​
The Topic I featured in for the summit was Young People's health. Mental was a very significant topic of discussion at the summit. 
A highlighting example was the country of Kenya, establishing a hustler's fund so that young people going through similar phases could be assisted. 
 
 
There are many neurodiverse causes of mental health and of course social factors can play a role. 
 
Many held the voice for the betterment of mental health including a teenage girl faced with Autism. She decided to become a youth activist. Hence, we encourage set up of associations for Mental Health like Cancer Association.
 
A medical professional stated that MHS must approach a holistic treatment of medicine. Nutritional psychiatry must be introduced, where hence food is the medicine for mental disorders. New diversities of treatment can be encouraged for Seychelles MHS, MOF and MOE.
 
Socio-economic regression can be discussed as prices from private sector professionals are quite significant. A limiting factor was placed on Public MHS as they cannot handle all cases and sometimes the poor are less privileged.  
 
The question in a master class was how the people of Rwanda can be healed from genocide effects mentally. In any country with conflict, reconciliation is key. Forgiveness or pardon can help heaps to reduce tension. By releasing anger and resentment from heart, you leaving room for better emotions like love, joy to fill in. Hence better emotional mental health.
 
The country may require a student union, for young students to seek advice for people who will stand up for them. Counselling sessions may be available for them also. Age factor or category can be further discussed for what is relevant.
 
Introduction of school counsellors is a great helping factor, but from the direct sources of MHS professionals, the classroom dealing with the classrooms. Supportive teachers must be restored in the classrooms so that less pressure is demanded on MHS, hence better efficiency on worthy cases.  Introductory modules of psychology into the education diploma or BSC will be most useful to help facilitate psychology or teacher -student support.
 
A wise young man stated, the youth must be the help they want to see. We must not depend on infant milk but walk the talk. Added further comments, be wise on the talk we walk! Perfect examples are young people joining the African Continental Youth organizations, consequently young people setting up associations and businesses to help the young.  These could relate to helping teen mothers, unemployed and the under looked/overlooked. By helping our brothers and sisters, we will reduce their mental stress and anxieties. 
 
If we want to see young people ameliorate or evolve in society, we must be on the decision-making table of the country. It has been noted that the elderly cannot deal with our problems, the way we can. It was stated by a Deputy President of Kenya, that 30% of parliament are young people and he is DP. Higher note, that the President won the election due to the young activist. The young people must join the decision-making table to help the young people, which will improve the mental health of young people. 
 
Furthermore, it can be noted that we need larger amounts of mental and sexual health advocacy. We need to do more to support the mentally ill. 
 
Many presidents and governmental leaders at the youth summit expressed that it is high time for the youth to act. There are certain and specific modules of life in which we are more experienced to deal with. We need to convince and encourage youthful investment from government and other stakeholders through a positive force of light. The light movement of young people. 
 
Main causes of mental health are stress. If we can deal with stress factors, we can reduce mental and sexual outburst of poor health. Better economic conditions, investment in the young will decline in such at times alarming figures, e.g., Teen pregnancies. 
 
Comment: The feedback from the UN Youth Survey proves to be efficient as they are correlated to ideas/solutions, hence presented.
 
The stigma on mental health is breaking, direct to the figures of the young leaders of UN Youth stating mental health matters or is important! This is in the ratio where mental health professionals have stated that the stigma is breaking.


Hence, we need to be more resilient. We must stand as youth warriors bringing light into our society. Be the help, we want to see! Rather to receive aid, let us create youth empowerment.
 
Stress, social factors, economic factors are the many factors which can contribute negatively or positively to young people’s mental health. Hence by working on such and many others, we can approach the youthful lifestyle in an enhanced way and hence a better mental and sexual health. 
 
Leroy Victorine
Public Relations of UN Youth Seychelles

My name is Victoria Gao, and I am a student from International School Seychelles. As I was born and raised in the Seychelles, many aspects of my life have been closely entangled with the local flora and fauna. This had heavily influenced me into joining local NGOs such as SYAH and UN Youth Seychelles, as the concept of preserving the environment has always been a top priority within the Seychelles. 

