These 4 days have been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. By speaking with numerous government officials, touring state buildings, and developing our own policy proposals, I was given a chance to learn, engage, and grow. The connections I have made during this week will stay with my for the rest of my professional life, and this program will undoubtedly factor towards my growth as a student, community member, and fellow Page.

Working alongside the NGO Neighbourhood Community Network and the World Children's Parliament, we have hosted a side event at the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum on April 17th. I wanted this side event to align with my passion for child empowerment, initiative for the SDGs, consent-based decision making processes, and the introduction of mutual leadership between children and adults. We were so happy to see over 300 participants from all the around join this session and be interested in furthering this initiative. At the end of the event, we have accumulated detailed recommendations and proposals for SDGs 1, 2, 13, 16, 17, and introduced a brand new one: SDG 18 - All Rights for All Children to send to the United Nations.

Publicity for this side event was achieved through display on the ECOSOC Youth Forum website and side event schedule pasted below. https://ecosoc.un.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/Side_Events_Schedule-17_April_2024.pdf https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ExYDqgfLml7jFyav8JTUQnF9aP3vBCkXtLCLTjX20tU/edit?usp=sharing

Minutes before the event, the team was both nervous and excited. I was the facilitator for the event and wasn't sure how many people were going to show up. I was supported greatly by my reliable team and friends and their commitment to working on this side event with me. I was ecstatic when over 300+ joined the online event; we had a diverse audience from around the world including Austria, Germany, U.K., Cameroon, India, and France. It was an amazing morning filled with meaningful discussion and exchange of ideas. It was a great experience letting people know about the importance of child empowerment and the initiatives taking place to advance that. We were able to contribute to 7 SDGs by the end of the event, brought new and interested members, and cultivated enormous support for our NGO.

World Children's Parliament Side Event Summary: The 17 April 2024 World Children’s Parliament event gathered about 400 participants, including groups, both children and adults, united in their goal to empower children to address issues in their communities and the world. It focused on the thematic Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2, 13, 16, 17 and proposed SDG 18, Child Rights. Leading up to the main event, the participants developed recommendations to accelerate progress on each of these SDGs. During the event, an innovative governance approach called sociocracy enabled mutual and intergenerational leadership through consent-based decision-making. The Children's Parliament model, renowned for its impact on children's decision-making processes in India, was also highlighted. The participants were from diverse countries including Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cameroon, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, United Kingdom, and the United States. Their collective presence and contributions enriched the event with a global perspective. The primary language was English and interpretation was provided for French, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. First, this side event demonstrated that children, regardless of their age, can do well on a global stage, especially when platforms like the Children's Parliament federate upwards through multi-tiered levels of representation. Second, the meeting produced recommendations for accelerating progress on all of the thematic goals. Third, there was a decision to hold ongoing meetings to hasten momentum in advancing the SDGs. Link to recording of side event: https://youtu.be/n0kq5cyLn2c?si=3M2UM85473RrdES6