lessons to learn from the process of negotiations and country collaborative working and the plenary sessions made host to an amazing line-up of speakers and experts. As a delegation we were happy that we were able to use the results from our consultation to ensure that the voice of UK youth was prioritized in all our deliberations and clearly reflected in the final communique that was presented to the G8 leaders. Key highlights of the trip included an intimate plenary session with the Rt. Hon Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, bumping into President Obama on the escalators just before his press conference and being invited to tea with the Prime Minister where we offered another opportunity to discuss climate change and youth unemployment as top priorities.”

Maherunesa: “The summits were an intense and incredibly insightful opportunity to learn about how negotiations are carried out at the highest level. I felt incredibly privileged to meet with our leader PM David Cameron as this provided a platform for us to voice the opinions of the UK Youth on issues important to them, such as climate change. Meeting the other delegates from the G20 nations was incredibly inspiring, I am sure I met some future world leaders when I was out there! And as Barbara mentioned about meeting Obama on the escalators, though it was a surreal moment, being unexpectedly close to the President of the United States in such a casual way made me think, actually if we all put in the hard work, effort and determination, it is possible for us to be where he is one day!”

Advertisement