When it takes four hours, three tubes and a free taxi ride just to reach the conference venue, you know you are in for something truly extraordinary. The Greenwich Conference 2007 organised by the British Council brought together over 60 incredibly dynamic young people from 48 far-flung countries.

The opening session provided a prelude of things to come. Sir David Green, Director General of the British Council, Simon Featherstone, HM Ambassador to Switzerland and Anne-Pascale Krauer Muller, Minister, Embassy of Switzerland to the UK contextualised the conference in relation to the World Economic Forum and a broader concern for incorporating the voice and vision of the youth in shaping the international developmental agenda. This was followed by five presentations (“in varying interpretations of three minutes” as the moderator quipped) on disparate educational systems in countries as diverse as India, Nepal and Egypt. That a tiny county like Nepal alone has as many as 150 ethnic groups highlighted how multiculturalism is a way of life the world over.

The first day began with field trips and the stimulating experiences were reflected in the thoughts that we carried back to the plenary. From Charlton Athletic that devotes as much of its resources to combating racism as it does to sport, to a guided walk through the historic back passages of one of London’s most culturally rich neighbourhoods, each visit was unique. Some of us had an opportunity to engage with the students and faculty of the University of East London on their experience of living, studying and working in an extremely diverse educational institution. Another group visited St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, devastated by an IRA bomb in 1993, but now poignantly resurrected to promote conflict transformation. A much-discussed ‘mystery visit’ took the form of a survey of the local residents of Greenwich on issues of immigration, identity  and assimilation while Radio Peckham provided insight into the controversial concept of ‘social regeneration’ as well as an opportunity to participate in a live community broadcast.

But the day was not over by a long shot. Come evening and the sight of 60 delegates resplendent in full national attire racing down the streets of London in a full-blown gale managed to momentarily silence blaring horns in a city where the traffic was already at a stand-still! The reception at 11 Downing Street hosted by Sir David Green in the presence of John Healey, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, reinforced the message of how those in positions of power are eager for fresh perspectives.

Day two was spent in ‘Technical Guru’ sessions on how to reach out to the largest possible audience and create a measurable impact. The workshops focussed on honing our skills in promoting policy ideas by strengthening media relations and using online radio, blogging, and even good old-fashioned public speaking to ‘get noticed’. The background of the experts conducting these sessions was deeply illuminating; like Iranian journalist and multimedia designer Hossein Derakhshan – not many exiled for dissent would wear a “I love Tehran” T-shirt with pride – or the brains behind the ‘Crisispud’ campaign at Christmas to give the homeless a new start.

Saturday dawned almost before we knew it. Ten groups, weary and dishevelled after a night spent brainstorming and fine-tuning, were almost magically transformed into eager voyagers for the Great Balloon Debate. Each presentation was ambitious yet pragmatic. One of the groups felt that educational projects should involve young people as partners, not recipients, while another talked about reducing the difference between the quality of education in different parts of the world by getting them connected through e-networks. We had ideas on incentivising investment in education among the voluntary sector organisations and corporates by setting up the World Economic Forum Awards and emphasis on informal and non-formal teaching through pilot projects in developing countries. Setting up a fund for teacher-training and knowledge dissemination – our own WEF (World Education Fund) was the idea that we thought best represented us and that was the proposal presented to the World Economic Forum.

The Conference might be over but we truly believe that this was only the beginning of something much larger and far more meaningful than merely a declaration. Our yahoo groups are abuzz with discussion on how to make sure that the enthusiasm and ideas generated at the conference are translated into real projects on the ground.

Neha Puri and Swati Chawla from India participated in the Greenwich Summit which was held in mid-January this year at the World Heritage Site Area of Greenwich in London.