The meeting of the delegates will result in the global youth's declaration, and then, it will be handed over to the heads of state, including President Joko Widodo, to gain an understanding of the aspirations and realize them through government policPalembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Pre-Summit 1 of Y20 in Palembang, South Sumatra, offered several youths in that region various new perspectives, as the event had stimulated them to convey ideas on global youth challenges.
One of the participants, Riska Ramadania, 22, from Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir District, Palembang, expressed gratitude to be part of the Y20 Pre-Summit 1, held from Saturday, March 19, to Sunday, March 20.
Ramadania stated that through the Y20 Pre-Summit 1, she could prove that regional youngsters equipped with skills can be at par with those at the global level by delivering ideas and opinions.
"I realize that it is not easy to pass as a participant in this global forum. There was a strict selection from thousands of other registrants throughout Indonesia. I am thankful that I can pass and be one of the 100 participants of the town hall meeting. With English skills and knowledge of the environment, I have to use this opportunity optimally," she told ANTARA in Palembang.
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Ramadania joined group II with 12 other participants to focus on discussing crucial matters related to youth employment, one of the four priority issues during the Y20 discussion forum. The three other priorities are digital transformation, sustainable and livable planet, and diversity and inclusion.
Ramadania's group members were mainly students and workforce groups from South Sumatra, Central Java, and Riau, and they must describe the formulation of ways to address problems faced by the regional youth nowadays.
According to Ramadania, results of the discussion, mentored by Hanna Kusumawaty Jaya from the Indonesian Youth Diplomacy Local Chapter of South Sumatra, were narrowed down to two suggestions.
The first is to encourage the government to open up employment opportunities globally for youth through the G20 across-nation internship program, and secondly, to bolster the acceleration of development of information network technology infrastructure facilities until equalization is realized in the regions.
"It turned out that (the discussion forum) not only took place in South Sumatra, as (I) discussed with other participants from outside the city, and the problems are similar like we do not get access to the things summarized in the proposed recommendations," Ramadania elaborated.
"(Access to IT development) is centralized in the capital. It is important that the suggestions can be delivered by delegates at the summit later," she emphasized.
Meanwhile, Surya Refaldiansyah, 21, a participant studying International Relations at the University of Riau pointed out that the two recommendations were created, as they were considered relevant to the conditions faced by youth today.
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Refaldiansyah stated that the most crucial aspect for youth in regions is to get open access from the government to be able to compete with the workforce globally.
"We need access to establish relations with the global youth, so we need to support the proposal because, if not, the youth will (remain developing only) in the area, and there would be no change. We just need to be given the opportunity to develop," Refaldiansyah affirmed.
He explained that those in the area did not want to be left behind when the youth in the capital have spoken about social entrepreneurship internationally by making use of information technology.
Hence, he said, through this transformation, young people will no longer rely on the mainstream formal work sector, for instance, what is occurring in Indonesia, becoming a state civil apparatus (ASN) was popular, but now, young people have started to prefer to develop digital businesses, start-ups, and so on.
"We know that millions of young people still cannot move on after college. They want to become an ASN even though they realize that the chances are very less. Meanwhile, there are other opportunities that are developing in the capital but have not reached young people in the regions, so we need to encourage it," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, Y20 Indonesia 2022 Co-chair Michael Victor Sianipar remarked that the participants' recommendations will be presented at the Y20 Summit meeting, which takes place in Jakarta and Bandung in July 2022, along with representatives of all G20 youth countries.
"The meeting of the delegates will result in the global youth's declaration, and then, it will be handed over to the heads of state, including President Joko Widodo, to gain an understanding of the aspirations and realize them through government policies," he stated.
One of the Indonesian delegates for the Y20 2022 Summit, Angelo Abil Wijaya, commended the participants for partaking in the activities of the South Sumatra Pre-Summit.
In fact, he was impressed by the ideas conveyed by the participants, as they quickly learned the material and reflected on their own experiences.
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"Keep that optimism. We will keep fighting for and voicing it. We, as young people, have begun to design and formulate what the future looks like for a better Indonesia," he stated.
Wijaya said, in addition to requiring access, young people also need protection from the government, such as job safety guarantees and the likes, when they choose to work in the growing informal sector.
He also expressed optimism that inter-youth discussion forums discussing regional issues that are compared to global issues must be sustainable.
Deputy Governor of South Sumatra Mawardi Yahya expected that the Y20 Pre-Summits can stimulate the youth to broaden their knowledge and establish relationships with other youngsters internationally.
"The government is very grateful to all related parties. Hopefully, activities like this would be sustainable," he stated.
Meanwhile, the discussion of the Pre-Summit 1 Y20 forum had involved 100 participants along with 17 youth delegates from G20 member countries and several Asian youths: Eduardo Alonso, Edu Arechaga (Observer – Spain), Rodolfo Ivan Garcia Gonzalez (Embassy, Mexico), Cosimo Thawley (Embassy, Australia), Faransina (IPLC – Observer), Gustav Dahlin (Embassy – Sweden), Arezo K (Refugee / UNHCR Observer), Dinesh NV (ASEAN Finalist), Trinh Thuy Ngan (ASEAN Finalist), Jorge Martin Quaranta (Embassy, Argentina), Koichi (Embassy, Japan), Avantika (Embassy, India), Monika Firlus (Embassy, Poland), Michael Scott VG (US Youth), Hugo (UK Embassy), Burak Avci (Embassy, Turkey), and Tom Miller (US Youth).
The Pre-Summit 2 of Y20 will be held in West Nusa Tenggara on April 23-24, 2022.
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Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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