​Thus, when an email came through to our school promoting the UN Youth Assembly, it immediately caught my interest. I then directly contacted UN Youth Seychelles founder, Ms. Annarose Clarisse to obtain more information. The UN Youth Assembly is a unique platform where youths from around the globe gather together and obtain the opportunity to engage in discussions and stimulate new ideas in ways to achieve a sustainable future for all.
 
I decided to apply as I see it as an incredible, once in a life time opportunity to really broaden my horizons and to ensure I am capable of disproving the stereotype with members of a small island nation like Seychelles being associated with having tunnel vision. I felt the urge to relish this opportunity and really open my eyes and mind to see the different opinions and issues youth my age is facing from various parts of the world.
 
Furthermore, I wanted to raise awareness to the youths of Seychelles so they would more likely be engaged implementing the SDGs locally. I would use the experience and knowledge obtained at the Youth Assembly and widespread the knowledge here by working with the local NGOs.
 

​Applications to the Youth Assembly were done through their online website, and it was necessary to fill in some questions regarding the SDGs as well as your current involvement. Then a fee of 100USD deposit was to be made after your acceptance email comes through. In total, the fees were around 3300USD.
 
To be able to attend, Seychellois citizens must apply for an US visa. Unfortunately, we do not have an American embassy locally and the nearest office is in Mauritius. This was quite inconvenient for our team this year as they had to travel to Mauritius first to obtain their Visa. Fortunately for me, I already obtained one so that trip was avoided.
 
The application process went fairly smoothly, and my acceptance email came through around 2-3 weeks after application. However, one obstacle I faced was the funds. Since UN Youth Seychelles is a non-for-profit organization, businesses could provide sponsorship and the amount they sponsor could be deducted through CSR tax payments. Luckily for me, I was able to find a company that is willing to fund my US trip. There was also a case where a member’s trip was fully self-endorsed, but 3300USD with an approximate of 25000scr for air fares is a vast amount and thus I would suggest trying and get sponsorships from companies early to ensure fees are covered. 

Our first destination was New Jersey. Since our scheduled check-in time at the Farleigh Dickinson University was early in the morning, we arrived the night before and stayed at the Hyatt Hotel.
As we arrived at the Fairleigh Dickinson university, Florham campus, we were immediately greeted by friendly staff that directed us to the lobby where we collected our name badge, UN pass, documents, toiletries as well as a bag of complimentary snacks. They then provided us with a guided campus tour to show us the facilities and be familiarized with the location as we stayed there for 3 nights. It gave me great insight to what college life would be like.
On the first night, after dinner all the delegates gathered at the field in front of the student center, and there they held a scavenger hunt, which was a great ice breaker.

The landscape was vast and filled with greenery. FDU’s Florham campus is situated in a suburban area which gives a very refreshing feeling, away from the chaotic, quick paced city.
 
During our stay, we met with our assigned peer mentor, who helped provide guidance on our Social Venture project for Sustainable Development, which our assigned groups have been working together on since before we arrived in the US. We also attended lectures on social entrepreneurship, delivered by the university professor, which was very inspiring.
 
On the third day, we boarded the bus for the scheduled field trip to visit one of the pharmaceutical giants in the industry, Novartis Corporation. There, we had breakfast and attended a formal presentation followed by a Q&A session led by the Corporate department head. It allowed me to have better insight to how corporate is sharing social responsibility and contributing to the Social Development Goals.
 
the next day, we packed up our suitcases and was scheduled to travel to New York city, but before that, we presented our Social Venture Project that we have been working on for the past month. We gave a 15 mins presentation and was given feedback from the judges. After lunch, the winners were announced, and we boarded the bus foe transfer to NYC. 

In New York, we resided at Pace university dormitory. The campus is in the heart of lower Manhattan and had the exciting and exhilarating feel of the fast-paced city life.  
 
