An awesome experience
World Youth Congress 2005, Scotland
What did I expect when leaving London to embark on this two-week event, taking place in the picturesque highland town of Stirling, Scotland? Well, since I was to be working as a young journalist, the short answer is: stress!
And it must be said there was a fair bit of this during the Congress, especially with deadlines for the WYC newspaper 'Positive News' looming every day. But as much as journalists in general like to complain about these things, I have to say that when it comes to the Congress overall the positives far outweighed the negatives.
Nearly 600 of the world's most talented young people, from 126 countries, all in the same place at the same time. Just think about it for a second. The atmosphere of intensity was unbelievable: there was a feeling that everyone on the university campus could sense something special was happening.
For me one of the highlights was being able to discuss prevalent global issues with those they most affect. Poverty is a hugely important matter at the moment and to hear the views of those directly implicated by the problem was absolutely fascinating. So often in developed countries it is politicians, decision-makers and 'celebrities' who speak about the plights of the world, without having ever experienced it themselves. The World Youth Congress was a perfect chance to look beyond this, to delve deeper, to discover what it's really like.
Aside from all the serious work going on at the WYC, quality entertainment was provided for its attendees. The Global Village evening gave people the chance to learn about many different cultures - the huge tennis centre was filled with delegates' displays on their homelands. The Scottish 'Ceilidh' night was somewhat less exotic, but an equally valuable cultural experience. My personal highlight was the Cultural Fusion performance, which featured an array of acts from across the globe. From the outstandingly disciplined Burundian drummers to the hypnotic, mesmerising Indian dance, this was truly an evening of education as well as entertainment.
So, on the whole, how can I sum up the Congress? How can such a diverse event be effectively summarised? I think the closest I can get is by making reference to the WYC motto - 'Be the Change'. These three words portray the spirit of the Congress and convey its core message: young people, wherever we are, have the potential to achieve great things. We can change the world. We can do it now.
What did I expect when leaving London to embark on this two-week event, taking place in the picturesque highland town of Stirling, Scotland? Well, since I was to be working as a young journalist, the short answer is: stress!
And it must be said there was a fair bit of this during the Congress, especially with deadlines for the WYC newspaper 'Positive News' looming every day. But as much as journalists in general like to complain about these things, I have to say that when it comes to the Congress overall the positives far outweighed the negatives.
Nearly 600 of the world's most talented young people, from 126 countries, all in the same place at the same time. Just think about it for a second. The atmosphere of intensity was unbelievable: there was a feeling that everyone on the university campus could sense something special was happening.
For me one of the highlights was being able to discuss prevalent global issues with those they most affect. Poverty is a hugely important matter at the moment and to hear the views of those directly implicated by the problem was absolutely fascinating. So often in developed countries it is politicians, decision-makers and 'celebrities' who speak about the plights of the world, without having ever experienced it themselves. The World Youth Congress was a perfect chance to look beyond this, to delve deeper, to discover what it's really like.
Aside from all the serious work going on at the WYC, quality entertainment was provided for its attendees. The Global Village evening gave people the chance to learn about many different cultures - the huge tennis centre was filled with delegates' displays on their homelands. The Scottish 'Ceilidh' night was somewhat less exotic, but an equally valuable cultural experience. My personal highlight was the Cultural Fusion performance, which featured an array of acts from across the globe. From the outstandingly disciplined Burundian drummers to the hypnotic, mesmerising Indian dance, this was truly an evening of education as well as entertainment.
So, on the whole, how can I sum up the Congress? How can such a diverse event be effectively summarised? I think the closest I can get is by making reference to the WYC motto - 'Be the Change'. These three words portray the spirit of the Congress and convey its core message: young people, wherever we are, have the potential to achieve great things. We can change the world. We can do it now.
posted by Frederick at 18:30
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