What are the Youth Summits?
The Y7 is the official youth engagement group of the G7, an international summit of the seven largest advanced economies in the world. The Y20 is the official youth engagement group of the G20, an international summit of among the largest advanced and developing economies in the world.
The purpose of the youth engagement groups is to highlight the most pressing issues affecting young people and to connect with young leaders in order to solicit their solutions to tackle these challenges. The Youth Summits typically take the form of a week-long summit in the host country, bringing together young leaders from across the globe, to discuss and debate the big issues. The output of the summit is a communiqué containing policy proposals which is presented world leaders as part of the official G7/ G20 summit. This is a unique opportunity to influence at the highest level.
This year the Summits will be held in:
Y7 Washington D.C., United States of America: 1st - 5th June 2020
Y20 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 10th - 18th October 2020
What are we Looking For?
When selecting for the delegation we are looking for leadership - both previous experience and potential for leadership in the future. The application process assesses several aspects of leadership that can help us identify these candidates. We want to see ‘get-up-and-goers’ - people who see a problem and take initiative to tackle it. We want to understand how you use evidence and analytical skills to understand that problem and design solutions for it. And we want to hear about your resilience, and how you respond to setbacks in achieving your goals.
Some of our applicants are quite young, and so personal leadership experiences may be from university, place of work or with community organisations. We are assessing the quality of the experiences and what the applicant has learned from these moments of leadership. This means we don’t value any type of leadership experience over any other - we encourage you to bring your whole self to the application, and discuss the moments from any part of your life that have defined the leader you are. We don’t value lists of accolades or achievements - unless you can complement them with a reflection of how they have helped develop your leadership skills and contributed to your personal development.
We are also looking for people who have the interpersonal skills necessary to work through complex problems with people of different points of view. When representing your country at an international summit, you will require strong communication skills with the ability to present a clear argument. Delegates from across the world will arrive at the summit with their own priorities and policy agendas. It is important to be able to read the room and understand how your perspective could be more attractive if articulated differently. We will be assessing each applicant’s ability to make and defend balanced and pragmatic policy arguments.
So, at the written stage of the application, we are really looking for someone who shows they have experience that they can, or the potential to, deliver successful outcomes at the summit.
Selection Process
The selection process has two stages. The first stage is a written application and must be completed by 23:59:00 on Friday 24th January 2020. We will contact all candidates with the outcome of the first stage by Tuesday 28th January 2020.
Those successful at the first stage of selection will be invited to an assessment day on either Saturday 1st or Sunday 2nd February 2020. By submitting your written application you are confirming you would be available to attend this assessment day.
If you have any questions about the application process or the summits themselves, we will be hosting information evenings on Friday 10 January and Monday 20 January - sign up here. You can also contact us with any queries at hello@futureleaders.network.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply, candidates must:
Be aged 18 - 30 at the time of their chosen Summit;
Be a citizen of the United Kingdom and hold a valid UK passport;
Be able to attend an assessment centre day (1st or 2nd February 2020)
Be able to attend their chosen Summit for its entire duration and participate in the online pre-negotiation on regular basis
Be able to commit to the full year-long post, including activity pre- and post- the Summit relating to their role as a representative of the United Kingdom at an international level.
Important Financial Information
The Y7 and Y20 organisers have confirmed that all in-country costs - such as accommodation, food and transport to/from official events - will be covered by the host country. Delegates will be expected to cover the costs of international travel to and from their chosen summit.
What does the role of a UK Delegate involve?
The role of a Delegate doesn’t start or end at the Summit. Being a Delegate means representing the United Kingdom for a full year, from February 2020 - February 2021. So, at interview, we’ll want to know more about how you plan to shape your year-long role, and the skills and qualities you possess to make the most of this fantastic opportunity.
Your role will begin in February 2020 where, as part of developing your policy proposals for the Summit, you will have the opportunity to undertake consultation activity with young people across the United Kingdom. Feedback from previous delegations is that this is one of the most rewarding, eye-opening and inspiring parts of the role. You will design, develop and deliver a consultation approach and work together with your fellow Delegates to assimilate the evidence you have gathered to form your policy proposals. At interview, we’ll be looking for candidates who have ideas and energy to deliver this and who want to continue to bring more young people into the conversation of international policy making and diplomacy.
Upon your return, you’ll be expected to maintain momentum and deliver a ‘Post-Summit Initiative’. This could either be a national/international policy you were inspired by at the Summit, or an idea about how you can make a difference in your local community back home. We want you to be inspired by the Summit to make a meaningful change in the world. We won’t be expecting you to necessarily have this idea ready at this stage, but we will be looking for someone who understands some of the challenges of delivering change in the world, and who has ideas about how they can overcome these in the pursuit of wider strategic objectives.
Successful Delegates will also join the extended family of FLN alumni from previous summits. Alumni come from all walks of life, professions, backgrounds and aspirations. We relish new perspectives and especially those who disrupt the status quo. We’re looking for people who will join us on a mission to improve the quality of leadership across the globe and who are passionate about the value young people bring to the table.
APPLICATION WINDOW FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY HAS NOW CLOSED