During our stay in New York, our main activities were visits to the United Nations Headquarters to attend the UN Youth Assembly.  As we arrived at the UN visitors entrance, we had to produce our photo ID as well as our badges and previously allocated UN pass. After we’ve passed through security check-in and screening, we were given a guided tour inside the UN Headquarters. In the evening, we headed back to UN Headquarters to attend the Youth Assembly Official Opening Ceremony at the general assembly hall. It was an amazing experience to be able to visit there and I was absolutely awed by the surreal experience. I had this feeling of being closer to something bigger, I truly felt I should thrive to accomplish more. I was riveted by my surroundings and the innovative youth leaders around me. That very same hall, where Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, where Fidel Castro gave his speech gave his infamous 4 hours speech on the ‘philosophy of robbery”, where numerous remarkable events that had led to lasting impacts on our lives, and there I was, standing in the heart of all that.

There, I attended many conferences and workshop panels on subjects such as “Empowering Youth to take action on the Global Refugee Crisis”, “Out with Exclusion, in with Rights”, “Environment, Poverty and an Inclusive Green Economy” and many more revolving social, environmental, economic and youth discussions. It was absolutely mind opening and engrossing. I was exposed to many topics and issues that I was not aware of before and it was like an abrupt wake up call to me that 16 years of living and yet I knew so little about matters that should be brought to everyone’s attention. I was compelled to find out more about the topics of discussion and it made me realize how important it is for the youths of today to be aware, be expressive of their views on world matter and avoid having tunnel vision, as it is us that will shape the future. 

Washington DC had a completely different ambiance to New Jersey and New York. It had the stimulating city life atmosphere but seemed to lack the hustle and bustle that usually accomplices the large cities, which made Washington DC my favorite city out of all three that we visited. As we explored the city, formidable skyscrapers loomed over, and elegant historical buildings stood tall and dignified. My favorite visit was to the National Mall, though the name is quite misleading as it isn’t a mall but an open park consisting numerous museums and famous landmarks. During our stay in DC, we had visits to United Nations Association of the United States of America and attended a seminar there, where we gained insight to the missions of UNA-USA, followed by Q&A. we also attended seminars at an organization called Sustainable DC, where we learnt their plans for sustainability, climate adaptation plans, as well as their energy and waste program. We also had the opportunity to visit the World Bank, as well as the IRF, and that was the end to our journey in the US.

​WHAT DO I ENVISION FOR YOUTH IN SEYCHELLES
 
I envision for the youth in Seychelles to be more aware of global issues, voice their opinions and act. No matter how mere they think their actions are, together, it creates momentum. Just like the butterfly effect, even the smallest flutter can indeed cause a hurricane.
Thus, we need to encourage them to use their knowledge and voice to help shape and work towards a more inclusive society, as well as the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals for a more sustainable future, and not to be discouraged by thinking their actions are too mere to make an impact. 

 
The Youth Assembly at the UN is an international conference that presents both an enormous opportunity and a challenge to stimulate and ensure youth engagement and participation in achieving an inclusive and sustainable future where no one is left behind. The conference explores cross-cutting issues and solutions for sustainable development in the social, economic and environmental dimensions. The conference provides a platform for youth from around the world to learn and share practical knowledge and skills with experienced professionals and fellow attendees through dynamic panels and workshops.
 
Seychelles is a small country and many do not even realise that we exist. I want to be a voice for the youth and share my experiences and my knowledge back home. I want to grow as a person, tackling all my fears and becoming a better leader. I want to be able to speak up and help advocate for those that can’t. At the Youth Assembly, I wanted to learn how to do more so I can bring it back home and do more for my community. Being a Youth Assembly delegate means doing more than I am already doing. I wanted to experience what the world has to offer and help change the things that need to be improved. The world has potential and I feel like an opportunity where I can help develop myself and in turn aid to empower someone else is pivotal to me. I am extremely lucky to have the opportunities that I have been given in my life and I feel like I wouldn’t be living fully unless I utilise everything I have to its fullest.
 
The journey to the UN Youth Assembly was long and winding, from getting the necessary preparations for the US visa to the raising of the funds. Out of 8 delegates from Seychelles, 4 of us were required to travel to Mauritius. Having applied for the visa online and booking the appointment, time seemed to be going by so fast. We only returned to Seychelles a week prior to our flight to the US. As for raising of the funds, I was sponsored by different businesses as well as partial self-funding. Finding sponsorship was not an easy task especially since I only started looking for funding in May and the deadline for payment was on the 15th of June.
 
