Virginia Stuart-Taylor’s reflections:

No one will contest that it’s been a tough year for the globe so far. The dramatic events surrounding the Y7 Summit 2020 (the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic fallout and the BLM movement) have reinforced to me both (1) why multilateral solutions are needed to these international crises, and (2) why it’s now more crucial than ever to consult and amplify youth voices to those at the highest levels of power. Over the last 3 months I’ve learned so much in terms of international influencing and negotiating skills, and I’ve loved working within two high-performing and dedicated virtual teams, both within the UK delegation (Mohamed, Zoe and James) and across borders and time zones with my Peace & Security track colleagues from G7 countries. It’s been challenging to pull off the communique and the summit in these unusual circumstances, but I feel ecstatic to now see all our hard work pay off!

Mohamed Abdelrhman’s reflections:

What an absolute experience. Although we were unable to attend the summit in Washington in person, a great effort was made by all parties to ensure that the summit went ahead as smoothly as possible. The rest of the UK delegation put in huge amounts of work to ensure that we were all thoroughly prepared, and represented the UK to the best of our abilities in order to really voice the concerns of youths within the UK. Additionally, the Global Connectivity and Trade track introduced me to some of the most intelligent, hard-working and inspirational people that I have met. In a mere few short months - although they felt like years - of negotiations, I learnt a significant amount with regards to how diplomacy works, what effective negotiation looks like and actual theories of global economic development. On a more selfish note, the network that I have built has been second-to-none and I have already made what I think will be friends for life, and connections who will most certainly be able to help me in my future career endeavours. I’m proud to have represented the UK and hope to continue to do so effectively until the next delegates take over!

Zoe Martin’s reflections:

This will, no doubt, be one of the most memorable years for me. Not only taking part in once in a lifetime international summit, but during a global pandemic that has challenged the globe in every aspect, and forced plans to Washington DC to be moved to a virtual platform. Nonetheless, the week of the Y7 summit, and the months of negotiations prior, has taught me so much - working with such influential people allowed me to amplify existing skills whilst gaining skills and knowledge through the intense negotiations and high-performing virtual engagements. My biggest aim throughout has always been to ensure that all youth, no matter what their background, education or situation, is able to have their voice and opinion heard. After the summit, I am confident more than ever, that we are able to achieve this through the broad policies we created and the passion delegates have for amplifying people’s voices. I’m feeling incredibly proud to have been a part of this experience and cannot wait to start the post-summit initiatives!

James Forsey’s reflections:

The 2020 Youth G7 Summit has been an experience truly like no other. Thinking back to the start of the year when we began our journey seems like a distant dream given the change we have all seen this year. 

Whilst we did not get the opportunity to travel and meet the other delegates in person, we still spent a significant time together. Split into two parts; the pre-summit and the summit itself. During the pre-summit within the Energy track we met frequently in the months leading up to the summit in our weekly/bi-weekly negotiations over Zoom. I was incredibly impressed with the intelligence and passion of all the other delegates that I had the pleasure of working with. That said, virtual negotiations take up a significantly longer time than they would in person and the mental fatigue of trying to read 9 faces on a screen and not cross talk is something that definitely takes its toll. The summit itself was a great experience, whilst we were all located in our various bedrooms/dining rooms/home offices across the world, YPFP still managed to make the event have the impact of feeling like a significant event to end our process. In particular the fireside chats with inspirational ambassadors and members of the white house will be remembered.