So you must be wondering, what is the Youth Assembly at the United Nations -- and how can I become a delegate?
According to their website, "The Youth Assembly is the largest youth conference at the United Nations, the very heart of global change. It is a unique platform which fosters dialogue and generates partnerships between exceptional youth, UN high officials and staff, the private sector, and civil society."
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Many are not aware of it, but the Youth Assembly has been convening at the UN since 2004 -- and now occurs twice each year, in the summer (August) and winter (February). As a member of the National Society of High School Scholars, I received an email in April about applying to attend the conference, and given my interests in social justice, international development, and generally trying to make the world a better place, I figured that this Assembly would be one not to miss. This year's theme was "Transforming Vision into Action."
The Assembly itself is organized by the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, and the application consists of a few short answer questions that ask about your interests, commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and experiences. Once accepted, the standard registration fee is $150 (though less for early bird and other discounts). Aside from the conference, a number of other add-on packages were available that included a visit to the World Bank or a Social Entrepreneurship course at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Personally, since I was just coming from the PPIA fellowship program at Princeton and would be returning to school in two weeks, I opted for just the conference itself (not to mention that I saved a lot of money).
Fortunately enough, I had a friend who was incredibly generous and hosted me for the few nights I was in New York -- though with public transportation and walking it took me about an hour to get to and from the UN. Then, to enter the UN, you have to pass through security which takes more time. The days were officially scheduled from 10 a.m. until 5:55 p.m., but it was actually more like from 7:45 a.m. until 6:45 p.m. I was exhausted by the end of the week, but it was so worth it.
There were 1,010 delegates from 100 UN member states, and meeting young world-changers who were all between the ages of 16 and 28 was incredible. Panel sessions covered a variety of SDGs and other workshops presented by different sponsors showcased great initiatives that are currently changing the world -- like Echoing Green, the Resolution Project, TakingITGlobal, Terracycle, LifeStraw and Liter of Light. UN officials and other leaders took questions and proposals from the delegates, and being surrounded by so many like-minded peers from around the world was truly inspiring and empowering. Now, like so many of the delegates I met, I will definitely be returning to another Youth Assembly in the near future.
The next Youth Assembly will be in February 2017, and registration will open in the fall. To sign up for updates on when the application opens, or for more information, visit http://www.youthassembly.nyc/.