The UN Youth Assembly was an extraordinary experience; however, I did feel like the itinerary so compact that it left barely any time to network or sight-see. In New Jersey, where we stayed at Fairleigh Dickinson University, we took part in a Social Venture Project that we had to create with different members of our team. Our project was called Food 4 Thought which tackled with children obesity and gave children a healthier alternative at school. Having presented our project to other delegates and judges and listened to other groups present their projects, I realised that so many people out there, even those younger than we are have some amazing ideas out there. One project that stood out for me was one named Jaygo which may not have been the winner but for me they were just as impressionable. Jaygo was a project that gave people access to an app which allowed people, ngos and charities to post their projects on a map with details about what their project is and what it aims to do and gives sponsors and people like you and me a chance to donate money from anywhere around the world to these global projects. It even allows you to search for projects around the area/ country you live, like Trivago for projects. We didn’t get a chance to visit City Green where we would have had workshops and activities relating to urban farming because of the weather, which I was really looking forward to. We even had a few activities like a scavenger hunt and sporting activities for bonding which was great since I ended up meeting a lot of different people because of it.
 
In New York, where we stayed at PACE University, we got a tour of the United Nations Headquarters and attended sessions in the different conference rooms.  Moreover, we were given the opportunity to sit in the General Assembly Hall where previous global leaders have sat before us. We even got to visit the Permanent Mission of Canada which for me seemed rather dry. My favourite session by far was on by Microsoft which was on how technology can bring people together. The presenter spoke with such passion that I felt like I wanted to get into the field of technology and aid the fight for inclusion. Another session which I was inspired by was a panel of like-minded delegates that have done so much in their respective countries and spoke about what they’ve done and the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. One of the panellists, an 18 year old boy named George from the UK, had been volunteering in Africa, and tackling the clean water crisis at the age of 12.
 
In Washington DC, we got the chance to visit the World Bank, IMF and Sustainable DC to name a few. The opportunity was great but I did feel like it was lacking because it felt like information we could have read online rather than a close-up view of their operations or something that you can find in Google.  We did also get to see the landmarks. I saw the White House, Capitol Hill and the Washington Monument to name a few.
 
To make the most out of the Assembly, you need to talk to as many people as you possibly can in the short amount of time you have there. Although it was 12 days long, the UN Youth Assembly seemed to zoom by so fast. Talking to people from around the world and hearing their stories, their struggles and even some of the amazing solutions to issues they faced back home can either inspire your own ideas for projects or things to do back in Seychelles or even change your view of the world. If an 18 year old can create a project impacting over 100 people within their community then why can’t we?
 
After visiting the UN Youth Assembly and all the talk on the SDGs, I felt that to aid in the success of the Goals, I would continue creating projects with AIESEC in Seychelles and even starting a project with the amazing group I went to US with. The UN Youth Assembly gave me perspective and I believe every single person that went came back wanting to create projects and do more now than they did before they left and that is why being a apart of UN Youth Seychelles, we will have that opportunity.
 
I believe that the Youth in Seychelles have more than enough opportunities. We are so privileged, every single one of us and have listened to people from across the world sharing their stories, I think Seychelles Youth can do more than we are currently doing. Having said this, I feel that so many either do not see the countless opportunities in front of them or choose to ignore it. I can envision as much as I want to for the Youth of Seychelles but it is up to each and every one of them to take a stand and grasp at these dreams and make them their reality.

he application process entailed questions ranging from involvement in the society and preferred SDGs. Upon securing a place in the programme, I travelled to the American Embassy in Mauritius to obtain my B1/B2 visa. In view of the cost of the programme, airfare and visa, I approached several organisations seeking sponsorship of which 2 organisations graciously agreed to support my journey.

The first part of the package, SVSD, was held in Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey where vital skills in building and developing a social venture were explored. At the culmination of the 3 days at New Jersey, teams had to present theirsocial venture to peers and judges. The presentation was centered around offering solutions towards achieving SDGs and this was my favourite aspect of the programme as it entailed gathering collective ideas from team-members which resulted in a product we were very proud of.

