The first stages of an important mission

I always expected the 'Informal Preparatory Gathering' for UN youth representatives to be an intensive affair. Taking place in Uppsala, Sweden, this was a chance to discover a new place at the same time as doing important work to further the cause of youth issues on the international agenda.


My first impressions of the country were largely weather-related. On the bus to Uppsala from Arlanda Airport in Stockholm it was almost like being back at home (apart from the scenic surroundings of forests, woods and hillsides!). Skies were grey at first, it rained for about five minutes, then the sun came out. Throughout the weekend conditions continued to vary massively - it could be cold, warm, humid, sunny, windy or wet all in the same day!

When it came to matters of work, this was a truly global gathering. Youth reps from Norway, Ghana, Denmark, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Finland, Germany and, of course, Sweden, were all in attendance. My job at the gathering was difficult - as only one of the three UK youth delegates this year I had to continually take notes to pass back to the others and also remember to keep the team ethic in mind at all times, even though I was on my own.

The presentations, seminars and discussions we had were all equally invaluable. They included a series of talks from last year's Swedish youth delegate on protocol and procedure at the General Assembly, a lecture on Advocacy from an expert in that field and planning sessions for how we, the youth reps, would like to operate in New York.

Working at the UN is going to be an incredibly complicated business. There is so much to remember when lobbying and speaking to international diplomats. One of the most important things is the 'one minute pitch' we will have to use with most officials - if we can't grab their attention and interest quickly, we will get nowhere with our objectives.

My prediction that it's going to take a lot of hard work to be a successful youth rep has been proved correct. The only difference now is that I have guidance and information on exactly how to make that work effective, productive and profitable. This year it is likely that record numbers of UN member states will include a young person in their national delegation, I can't wait to meet all the others. We must form a cohesive, co-operative and organised unit to further the youth agenda in New York. The first steps on this path have now been made.

Berliners have a tan this year

After leaving dreary London to spend a some time in different parts of Germany, I was delighted to be welcomed to Berlin by a wonderful heatwave! My two days in the city were blessed with sunshine, creating a perfect summer atmosphere for locals and tourists alike.


The German capital is truly a city that never sleeps. As I wandered through suburban streets, every corner was heavily populated by punters of bars, cafes and coffeehouses which never seemed to close! Wherever you are in Berlin there is a prominent sense of liveliness and activity and the summer weather was the perfect catalyst for this.


One of the best things I did was to take a boat tour of the river Spree. It was a great day for such an excursion and hugely interesting to see parts of the city from a diffferent angle. Unfortunately, my rusty German didn't really manage to hold up and I had difficulty understanding many parts of the guide's commentary, but the day was so nice and the views so beautiful that it was still a great experience.

Moving onto Leipzig, I came here for the wedding of a close family friend. Although, again, I had trouble understanding the marriage service, it was still a lovely occasion and I could really feel the happiness from everyone there. At the party afterwards the selection of cakes and desserts was excellent - it had been organised so that people brought their own home-made dishes, definitely a cost-effective way to run things!

And then onto Bonn the next day for the final part of my trip. This city, the former capital, provided a stark contrast to Berlin. Although busy at times and in some places during the day, my nighttime wanderings were like walking in a ghost town. I wasn't staying in the centre, so that's probably why things seemed so sleepy, but it was nevertheless surprising to see how quiet everything was.

The main purpose of making this visit was to meet up with many international friends I had made at a German language learning course last summer; they were attending another similar programme, which because of the WYC I hadn't been able to join them on. However, it soon emerged that I was quite relieved to be able to sleep late while everyone else had to rise early in the mornings for class! In order to avoid the attentions of course 'Betreuers', many people were directed to my small room for evening entertainment after the harsh curfew for students of 7pm. This became a bit of a squeeze on space at times, but was still highly enjoyable.

These few days (and nights!) in Germany were a fantastic time. I am incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful, diverse group of people I can count as friends. The fact they come from so many different places is both positive and negative - on the good side, it's great to learn about how they live and discover other cultures; the bad thing is that my opportunities to meet with them are somewhat restricted because of location.

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.