I was one of the fifty young leaders from almost 13 countries to participate in the Future Leader’s Connect Fellowship 2019. I believe Youth Center for Research was the main reason I made it to the programme.
Future Leaders Connect is an advanced Leadership Programme jointly run by the British Council and the University of Cambridge. It serves as a long-term global network of emerging policy leaders who gather in the UK to discuss some of the most pressing global issues.
Young leaders from various countries bring along their policy visions, which they further chisel during the course of the programme. My vision was to promote social entrepreneurship through youth development policies for more sustainable development. However, to encourage more young people to opt for social entrepreneurship, they need to understand the development challenges and that is exactly what YCR does.
During the programme, learnings from the UK Parliamentarians, Speaker of the House John Bercow and various world leaders and policy makers deepened my understanding of policy matters shaping world affairs. One of the important lessons learnt during the session Policy and Leadership in Practice and which is of particular relevance for the youth today, was the politics of policy-making. Since the youth needs to work alongside seniors (both in experience and in age), therefore it becomes challenging to make space for oneself. Hence understanding the dynamics of political sphere, knowing the stakeholders and being knowledgeable are essential requisites to create relevance for oneself in the practical world.