The Youth Assembly at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York was the penultimate section of the package. The pillars of the UN and tour of the headquarters kickstarted the experience for the delegates. Particularly, I enjoyed attending workshops which covered various SDGs as it showcased innovative solutions currently being implemented by different institutions. Moreover, the opening ceremony held in the grandiose General Assembly Hall was a spectacular event graced by several key members of the international community such as the President of the 71stGeneral Assembly.

The final leg of the package in Washington D.C. entailed visits to international organisations dedicated towards the cross-sectoral implementation of SDGs. I visited the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), Sustainable D.C., World Bank and International Monetary Fund. This segment was my least favourite as it was not as interactive as the other sessions. Nonetheless, this opportunity provided exposure of international organisations often discussed through various forms of media.

This programme was the ideal platform to showcase our island nation and what we can offer to delegates from around the world. Furthermore, I hope to utilise my skills acquired during the programme such as developing a social venture, public-speaking skills, awareness of the SDGs, networking opportunities established with other NGOs and individuals towards implementing projects in Seychelles which will alleviate certain issues plaguing our society.

​As a result of participating in the programme, I was inspired by the ease with which individuals from all corners of the world forged friendships. These days, individuals tend to magnify differences rather than focus on similarities. Being privy to issues affecting societies in other parts of the world, I realised the problems prominent in Seychelles are minor in comparison. My wish is for everyone to have an informed perspective on various issues by coming up with innovative solutions instead of focusing on the negative aspects of our society.

their findings along with the UN Youth members. They stressed on technology and extracurricular activities.
 
The Ministry of Education interns have left the island with a significant impact behind them. Their presentations on the SDGs were enjoyed by the students of all ages: from Anse Royal primary school to the Seychelles Institute of Technology. Other schools visited by the interns included Anse Boileau secondary school, La Digue school and Maritime school. Mr Daniel Gordon is well known for his experience in organising school conferences especially Model United Nations thus his role was to develop a framework for MUN, diplomacy programme and other opportunities that we currently do not have access to.
 
 
Questions for the interns*consultants:

1. What motivated you to come to Seychelles as an intern?

 
Once the CEO of UN Youth Seychelles, Annarose Clarisse, told me about the opportunity to partner with the Ministry of Education in Seychelles, I was eager to delve into the educational policy and the student life in schools. Additionally, visiting schools throughout the country would give me a local and national perspective of the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 which are designed “to take the bold and transformative steps which are urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path.” Through a partnership with the University of Seychelles as well, I was able to develop a project proposal to introduce Model United Nations across the country as a tool for education and practical leadership skills.
 

Daniel. G with Ms Annarose Clarisse at the UN Youth Assembly 2016 in New York UNHQ

1. Was there anything that surprised you when you arrived?

 
Besides a gecko jumping out over my hand from a box of my cereal, I was surprised by the number of expatriate teachers in secondary schools. At almost every school I visited, I discussed with the head teachers about the lack of human resources within the education system, especially with the shortage of Seychellois teachers. Although there is even a shortage of teachers in the United States, especially in rural and urban low-income areas, the problem is exacerbated in Seychelles due to a unique conundrum of balancing languages in a trilingual system.
 
 
 
Arrival in Seychelles
 

1. What was the most memorable part of your internship?

 
The most memorable part of the internship was working with the students as they were interested in international affairs and the SDGs. All of the students were excited about the opportunity to make a change in a plethora of ways within their own community to create a sustainable future. Whenever I would ask students what they would do to create change, I could see that they were brimming with innovative ideas to integrate within their own community.

1. What do you regard as the challenges of this experience?

 
One of the challenges I faced was traveling alone internationally. Never before had I traveled so far away from home, much less without family. In the United States, very few people even know about Seychelles or where it is due to the immense geographical distance between the two countries. It took two days of travel to arrive. In addition, there are cultural differences between the US and Seychelles ranging from food to technology that required adjustment.

1. What do you think were the benefits of the internship for you?

Although there were a plethora of benefits during the experience, the most important was networking and collaborating with other youth and youth educators. Through UN Youth Seychelles, I expanded my sphere of knowledge in educational policy and received support from a variety of organizations. With the Seychelles National Youth Council, I attended an alcohol and drug abuse awareness workshop and a session of Youth Inspire Youth. The Minister of Education and Human Resources in Seychelles, Joel Morgan, besides partnering with UN Youth for the internship, was also a strong supporter of a national Model UN circuit.

