Great people, great message, great fun, great mess – probably the best four words to describe what happened these ten days at the University of Stirling, Scotland, UK. The 3rd World Youth Congress held there gathered 600 of the world’s most dynamic young activists in the field of sustainable development and poverty eradication from more than 120 different countries.
The congress wanted to offer a unique opportunity to meet and work alongside young people who are really doing things and going places. This event wanted also to set a new standard for international youth events, and was indeed the largest and most inspirational gathering of its kind for young people taking place anywhere in the world in 2005.
After the “'Millennium Young People’s Congress” 1999 in Hawaii and another Congress 2003 in Morocco was the World Youth Congress in Scotland the third Conference of this series. Its focused aim was to draw the attention of peoples and governments to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations – which strive to reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and to eradicate other forms of poverty until 2015 – and to encourage the skills and motivation of the delegates to realize further action projects in the fields of MDGs and Sustainable Development (two issues which are connected in many fields, as you can also see in the Agenda 21).

Myself, I had the chance to attend WYC as representative of the international, in Germany based youth network YOIS (Youth for Intergenerational Justice and Sustainability), and, in particular, in my role as MDG Western Europe Regional Youth Editor for the global youth network TakingITGlobal, the world’s largest online community of young activists from every corner of this planet. As a Regional Youth Editor, I have the task to solicit, promote, advice and initiate young people’s projects for rasing awareness and to do their little part for the implementation of the MDGs.
The Congress was structured in three parts: (1) a skills part with workshops and discussion sessions, (1) an Action Project part sending the delegates out to Scotland to realize local projects, and (3) a reflection and future planing part to think about how the own activities for MDGs will go on after the Congress eventually finished; indeed the follow-up-phase is actually the widely most important result of the Congress which itself was obviously not designed for the helding debates about controversial political issues but to force up the delegates’ motivation to implement future projects and to create networks. Beside the actual programme, a special drafting committee being open for all delegates worked on a political declaration as outcome of the contents of the Congress.
The Congress opened with several motivating, but unfortunately rather contentless speeches held by younger and older activists. It was followed by a “Warm Scottish Welcome” in form of a Formal Dinner, being the first possibility for the delegates to meet each other in a really relaxed atmosphere – particularily after quaffing some glasses of wine and celebrating Scottish Ceilidh, practising Scottish dances and experiencing the first time the sound of bagpipes. Beforehand the delegates were moetly mixed together in groups called Clans being their “family” for the next days (and the Clans grew together indeed!).
The first official day of the Congress was also the best opportunity for TakingITGlobal to present its recently relaunched homepage to the many interested delegates. The features and tools of the TIG homepage were explained, with much positive feedback from the participants who stated that these online tools could be pretty useful for them and that they plan to use them in the future. Some delegates including myself as well as my colleagues Fabrizio (MDG Latin America Regional Youth Editor) and Franziska (MDG Youth Editor coordinating the work of the Regional Youth Editors) explained in the forum why and how they are engaged with TIG. Myself, I told that TIG gives me motivation to continue my work – because I know, that also other people around the world are working for a better world, with the same or often worse experiences and feelings of not to be heared and not to be able to changing something. “The delegates here want to be the change, and we can make a difference! Who, if not us, and when, if not right now?” Even I told this in my usual bad English, the audience was so nice to give me some applaus while I was hoping that the video of this session will never be uploaded online.
Two following days were filled up with workshops and discussion groups. Delegates could sign up for sessions with VIP Guests (renowed activists as well as e.g. representatives from UN), Sustainable Lifestyles Demonstrations or workshops held by delegates themselves. I attended the Session held by other German Delegates (being also both TIG and YOIS members) presenting the network “World Youth Citizens” arised from the 2nd World Youth Congress in Morocco; these activists involved in several projects promoting MDGs and international understanding produced some pretty good contacts, and moreover the Session was quite useful for me to present there the work I do for TakingITGlobal.


