UCL Youth Global Governance Forum: An Exploration of the Possible

UCL’s student-led Global Governance and Ethics (GGE) Society, with the support of the Global Governance Institute (GGI) and the Dean’s Strategic Funding, hosted an event on 22 June 2022 to benefit UCL undergraduates and Year 12 Students from local sixth form colleges. The event was aimed at broadening the imaginative horizons of existing and prospective global politics students to the possibilities which lie before us in the 21st Century and make them more aware of global issues. This was an opportunity for the convening masters students from the Global Governance and Ethics MSc programme, as well as participating academics, to hear from young people on their experiences and perspectives on the direction the world is going. 

A-level students from two colleges and students from various UCL undergraduate programs attended the event. Students participated in breakout rooms playing games with global political trivia and debating global ethical dilemmas. The keynote speech was given by Dr Tom Pegram (UCL Department of Political Science) and provided the students with an introduction to the world of global governance and an invitation to explore the role young people can play in the midst of tumultuous change. The day concluded with a panel discussion where UCL professors from the Department of Political Science shared their thoughts on global politics and fielded a lively discussion among the students.
 
The event was a great showcase for the value of engaging young people in the activities of the university and it is hoped that it will become an annual fixture.