1. What about the benefits and impact for the community?

The benefits of the partnership will manifest themselves with the change the students make in the country. The goal for the program was to ignite a passion for students about the importance of a role in global society. One of the proposals that I am developing for the University of Seychelles is a practical volunteerism competition among secondary school students. The students will create and present charities or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to a panel of judges. The NGOs can then be implemented in the community as an impetus for local and national change.

1. In your opinion, what should the community of Seychelles start or keep doing for it to be on the right track with implementing the SDGs?

At different points throughout my work at the United Nations, I have been asked whether I thought that the sustainable development goals made a difference. While some countries do not delve deeply into each objective and initiative of the sustainable development goals, the dedication to achieve theses goals in Seychelles is laudable. Throughout the Ministry of Education, ministry members and educators were knowledgeable of the sustainable development goals and their potential impact on the world. The Seychelles community should keep their dedication to the environment and reusability of materials.

1. What do you think was the greatest achievement and your favourite part of the internship?

The greatest achievement of my time in Seychelles was teaching hundreds of students about the United Nations SDGs. My favorite part of the internship was working with students and admiring their creativity and diligence towards creating a better future. In addition, the people at the partner organizations (UN Youth Seychelles, UniSey, SNYC, and the Ministry of Education) were amazing and kind. The sheer number of people who have given me a lift or showed me an interesting place speaks volume of the generosity of Seychelles.

1. What is your preferred SDG and why? Which ones do you think are being implemented in Seychelles right now?

I have two favorite sustainable development goals. Goal 4: Quality Education and Goal 17 Partnership for the goals are both extremely important for the future. Without quality education the next generation is stifled in their ability to continue progress in solving international problems like pollution and when global populations do not work with each other there is often contention compared to cooperation. The goal that is best implemented in Seychelles now is Goal 13: Climate Action as Seychelles has done the most to prevent pollution in its oceans and increase renewable resources.
​

I first came across the UN youth Assembly through Facebook. I contacted Miss. Annarose Clarisse directly and asked for more information. The UN Youth Assembly is a unique platform where youths from around the globe gather together and obtain the opportunity to engage in discussions and stimulate new ideas in ways to achieve a sustainable future for all.  UNYA delegate is an individual aged from 15 to 29 that is part of and attends the assembly. I decided to apply and take part in the Assembly.
Having the opportunity to participate in one of the world’s most recognized youth’s event is a once in a lifetime chance not only for the exposure but also to truly learn and grasp an understanding of how it would feel to be part of the United Nations. I was hoping the experience would enable me to grow and become empowered by giving the youth of my country a voice, to raise awareness towards sustainable development and show them that the Seychelles islands are as much involved in world affairs as many other countries.
Preparation:
Applications for the 22nd Youth Assembly were done through their online website whereby we had to answer a few questions regarding the sustainable development goals and which one I was interested in. In order to attend the conference, you need to apply and be selected by the organising team called Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF). After receiving your acceptance email from FAF, I had to find my own means of funding. Since UN Youth Seychelles is a non-for-profit organization, businesses could provide sponsorship and the amount they sponsor could be deducted through CSR tax payments. Luckily, I managed to get sponsorships to cover my package fee and airfare.
There are several programmes you can attend. I chose to attend the Premier package which was 3300USD in total fees and the trip would last for almost 2 weeks.
Visa: sadly, the nearest American Embassy is in Mauritius. They have an online application form; however, an interview is also required as part of the procedure.
 
Summary of the Programme:
The programme would take us to 3 major cities in the United States.

