Final UNESCO Post.

I realize I am still posting about the things that happened to me over a week ago. My trip to UNESCO in Paris was overwhelming in many ways and because of that I have been posting excessively about it. However, my last week here in Geneva was also a very full week that has ramifications for my future. Yet, I will finish my story about Paris. I need to reflect more about what has happened since then to appropriately write about it.

UNESCO WCHE +10 was officially over. I had planned on leaving Thursday morning. However, because of a UNESCO Joint Programmatic Committee (JPC) on Youth Meeting Thursday afternoon, and an all day meeting of the students I had just bonded with I convinced my boss to let me extend my stay in Paris for another day. I now had a train leaving at 9 am Friday morning.

Thursday morning dawned bright and early. I had gone to bed around 1 am, because I was out with friends enjoying the success of finishing our conference. We met in the room where just a few nights ago we had stayed until nearly 2 am working to make sure the Student voice was represented. We were supposed to start at 8:30 am. I arrived at 8:45 worried that I was horribly late. I was the third person to arrive. After many phone calls and much time wasted on the internet we began our "official" student meeting at 10:30. Only two hours later than planned...

The morning went slowly. We went in circles... we couldn't decide what the most important thing was to do. Finally, we decided to spend lunch drafting plans. Team A was to draft the "action plan" for the future of the global student movement. How do we move forward? What is the purpose and structure of keeping all the students together? Team B was to decide how we react immediately to UNESCO. I pushed for Team B. I thought it was very important that we immediately show how we, as students, felt about the WCHE. I was on Team B with some of my favorite people. (I was originally supposed to be on Team A.. but then because of confusion I ended up with Team B.. .which was better, I think)

We decided that the students needed to draft a letter. We needed to write down and officially tell UNESCO that we were not happy with the way Students were included in the conference. We needed to make sure that this did not happen again. That students when they were included were representative students that had a mandate from other students.. Students who were accountable to someone besides UNESCO.

In the afternoon I went to the JPC. That was also very enlightening. I spent a few hours with people in Paris that work on youth projects, and their organizations have standing with UNESCO. I learned about the International Youth Forum (IYF), I networked with other non-profits in Paris. I learned about how UNESCO works. I hope that WSCF can be present at the International Youth Forum. It should be a good chance for WSCF to really keep it's voice out there. I am very glad I stayed for that meeting.

That evening I returned to the students. We were finished. We had an action plan. (It has yet to be ratified, but I am confident that it will be and that the students will move forward to become more unified). We drafted a letter to UNESCO. Although this is still being edited. Perhaps once it is finalized I will put it here. So that everyone can know what students thought about UNESCO WCHE. We were done. There was nothing left to do.

Being students and being young, we decided to go have some drinks..... I'll leave it at that. I just want to say that I missed my train the next morning.. although I did eventually get back to Geneva.

That was the end of my trip to Paris. I learned so much about international politics and international people and myself during that week. I met some amazing people that are doing amazing things. I hope and pray that I will meet them again someday. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to be part of this conference. It really makes me thankful of all the opportunities that I have been offered through my internship here at WSCF.