The conferences drew delegates from all 5 continents of the world with backgrounds ranging from African Sport Development workers to HIV and Aids campaigners, university and school students, Ministers and London 2012 Organising Committee members!
Krumesh, a Youth Sport Trust Young Ambassador from Rushy Mead School in Leicester, was one of the UK Youth Delegates, he has summarized his experiences far more profoundly than I could:
'I have just recently come back from Namibia where I attended a youth and senior conference about sports and problems relating to them. My name is Krumesh and I am a Young ambassador of sport, I was chosen out of so many people to attend this conference and I was glad to be picked because it was a life changing experience. To meet so many people from all around the world and to discuss the problems and how to solve them not just in your nation but for a global stage was amazing. To have a youth conference was a brilliant idea because this way youth words were heard and then collectively could be passed on towards the main conference so the ‘important’ people can hear are views. I learnt so many things, especially about HIV/Aids, sports and gender issues and also sport and disability. This problems were not just in England but were problems all around the world, and as there were people from all around the world all points of view were heard and new and different ideas came up which were never thought of.
'When in Namibia I also learnt about other people’s culture and how excited they were about sport, which made me understand that sport has the power to change and influence the world. So it should be used for good and to improve the world, not just by the older people but the youth too because to be fair youth are the future so why not use them now and make a change now.
'Overall the trip was awesome and amazing because we met new people, learnt new things about their cultures and how they solve problems and how everyone is similar. Sport is like a Global language, which people from all around the world can understand and communicate with and therefore should be utilized to its up most power to make developments and changes for the better.'
