On October 6, 2009, fellow youth reporter Kawsar Zaman and I met at the Emirates Stadium for the press launch and pledging moment of the 1GOAL campaign. 1GOAL aims to see every child in the world get a primary education by 2015, tackling the obstacles which today mean that 75 million children worldwide, half of them in Africa, do not receive a basic education.
Reporting from the 1GOAL launch was our first assignment as youth reporters for DFID; before we had even got our journalism training we were thrown out into the wild and exciting world of reporting. At first I was nervous but as Gary Lineker hosted the event, and speakers spoke about its aims and goals, I made notes and got an idea of some questions I should ask in the interviews we had booked for later that day.

The speakers ranged from Gordon Brown to Sir Bobby Charlton, but there were many live feeds from around the world and we were addressed by heads of state and footballers internationally. The event was a combination of sport, charity and politics, and the incorporation of these live feeds and video presentations made the whole thing flow nicely.
The whole point of the event was to gather world leaders, people with power and the media to convince them to help out and get involved with the 1GOAL campaign. Football is being used as a platform to make this issue accessible, and is being tied into 2010 World Cup, which will be the first time the tournament has ever been held in Africa.
After the speakers had finished we rushed to speak to Gary Lineker, but were pushed away by security before we managed to ask a question. Later on, however, to try and get him to talk we asked for a photo. The interview didn’t work out, but we did manage to get a picture!
We also managed to get some quality interviews, with people like Sol Campbell, Graham Taylor, and Lord Triesman. I asked them how the World Cup was going to be used for good and how individuals like them would help. They told me the World Cup was a focus point for the campaign and would bring a lot of attention to the situation in Africa where 35 million children grow up without any schooling at all. Their signatures, pledging commitment to the campaign, would work to convince those with the power to alter the situation and stick to their promises.
Overall, this was a good event, and unlike some campaigns, 1GOAL has a lot of political power behind it which means that aims can be more easily achieved. It also has the whole football community backing it, which brings huge attention from the sporting world and young people, making it more accessible all round.

To find out more about 1GOAL, check out http://www.join1goal.org/ and pledge your support for the campaign!

-Ayman Al-Juzi

It’s Blog Action Day 2009, which has been a big year for me. In February 2009, I became one of nine youth reporters for the Department for International Development. Along with my fellow reporters, I attended a DFID White Paper Conference on ‘Eliminating World Poverty’, and interviewed various political figures, many of whom I have studied, including Foreign Secretary David Miliband, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, and Managing Director of the World Bank, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The youth reporter initiative has just been extended for another six months, during which time the reporters will be attending and reporting from a variety of events focusing on issues like climate change and education, with a special look at the climate change summit in Copenhagen in December and Fifa’s 1GOAL campaign, which was covered last week by Kawsar and Ayman, youth reporters, at the campaign’s pledging moment at the Emirates Stadium.

The DFID youth reporters project is about young people speaking up for their world, and talking about the big issues that matter to them, whether it’s climate change, the economy, conflict, poverty, corruption or anything else. A lot of young people feel overwhelmed by the scale of big global issues and don’t feel like they can do much to make a difference. The youth reporters project challenges this by giving young people a platform to talk to MPs, activists, heads of NGOs and others about what they are doing to create change and how young people can make change too.

As a result of my involvement with the DFID youth reporters, I was chosen as an ambassador for ‘Bebo’s Big Think,’ a Bebo campaign which encouraged young people to talk about Britain’s future. Bebo’s Big Think invited Prime Minister Gordon Brown to a 60 minute Q&A with myself and 13 other young people from around the UK, which he accepted; so in July 2009, we got the chance to question the Prime Minister on domestic and international issues alike.

These experiences have helped shaped me as a person. Being a part of the youth reporters project made me realise that I can make a positive change happen, and confirmed that young people should feel part of the solution; global issues are everyone’s problem. It’s easy to feel distanced from these problems because the issues – for example, climate change – just seem so huge. But I know now that I have a part to play and other young people do as well.

You can find out what the youth reporters are up to online at http://dfidyouthreporters.wordpress.com/ and follow us on Twitter by searching for youthreporters

Unfortunately for us, she didn’t do any interviews, but she did make a speech – we were in the fifth row!

Check it out below and hear Queen Rania’s plea for YOU to get involved with 1Goal too.

In the run up to the 2010 World Cup, global leaders and top footballers have come together in a bid to get 75 million of the world’s poorest children access to education through a new campaign, called 1GOAL. Youth Reporter Kawsar went to the international pledging moment of the 1GOAL campaign at the Emirates Stadium on October 6, 2009.

Hosted by Gary Lineker in the UK, Heads of State, footballers, and key individuals from around the world were also present via live satellite link up. Sepp Blatter, FIFA President, pledged to support the campaign live from Zurich, and was followed by Queen Rania of Jordan, who had travelled to London to speak passionately about the importance of 1GOAL and the urgent need to ensure that young people across the world receive an education.

Youth Reporter Kawsar meets Sol Campbell

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Sol Campbell and Aaron Mokoena all ‘chalked up’ for education too, signing a chalkboard of commitment in front of an audience at the Emirates Stadium but also around the world.