• NEW JERSEY

 
Our first destination was New Jersey. Due to our flight schedule we arrived late Monday evening at the Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham campus. After a couple of calls and asking a few wandering delegates for help later, we were finally greeted by friendly staff in the lobby where we collected our name badge, UN pass, documents and toiletries. After the long hours of travelling and the fact that we had to wake up at 7am the next day, we headed straight to bed.
I believe it would have been best if we had arrived a day before and stayed at a hotel close by. That would have helped with the jetlag and tiredness. We resided there for 3 nights.  It gave me great insight to what college life in the US would be like.
All attendants were obligated to create a Social Venture Sustainable Development (SVSD) project and compete against each other. During the 3 days, we met with our assigned peer mentor who helped provide guidance on our Social Venture project for Sustainable Development, which our assigned groups have been working together on since before we arrived in the US. We also attended lectures on social entrepreneurship, delivered by the university professors, which was very inspiring.
In New Jersey, we went on two field trips: 1) Novartis Corporation Visit (where we taught how to corporate in the business sector, sharing social responsibility and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals) and 2) the CITI GREEN VISIT (where we taught food systems and about how the community is contributing to the development of sustainable green city).
Alvania Lawen (my Seychellois colleague who was also attending UNYA) were placed by the FAF in a group alongside other African members, Uduakodong Etukondo from Nigeria; Michele Kouamelan from the Ivory Coast and Vanessa Dove-Nicol from Sierra Leone.

 
 
 
Our group decided to focus on SDG 4 quality education, SDG 8 for good jobs and SDG 5 for gender equality. Our project was called Goals 4 Girls, which aimed at providing internships for young girls from Sierra Leone.
 
To really have an impact on what we were trying to, we had to come up with a logo idea.
 
This is the logo we chose for our project. The logo was designed by Miss Juliette Zelime, a Seychelloise artist graduate whom specialises in graphic designs (a Master Graduate in Graphics and Design from CAFA University in Beijing China).
 
We had to do a great deal of research and really work as a team to gather our ideas for our project. In the end, we all had a common goal, to have an impact on people’s lives, to provide ideas and solution to help make the world a better place. So, it’s easy to say, we connected so well as a team because our hearts and mind were in the right place.
 
We focussed on Sierra Leone because the statistics proved to be more drastic. However it is an idea that can work in every country. We spoke of the importance providing internships to young woman, to enable them to find jobs after secondary school.
 
We had to do give a 15 mins presentation and was given feedback from the judges. The award for best project was given during the afternoon before heading out to our next stop New York.
 
It felt amazing to be standing in-front of so many influential youths and experts delivering our presentation. Many were impressed by the points we made.
 
Our project ended up winning first place for the SVSD competition. We being the first Seychellois to win at such an international level, as an African team, were regarded as high importance.

• NEW YORK

 
In New York, we resided at Pace university dormitory. The campus is in the heart of lower Manhattan and had the exciting and exhilarating feel of the fast-paced city life. Our dormitory room was faced just opposite of the new twin tower (world trade centre) which was magnificent. However, we only figured that out during our second night stay there.  
During our stay in New York, our main activities were the official opening ceremony of the UN Youth Assembly, visits to the United Nations Headquarters and also some visits to some on New York’s Ivy League Universities.  
The first visit was to the United Nations Headquarters, as we arrived at the UN visitor’s entrance, we had to produce our photo ID as well as our badges and previously allocated UN pass. After we’ve passed through security check-in and screening, we were given a guided tour inside the UN Headquarters.
After the tour, we walked to the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. Proceed to Grand Central Terminal for some leisure time with your YA       Representative. Meet your YA Representative and transfer to Hunter College Assembly Hall by Subway.
Usually the opening ceremonies are held within the United Nations Headquarters; sadly we didn’t get to experience that mainly because the UN was under renovations for the upcoming General Assembly held every September. Therefore the organisers had the 22nd Session of The Youth Assembly opening at the Assembly Hall of Hunter College which is part of the City University of New York in Midtown Manhattan.
The opening ceremony was a success! I was personally impressed by all the influential personals who attended the ceremony, especially Professor Jeffrey Sachs, University Professor of Columbia University, Director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Special Advisor on the SDGs to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres. Professor Sachs was one of the leading architects behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda.
Delegate speakers discussed the concept and process of creating their own social ventures, while highlighting The Youth Assembly’s commitment to the SDGs and youth led action.
It was so surreal. I truly felt like being a part of something greater. When listening to the young leaders/innovators speeches, I felt as though I was finally in a place where my ideas were welcomed or will they be laughed at. That was important to me.
After the conclusion of the Opening Ceremony we had the option to head back to the University dorms or go on a New York City Tour. We chose the latter.
Picture: Alvania Lawen and myself in Times Square.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Throughout our stay in New York we spent our day at New York University, attending breakout sessions and workshops.
The 22nd Session of the UN Youth Assembly covered some of the major contemporary challenges to sustainable development, including environmental issues, such as climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources, international migration and the rise in number of refugees and displaced persons, rapid urbanization, and censorship. These sessions focused on ways in which young people can contribute in tackling these global challenges, and ensure that the world they inherit will be one that is equitable, and that preserves our planet for generations to come.
There, I attended several sessions and workshop panels on subjects such as “Empowering Youth to end poverty”, “the climate reality project: youth taking action to tackle climate change” “taking action on environmental challenges”, “closing the gap: building gender equality in leadership” “the World Bank Group” and many more revolving social, environmental, educational and youth discussions.
It was truly fascinating to attend these breakout sessions. Here I thought I knew quite a lot regarding these topics, but I since then realised just how much I didn’t know. It was truly an eye opener for me. It made me realize how important it is for the youths of today to be aware, be expressive of their views on world matter and why they should keep pressing on the issues and take action.
After winning Best Project Proposal (Social venture for sustainable development seminar) in New Jersey, we were asked to attend and present our project at the Youth Assembly Impact Challenge, which was held at the New York University (NYU) Law School. This was an opportunity of a life time. Winner of the impact challenge would have been awarded with seed funding and will continue to be connected to resources, receive mentorship and support from Friendship Ambassadors Foundation to help launch their vision into action. Our team was led to a private hall in front of a panel of judges and compete for the prize. 
Sadly, we did not win.

