OTTAWA (July 28 2010) - Two British Council International Climate Champions have been selected to participate in a prestigious youth forum in the United Kingdom. Tom Henbest from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.,  and Lily Jackson from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, will attend the Atlantic Youth Forum (August 02-06) which brings together 18-24 year olds from Europe, Canada and the U.S.

The Atlantic Youth Forum which is held in Wilton Park in West Sussex, is an annual event providing an opportunity for young Americans, Canadians and Europeans to gain insights into each other’s concerns and perceptions on key challenges facing their countries and the international community, and to make lasting contacts. The programme covers a range of political, security, cultural, economic and social issues of major interest to North American and European countries. Wilton Park (www.wiltonpark.org.uk) is an executive agency of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office that provides a forum for democracy building, post-conflict reconciliation and international dialogue. It was established by Winston Churchill 60 years ago.

This year’s topics include discussions about US Global leadership under President Obama, nuclear proliferation, the future of democracy in Afghanistan, and the future of the world’s resources such as food and water.  Participants will have the opportunity to visit the U.S. Embassy and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization to promote education and cultural relations.
www.britishcouncil.org/canada

Find information on the Atlantic Youth Forum at http://ukincanada.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/working-with-canada/wilton-park/

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Margret Brady Nankivell, Programmes & Communications Manager

Tel: 1(613) 364-6237 or Cell: 1(613) 301-5922 or margret.brady@britishcouncil.org

PROFILES:

Tom Henbest is a 19-year-old aspiring physicist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.  A British Council International Climate Champion, he is currently involved in the ICCommit project, which educates and encourages people to lead eco-conscious lifestyles.  At North Dundas District High School in Chesterville, Ont., he was his school’s prime minister and was “soils specialist” on his school’s Envirothon team which competed at regional and provincial levels.  This year at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, he is vice president of the board of directors for the Kingston Student Housing Co-operative.  Music has been a life-long passion for Tom, and he has studied piano for more than 10 years. He is interested in choral singing, pipe organ and the ukulele, and he also takes tango and salsa lessons. He has been active in track and field, cross-country running teams, soccer, and numerous intramurals.  He is interested in languages, and last summer he had the chance to study French in Trois-Pistoles with an Explore bursary.  Tom looks forward to heading south this February as a recent member of the Students on Ice Antarctic University Expedition.

Lily Jackson is a 19-year old undergraduate student in her second year of study at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, where she studies Geography (resource management) and Classics. In September 2008, Lily was introduced to the issue of climate change aboard the British Council’s Cape Farewell Youth Expedition to the Arctic. As a result, she has made numerous presentations in her home town and abroad, including at the Canadian Wind Energy Association Conference in Vancouver, the WWF Arctic Programme tent and “Culture/Futures” workshop at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, and most recently at the opening of the photographic exhibit, “Climate Faces - Changing Earth, Changing Lives” at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. After the expedition, she joined the British Council’s International Climate Champions programme, which she recently represented at the Canadian Science Writers’ Association conference in Ottawa. Her involvement in climate change activities has lead to a specific interest in food security and agriculture, which she is keenly pursuing on a local and international scale.