Other heads of state pledging live around the world included Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero from Madrid, and President Zuma in Cape Town, south Africa, where the 2010 World Cup will be held.

As footballers stood up to say that our leaders needed more ‘political will’ to bring education to every child in the world, Hillary Clinton stated in a video message from Washington that young people not receiving a formal education is ‘the greatest injustice’ of the 21st Century.

Kawsar asked Lord Triesman – former Foreign Office Minister and current Chairman of the FA – whether world leaders will live up to their pledge to support 1GOAL, given that they have failed to live up to all of their pledges around the Millennium Development Goals. Triesman said, ‘Leaders are now committed and there’s a realisation that we must all do more, which is why the FA is involved to make sure stars in the world of Football continuously maintain pressure on world leaders who have the power to invest and change things.’

Kevin Cahill, CEO of Comic Relief, also expressed that for the campaign to succeed, ‘People need to sign up…to say that we care and we want change…we need to pressure our governments to act’.

To find out more about 1GOAL, check out http://www.join1goal.org/ and pledge your support the campaign!

FIFA president Sepp Blatter

 

1GOAL Pledging board

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kawsar’s Opinion

The UK has done a lot in terms of investing money into countries, but my experience in India taught me that it’s difficult for government aid to actually filter down to grassroot levels. A lot is lost in administrative and bureaucratic hurdles, but also through open corruption. What needs to happen is real help in developing and building quality infrastructure, not just in offering money. We need British expertise to go out to these countries on an official capacity to help advise, develop and build institutions for the future. Above all, every effort needs to be made with a view to self-sustainability. It’s long-term viability and impact which, in my opinion, is the ultimate test for a successful programme.

-Kawsar Zaman

Breaking news: The DFID Youth Reporters scheme is being extended, and we’re going to be getting a new name. A new group of young reporters is being recruited. They’re going to continue to report on the global issues that affect us all, from climate change and the environment to global poverty and education, so watch this space for new updates coming soon!

Bebo’s Big Think

Originally uploaded by Downing Street

DFID Youth Reporters Attia and Chris were amongst a group of Bebo users who got to interview Prime minster Gordon Brown inside No 10 Downing Street last week, as part of Bebo’s Big Think project.

Watch their video report here

New youth reporters Hosanna and Libby interview Mike Foster MP, Minister for International Development, at an event for schoolchildren and young people to launch the new DFID white paper, ‘Building our common future’. The event took place last week at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London.

In my opinion The DFID Youth Summit is a scheme which is very beneficial for young people. The Forum enabled youngsters to get involved through activities such as workshops and even challenged MP Michael Foster, so through a fun afternoon, increasing young people’s awareness on issues such as world poverty. Young people are often underestimated members of society and so I think it was extremely important that young people feel involved and our voices are heard.During the interviews both myself and Libby questioned the pupils as well as the teachers, who agreed that the DfID scheme was very useful as they had learnt a lot and also encouraged them to be pro-active about these issues. Overall, it was a very productive day as I gained insight into the positive side of what DfID does and it was reassuring to see MPs such as Michael Foster have good intentions for society.

Hosanna Keflom, 17

On Monday 6th July, the long awaited DfID White Paper on ‘Elminating World Poverty: Building Our Common Future was unveiled, along with a new logo: UK AID the new face of DfID’s development projects.

“DfID can no longer afford to be Britain’s best kept secret.”  International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander declared at the meeting. Accompanied by members of the press, I attended the briefing where Douglas Alexander outlined the much talked about White Paper, with a new action plan to combat poverty and achieve sustainable development. The ‘Eliminating World Poverty: Building Our Common Future’, paper looks at the issues surrounding the global economic crisis, climate change, corruption, security and with an emphasis on conflict.

UK AID has been designed to signpost DfID’s work abroad and inform people in the UK as to where their taxes are going. It seems a logical step most development agencies around the world have their own personalized logos: for example USAID.

Andrew Steer, Director General, DFID Policy and Research, mentioned his hopes for recognition of the logo around the world, and in building pride in national identity for the UK through ‘building our common future’. With the full force of globalization showing itself, the idea that helping people in developing countries also benefits us, seems a tangible concept that DfID are holding onto.

It is clear that the White Paper has been designed to make an impact; the image on the front of the paper is a picture of Kamla, a woman from Rajasthan, India who is the first female solar engineer to be trained in her region. The message that development work is there to empower people in developing countries rather than act a handout is a point that should be remembered throughout the sector. DfID maintains that people in poverty continues to be their priority, however many areas come under this umbrella issue.

The future of UK AID and DfID’s development plans are continuously changing, the number of countries that aid is being allocated to has been decreased to ensure quality. Hopefully this move means that previous talks of DfID scaling up their programs, will not lead to people on a community/grassroots level missing out on the full effects of DfID’s projects.

Throughout the last few months, the DfID White Paper writing team has sought to gather views from the public and stakeholders (NGOs, charities) on what should be included in the paper. After establishing the topic at the conference in March, which looked at the future of international development, consultations have taken place up and down the country including a Youth Consultation at DfID HQ in March. Time will only tell as to what extent the public’s opinions have been listened to but it is clear that DfID have some big plans.

Hannah Candassamy, 22

DFID Youth Reporter Sunball’s video take on what caused the global food price crisis last year.