Essay contest open for teens interested in going to summit

Climate change, poverty and child survival are just a few of the summit topics.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — The U.S. Fund for UNICEF has launched a national essay contest for young people interested in participating in the Junior 8 (J8) summit youth event in Japan.

The youth summit, inked to the annual Group of 8 (G8) Summit, is an attempt to advance the understanding of global issues among young people. 

“The world is complex enough for grown-ups to make sense of, let alone our children,” said Caryl Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “What better way to engage the minds of young people than by providing them a forum in which to discuss and advocate on issues with some of the most powerful leaders in the world.”

Now in its fourth year, the J8 program gives young people the unique opportunity to become involved in the topics that concern G8 countries and the broader global community.

Schools and youth groups across the nation are encouraged to recruit teams of four young people, ages 13 to 17, to draw from their knowledge, understanding and perspectives on a range of global issues and compete in the essay contest for the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the J8 summit scheduled to take place in Hokkaido, Japan, in July. Along with the 500-word essay, teams must also submit a written declaration or a multimedia project.

Last year’s J8 and G8 summits were held in Wismar, Germany. The youth delegates attending the J8 took their cues from the agenda of the leaders of the G8 countries and addressed such issues as economic prospects for Africa, HIV/AIDS, climate change and energy-efficiency. 

All candidate teams competing to attend this year’s J8 will address the following issues: global warming and climate change, poverty and development and child survival, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS.

All applications must be submitted by Friday, with winners scheduled to be announced no later than March 31. 

The winning U.S. team will join youth delegations from the other G8 member countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom.

For more information on criteria and rules of competition and to download a contest application please go to: www.unicefusa.org/youthaction.