Power of youth - the UN Youth Delegate program

I have always believed that the power stays in our hands, the young people, to change the world that we live in. Not because more aged people are not capable, but because we are gifted with the energy of youth, with the drive given by the fact that we believe that our future is in our hands and there is still a lot of time to fulfill our dreams.

Having this thought in mind, I found an opportunity which is worth spreading the word about. I would have joined the program myself, but I am at a point where I decided another course of life for myself. Therefore, I want to write about the program “Youth Delegate at United Nations” from Romania. However, if you are reading this article and you are not Romanian, you have to know that it has also been implemented in other countries; you just have to research about it. 

It has been launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sport and it implies that two young people, a girl and a boy, will have the possibility of representing Romania in New York at the UN General Assembly from September/ October 2014 and at the Commission for Social Development from February 2015. However, having this position requires your involvement for one year, period during which you will have meetings with young people round the country, as well as be involved in other related activities.You can find more details about the program here.

As basic requirements, in order to be able to candidate, you must be a Romanian between 18 and 25 years old and you must have spent at least 6 months in Romania in the year before the moment of candidature. You can check here the stages of application, the requirements of the application file, the profile of the candidate, the role of the UN Youth Delegate, as well as other details. You can also join the Facebook event.

This short description from the official website of the UN Youth program may answer some questions regarding the global movement. : “Since 1981 the United Nations (UN) recommend Member States to include Youth Delegates in their national delegations in order to ensure direct youth participation. The inclusion of Youth Delegates in the work of its Mission to the United Nations gives a country legitimacy in representing the views of its young population and promotes the voice of young people in global decision making”.

And after all, why do this? Why run for the position? It is a chance for you to act, to intervene in the society, to bring up front all your potential and, nonetheless, have a year marked by personal and professional development.