Another workshop I attended dealed with the “Ecological Footprint” – so the impact on environment we leave by all our activities. With help of a short questionnaire the couple of participants could calculate a rough estimate of their individual footprint. Even although I am from the resources-wasting Europe I could show a quite small footprint, apparently because I don’t travel as much as the others did. Advice for being the change by changing the own lifestyle to a more sustainable one: less meat, less travelling (particularly less by car and plane), switch to renewable electricity, less children, recycling water, saving food.
I also attended some two more workshops dealing with the chance of the European Union and with discussion skills, but both brought me no further findings at all; the one about Europe was in fact completely beside the actual issue.
The following three days were assigned to the Action Projects. The Clans established at the first day of the Congress went out to different places of Scotland to realize concrete projects including renewing local community facilities, forestry regeneration, conservation and working in drug rehabilitation projects.
The Project of Clan no. 22, the Ferguson Clan and the best of all (needless to say, this was my Clan), gathering amazing youngsters from Africa, Australia, Asia and Europe, had daily trips to a town close to the Highlands where our job was to to help the Local Community Trust shaping its Community Centre. We streamed rampant grass and cut trees (= we destroyed the environment; myself, I even destroyed the streamer), moved a bench and then – our great work – built an awesome shed. During the days we not only enjoyed the beautiful Scottish weather (Shean from Scotland: “This is rain? You haven’t experienced real Highland Rain yet!”) but also the amazing scenery of the Highlands and had a small hiking tour to an old gold mine where we were allowed to gold-hunting (and even found some, so we are all now well off men).
The third part of the Congress reflected the work that has been done so far and addressed the future work upcoming after the Congress. The delegates were supposed to draft individual Plans of Action to create 600 projects on MDGs around the world. These plans were collected, some were presented in the plenary, and the Congress organizers will keep an eye on the implementation of these projects. This time was also the time for national and regional meetings to connect amongst each other, and the time of drafting the latest version of the Policy Document.
The regional meeting of Europe was attended by about 50 delegates (for UK delegates, an extra meeting took place; nevertheless some British delegates attended the European meeting: “Yes we actually are still a part of Europe!”). I had the chance to present TakingITGlobal again and to ask the delegates to get involved in the TakingITGlobal’s MDG Western Europe Campaign. Furthermore I could give some advice what action projects could (and must!) be done on the 2nd White Band Day on 10 September 2005, when the Millennium +5 Summit takes place. Many delegates noted the date and agreed that they want to do something. We also discussed some more possibilities to take action, e.g. writing to MPs or even to become MP self (the youngest German MP is 20 years old).


The World Youth Congress was officially closed by a Closing Ceremony with some more motivation speeches, eventually leading to a Formal Dinner and a “Salsa Celtica” Night (a mixture of Latin American Salsa and traditional Scottish music) and furthermore, on the next day, a Closing Session in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
At the Session in the Parliament, only one representative per country was allowed to take part, due to the limited space in the Parliament. It was a honour for me to be able to represent my country there. One delegate of each continent had been selected to speak some words about the claims for youth involvement. After a video about the Congress was launched, the final Policy Document and reports about the Action Projects were overhanded to the Socttish prime minister who also said some words congratulating us for this event and our willness to be the change.
The World Youth Congress was a really great experience for all participants and so for me. I met great people, we sent out a great message, we had much fun together (even without good Bavarian beer that I missed very much). I could collect new experiences in international youth work, could establish new networks, met new friends from all over the world, had the chance to talk face-to-face to activists I already knew before to improve our common work, learned more about other countries and cultures, and discovered Scotland. The staff did a really great job to organize this mega-event so frictionless.
But there were also some points to critizise: For instance, when some clan members asked our clan coordinator what our projects has actually to do with the MDGs, he couldn’t give an answer. The next day he said: actually nothing. And he was right: Cutting grass and building a shed does neither contribute to poverty eradication nor to sustainable development. The project targeted only to create a team spirit and maybe to collect some experiences on how community development could go. I would have prefered a clear link of all the action projects to the MDGs.
Also the list of workshops was not the best. There was no single one workshop on how to lobby governments, no workshop telling in general about MDGs etc. Moreover the workshops were too short, only one hour per workshop is not enough.
The speeches at the plenary sessions were meaningless, exchangeable: “We are the change, we can make a difference, bla bla.” Always the same. One motivation speech – okay. Ten motivation speeches – no. More content, more concrete political speeches would have been better. This means both the speeches of activists and NGO/UN/government representatives at the WYC plenary and the speeches of delegates at Scottish parliament. There was no single one claim for concrete political action. And the prime minister also didn’t say: Yes, thank you, now we act! He just said: You’re great people, thanks to coming to Scotland.
A group of delegates including myself moreover critized by a declaration that the Congress was not shaped environmentally sustainable at all: Wasting of plastic cups, BP as a sponsor, long bus tours with double-deckers only 15 people sitting in, no CO2-compensation projects, the WYC t-shirts not fair-traded etc. We asked the staff to improve this situation significantly at next WYC in Quebec.
Beside these points of constructive critic which is unavoidable for every event, the World Youth Congress was a real chance to create motivation, skills and networks amongst young activists from all over the world. For many, it was even an experience changing their life. I hope for a long list of successful action projects. Then, the Congress would have fulfilled its aims, indeed. The there would be the difference the Congress wanted to make. Then we would have the right to say at next WYC in Quebec: We WERE the Change!