On 10 March 2005, Minister Bill Rammell MP formally announced the FCO's plans to work with UNA’s youth wing, UNYSA, to send three British youth delegates to the United Nations General Assembly Millennium +5 Summit in New York. This was the first time that the UK had sent youth representatives to New York.

The initiative was a result of a proposal which UNYSA submitted to the FCO in September 2004, and UNYSA was therefore tasked with administering the selection process in partnership with the FCO.

The duties of the youth delegates included:

1. Attending two plenary meetings of the General Assembly devoted to the evaluation of the progress made in implementing the World Programme Of Action for Youth.

2. Participating in an informal, interactive round-table discussion on the theme "Young People: Making Commitments Matter".

3. Negotiating with other EU youth delegates to produce a common youth voice for Europe.

the selection

There was great interest in the youth delegate positions throughout the country. We received several hundred applications, generating a high level of competition. The 15 strongest candidates were
short-listed and interviewed by a panel at the FCO, which consisted of two members of staff from the FCO and Rich Bartlett, for UNYSA. The candidates gave a short presentation on the World Programme of Action for Youth and faced a series of challenging questions from the panel.

the youth representatives: in their own words

FREDERICK BERNAS

"My name is Frederick Bernas; I'm 18 years old and live in Chiswick, West London. At the moment I'm studying for A2 Levels in English, History and Politics.

I'm thrilled to have been selected to represent the UK's young people at the UN and am really looking forward to it. I've already done lots of youth empowerment work, having been involved with the UK Youth Parliament for nearly 18 months as both an MYP for Hounslow and the representative for London on the Procedures Group (the elected 'cabinet' of the organisation).

Work I've done includes setting up a London 2012 Olympic Bid youth forum, so young people can have their say on the plans, and helping the Department for Constitutional Affairs organise their first ever Schools Conference.

It is incredibly important that young people are consulted on the issues significant to us by decision-makers at all levels. Sending youth delegates to the UN is a fantastic step towards this and I will do my best to represent truly the views of young people in the UK. I also hope that we'll be able to alter the perception of youth in the media to show that we're not all yobs, thugs and hooligans!"

KRISTOFER McGHEE

"I am Kristofer McGhee and originally from just outside Glasgow. I study Business and Management and Public Policy at the University of Glasgow and start my fourth year after the summer break. At university, I
am the newly elected Vice-President of the Glasgow branch of UNYSA - it was this that brought to my attention the advertisement for the position of youth delegate to the United Nations. Additionally, I chair the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee of the Scottish Youth Parliament and have been elected Treasurer. I also volunteer as a Panel Member for Glasgow Children's Panel, supporting and aiding disadvantaged children and young people.

My selection as one of the three UK youth delegates is highly exciting: travelling to New York; consulting and representing UK young people and youth organisations; presenting to the UN General Assembly; meeting new people and learning about international youth participation. Undoubtedly, as delegates, we will
encounter some barriers and difficulties, but the challenge is to overcome these to represent best the young people of the UK. It is a task I am certainly looking forward to and I feel honoured to have been selected from over 600 applicants!"

KEELEY WILLIAMS

"My name is Keeley Willams and I am 20 years old. I live in Stratford, East London. I am currently studying
Psychology at Brunel University, where I have just completed my third of four years.

I have been a member of the Newham Youth Parliament for the past six years, and I was an MYP at the UKYP three years ago. I was selected to attend the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa with an umbrella group called 'Your Wake Up Call'. This was a great experience which involved lobbying ministers and delegates from around the world about the issues surrounding sustainable development.

The opportunity for three young people to become the UK's youth delegates and attend the General Assembly in New York is fantastic and I am so privileged to be one of them. I aim to make the most of it, not just for my own personal gains but so that the UK's youth are represented positively and productively. Youth participation is so important: it needs to be accessible, it needs to be given publicity and it needs to be regarded highly. Young people are always spoken about and spoken to, and there is rarely a platform where young people can be heard constructively and consulted with in a way which is not tokenistic. As young people we need to be involved in the decision-making about us in order to be powerful and to own our future."

For an in-depth account of Frederick Bernas' experiences in New York, see Newer World: January-March 2006