Eleanor Keiller, second year Drama and Theatre Arts student, recently attended the G200 Youth Forum on behalf of the School of English, Drama and American & Canadian Studies:

"Being accepted to attend the G200 Youth Forum on behalf of the University of Birmingham was an invaluable opportunity wherein I was able to engage in discourse with a range of young people from across the world. 

Photograph of Eleanor Keiller

The forum involved me attending presentations and discussions delivered by academics and students in developing and wide-ranging fields of study.

I was able to contribute to discussion of the challenges that we face as individual countries, as well as one global community. Taking part in G200 meant that I was able to contribute to the outcomes of the policies and programmes that are to be implemented across the globe. I was able to contribute my knowledge and experience of the creative industry and apply these to the contemporary issues we discussed.

Beyond the conference itself I engaged socially with a range of young people and was able to discover first-hand the impact that the culture in which we are brought up with has on our individual personalities. I spent time in the company of young parliamentarians from across the globe and, whilst talking to these young people, I learnt about the goals of these societies for the future."