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Young activists deliver their agenda to Brown
Jack Lefley30 Mar 2009
YOUNG campaigners from around the world will today meet Gordon Brown to urge decisive action by G20 leaders on the global financial crisis, climate change and poverty.
The 20 activists, one from each G20 country, will talk to the Prime Minister and Chancellor Alistair Darling at Downing Street before meeting Foreign Secretary David Miliband. They will meet other world leaders during the week.
The campaigners will deliver an agenda of issues affecting young people to each delegation before the summit starts on Thursday. The "Global Changemakers", aged between 16 and 25, were selected by the British Council after submitting a two-minute application on YouTube.
They will also meet Bank of England staff, leading Tories and major business figures, including Goldman Sachs bosses.
UK representative Scott Forbes, 19, of Croydon, said people would lose faith in political leaders if little genuine progress was made this week. The King's College, London law student added: "This proves young people are not apathetic. The issues I will raise include HIV/Aids in sub-Saharan Africa, sustainable development and the conflicts being caused by the shortage of water in certain areas of the world."
Reader views (6)
A lot can be learned from studying the names of people who are associated with banking and the general financial world and what background they are from.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK, 28/05/2009 13:44
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And I'm sure they'll have all been carefully vetted to make sure they are terribly nice and polite and well behaved and don't ask any TOO difficult questions. Pass me the sick bag, somebody, please!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 28/05/2009 12:44
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What do these youngsters know about it?They're still whelks,wet behind the ears,just out of college after graduating in a pointless subject.Who needs their opinion?
- Steve, London, 28/05/2009 12:44
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From around the world?Looking at them they could all be 'from' London.
- Steve, London, 28/05/2009 12:44
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20 UK students also got a chance to meet Chancellor Alistair Darling and ask him questions that we as young people thought were important. Likewise, we worked alongside the Global Changemakers prioritising issues regarding the 'Recession' and providing alternative solutions that we hope they would pass on to the G20 leaders.
I think the previous readers as just CYNICAL AND BORING ...young people can make a difference and WE WILL!
- T., London, 28/05/2009 12:44
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Hi everyone. 
We sure asked difficult questions though not all of them were answered, and we came from all over the world - I even traveled with a 16-hours-flight from my country and went back home right after the G20. I think people can be nice, polite and critical at the same time, so it's not a problem. But thanks a lot for your comments. You have opened my eyes that there are too few people who believe that young people can change the world though they are the ones who will rule it someday.
- Alanda, Jakarta, Indonesia, 28/05/2009 12:44
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