Youth to make the change: A fresh perspective to UK Foreign Policy

Taking a selfie on stage at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leadership conference in 2015 left us thinking perhaps we weren’t that photogenic! But, what we were was successful. After months of rehearsals, planning and speaking with some of the most senior voices across the office we had delivered a high impact, fun, energetic presentation to the entire senior leadership of the FCO. We had delivered the message that without the youth voice policy cannot be representative of the population.   We aren’t just the ‘future’ anymore! As a collective, as the Youth Inspiration Group (YIG) we had come a long way but we had even longer to go.

For the past three years the YIG have been given (and created) some amazing opportunities. From meeting the Prince of Wales, working at the Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit, attending Chevening Scholarships 30^th anniversary and meeting the former Foreign Secretary William Hague. The FCO has allowed us to grow and as such, we gained our independence. Working alongside the FCO we hosted our own #Youthtalkpolicy event. An event which invited up to 100 young people to discuss key policy issues with those that could really make a change. We discussed ISIL, Ebola and Human rights. The YIG has a unique ability to improve the transparency of the FCO and start the conversation between governments and diverse audiences that can make an impact.

If our work within the UK hadn’t kept us busy enough in 2014 we decided to take our youth engagement model worldwide! The world is getting smaller every day, and our generation continue to impact governments, economies and lives. In December 2014 we were given the opportunity to visit Macedonia and Croatia, opening our eyes to the issues that were important to their youth. We took our #Youthtalkpolicy programme to them, starting a dialogue on how we could work together to empower their voice, to build a network that allows us, together, to #AimHigh! The trip was a massive success, Skopje Macedonia has set up their Youth Inspiration Group and we are visiting again in 2015 to exchange ideas.

Our work in Macedonia and Croatia drove us further overseas. What if we could take our passion to every British Embassy? What if we created an international youth voice? We had an opportunity to make a real difference by simply reaching out, by forming a relationship. This idea led to connections with not just the Balkans’ but New Zealand, Malaysia, Egypt, India, France, Canada and Africa. By 2017 we hope to have established an international YIG, linked up on a digital platform to discuss things that are important to us, to you. To provide a space to think creatively, to challenge governments and take hold of our own future together. Follow us on @YouthInspireUK to be part of our journey! #Youthtalkpolicy – Youth to make the change.