 
 
 
 
Finalists at the UNYA Impact Challenge.

• WASHINGTON DC

 
Washington was our last stop on this trip. It is known as the governmental hub of USA. A place I have always wanted to visit. The atmosphere there was completely different than that of New York. It is by far my most favorite city out of all three that we visited. We stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel which was super close to the Washington Post Newspaper office.
The City is Beautiful. All of the historical sites and buildings were remarkable. Our visit was to the National Mall, though the name is quite misleading as it isn’t a mall but an open park consisting numerous museums and famous landmarks. 

During our stay in DC, we had visits to United Nations Association of the United States of America and attended a seminar there, where we gained insight to the missions of UNA-USA, followed by Q&A. we also attended seminars at an organization called Sustainable DC, where we learnt their plans for sustainability, climate adaptation plans, as well as their energy and waste program. We also had the opportunity to visit the World Bank, as well as the IRF. We also had a visit around the George Washington University and that was the end to our journey in the US.

• MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE

 
The experience has been amazing; the premier programme I was engaged in included seminars and project developments in New Jersey, the UNYA in New York which also included a variety of side events at universities such as George Washington University to New York University, as well as community work, and finally workshops and sessions in Washington DC at places such as the World Bank Headquarters, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Senate and House Gallery.
The programme is extremely bulky and exhausting but in a way that excites you, engages you and empowers you to continue doing good and advancing in your field with better knowledge, capabilities and material to bring back home.
The workshops and breakout sessions were most often deliberated by youth who share their success and failure stories, and how to get back up when you fail, as well as their perspectives of how the organisations they are part of work which helped a lot. The seminars in DC were an eye opener and really clarify a lot.

• WHAT DO I ENVISION FOR YOUTH IN SEYCHELLES

 
What I envision for the youth of Seychelles is to create a platform for them where they can voice out on issues that affect them on a daily basis and as such, are integral to achieving effective and enduring solutions. Any efforts made to empower the youth to participate more fully in society and decision-making processes ensure their engagement as partners and their investment in their own futures and those that come after them. Thus, we need to encourage them to use their knowledge and voice to help shape and work towards a more inclusive society, as well as the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals for a more sustainable future, and not to be discouraged by thinking their actions are too mere to make an impact. I want them to see that the youths are as much involved in world affairs as many other countries are.
 
This programme allows us to grow and become empowered to make a change. All the knowledge gathered from the programme will be of great use to me in school and the future endeavours such as my career, projects and volunteer work.