Taking charge of world issues

To be the change that you expect to see is one of the biggest aspirations of an activist. This dream came true for a lucky Sri Lankan teenager, in participating in the World Economic Forum 2008 in Switzerland earlier this year. This year, a 1000 participants from 40 countries the world over attended the forum.

Each one of them decided they couldn't wait for leaders to solve the world's problems. They were taking charge of the future. They are not passive recipients of education; they are not passive consumers; they are not passively unemployed.

Six young activists from six different countries participated at the session "Future Shifts: The Voice of the Next Generation" on January 24, 2008. They discussed the concerns and hopes of today's youth with acclaimed British actress Emma Thompson and former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata. The group was selected through the British Council's global network with the patronage of the British Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown.

They were young entrepreneurs; young social activists, young political activists. They had taken responsibility for their future. This is how the younger generation assumes responsibility. They have the vitality, the innovation and the drive to make things happen. They are at the edge.

This is where they said what they were doing. Not to showcase; not to seek praise; not to be used. But to challenge. And they did just that."What was most amazing about the whole experience was the fact that these leaders were actually very keen to listen to our views and accept the challenges we laid in front of them," recalled 18-year-old Rhadeena De Alwis from Ladies College, one of the participants at the Forum.

Having been given the opportunity to meet with world leaders like Gordon Brown and the Former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, every participant had the once in a lifetime chance to share their views on current world issues and express their opinions on how the world could and should be changed for the better.

Challenging though the experience was, every participant left the forum with added knowledge and expertise on how to actively participate in the change that they seek to create. Making presentations to the forum, they had not only to consider the scenarios of their own countries but the regions they belonged to as well. "I realized that if you are confident enough to put yourself out there, there are various means of getting what you want done," explained Rhadeena, adding that the exposure gained at the forum would help all its participants achieve their dreams unanimously.

And the experience does not end here. Participants agree that meeting so many people from around the world, with such similar interests, assured them that they were by no means alone in their work towards change. The person who inspired me the most during the forum was Emma Thompson," says Rhadeena. The acclaimed British actress had advised the participants in many ways, showing a keen interest in their endeavours.

Speaking to Sanjeevani Munasinghe, Deputy Manager, Programmes Delivery, British Council Colombo, she went to explain that the process of selection of participants for the event was very inclusive. "We initially wrote to schools country-wide, and out of the applications, short-listed 30 participants. We interviewed those 30, and further short-listed it to four participants by interviewing them.

"If I could describe the whole experience in one word," says Radheena, "I would say it was unimaginable. From the word go, we had absolutely no idea what to expect, and we were constantly challenged. But meeting all the passionate activists from around the world, and the feeling of knowing that we were not alone, was simply amazing."