All participants will add their ideas, inspired by virtual events held around the world by the local organizers of each city. The one with the most ideas will receive the award for the most creative city.
The bringing together of different people, different cultures and different ideas into an active forum focused on tackling issues in the world.
All young people who want to voice their opinions. In addition, people from disaffected backgrounds, as the Young United Nations would bring people together to help tackle some of the major issues of the day. Whether that be through advocacy or political action, the young people involved can help lobby change in local, national and international governments.
Who represents young people on the United Nations? On the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, are there any young people actively involved? We are fighting to become a Child Friendly City under the UNICEF's programme and it is having great benefits in our city and our community but it shouldn't have to stop there.
The Young United Nations could take any form we like, but the way that I would invision it is actively calling on the already established youth voice structures while also building international links. Inviting young people to an international conference to debate and discuss ideas that they could then take back to their countries to advocate on, giving young people with a passion some legitimacy.
One thing that I have found through my work on the UK Youth Parliament, is that the suffix MYP (Member of Youth Parliament) actually commands a certain level of respect. While only being a title, it helps give legitimacy to young people when talking to their regional and local governments. This isn't just a random young person who they normally ignore, this is a Young United Nations Ambassador. We can harness the pre-existing networks while growing them internationally.
This will have the benefits of connecting people of different races, nationalities, ethnicities and cultures while also helping to bring young people out of the woodwork. Most of whom wouldn't have gotten involved in youth voice otherwise but wanted to be involved in the Young United Nations programme.
We could model the UN proper, or we could go and form our own organisational structure but whatever it may be it should be designed by young people, led by young people, for young people. When the world is as divided as it is right now, bringing people together should be the goal. Real change is made by those who show up, so my idea gives many the power to show up.
