Andy meets the G8 leaders

G8 leaders with their youth delegates

On Friday 25^th June I, together with 7 other delegates from each of the respective nations of the G8 including the US, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Japan and the UK, had the privilege of meeting the G8 leaders. Watching my name being drawn out of a hat the previous night aboard an authentic Canadian Steamship felt a world apart from the corridors of power within the heavily fortified Deerhurst Resort, Muskoka, through which I walked alongside the most powerful leaders of the free world a mere 24 hours later.

After clearing several check-points, which resembled over-zealous versions of airport security, we were picked up by an electronic minibus and driven the 2k’s or so through rolling fields to the entrance of the Deerhurst resort, home to the G8 leaders for the past two days. The next couple of hours can only be described as something of a rollercoaster journey.

Once inside, we were greeted by all manner of government officials, each of whom displayed a reassuring familiarity with the overall purpose of our visit, and the background of each individual delegate. After pacing through an intricate hive of corridors, each of which positively buzzed with yet more government officials, we entered the leader’s drawing room. In stark contrast to the remainder of the building which had décor reminiscent of a hunting lodge, this was a stylish yet functional room complete with grand piano, ubiquitous plants and welcoming sofas. Having not eaten for 6 hours, my initial instinct was to make a cup of coffee. However, the demerera sugar had barely dissolved when we were whisked off on a whistle stop tour of the official function rooms.

First stop was the G8 negotiation room, central to which was an octagonal mahogany table surrounded by imposing, leather backed chairs. The surrealism started to bite when I took at seat and posed for a photograph within the United Kingdom chair. A quick glance of my watch confirmed we had less than 30 minutes to go before meeting the leaders and with that, a government employee who had been our de facto tour guide for the past half an hour lined us up, and introduced each of the delegates to our respective embassy staff. Meeting an enthusiastic and quintessentially British young lady called Fiona, PM David Cameron’s personal aide, succeeded in taking the edge off the impeding meeting somewhat. Receiving the final go-ahead, it was curtains up for all the MySummit delegates and we proceeded briskly in line towards the leader’s drawing room.

What had previously been an oasis of tranquillity within this vast swathe of commotion had been transformed, and now pulsated with energy. Walking towards an impromptu semi circle which contained the eerily familiar faces of the G8 leaders, I was greeted by the unmistakeable smile of Barack Obama. I proceeded to shake his hand, whilst battling tirelessly to maintain my composure as he asked my name, where I came from and how the negotiations had progressed so far, listening intently to each answer. After a brief dialogue, I was directed towards David Cameron who showed a similar enthusiasm for the intricacies of our MySummit negotiations.

I attempted to discuss as much as possible within the allotted time, touching upon young people’s views on everything from child and maternal health to climate change, whilst trying to avoid the inevitable memory blocks associated with the awe-striking spectacle of standing shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of the G8 nations. The personable nature of all leaders served to put me at ease; David Cameron even joked that he hoped the American delegation had not proven too great an obstacle to the climate change negotiations, whilst gently nudging Barack Obama on the shoulder!

After what felt like a matter of seconds within the leader’s drawing room, each delegate was lined up alongside their respective leader, and asked to proceed to the media room for the G8 Leaders ‘Family Photo’. Standing adjacent to David Cameron and the President of Europe, I stepped into the media spotlight amidst a sea of white flashes. A few minutes later we exited along the same corridor through which we made an unforgettable entrance only hours before. Almost as quickly as my name was drawn out of the hat the previous night, the entire experience was over but certainly not forgotten.

Andrew Steer