Alison to help make better world
ATEENAGER from Rochdale is to attend a United Nations conference in New York next month.
Alison Greaves has been chosen as the UK’s sole youth delegate for the UN’s winter conference, after applying for the role ‘on a whim’.
The 18-year-old, of Passmonds, will work with other delegates on the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development, which looks at poverty and hunger, climate change and peace among other weighty topics.
She said: “I applied on a whim really, not expecting to get it, but I found out three weeks ago that I’d been accepted. I’m the only youth delegate going from the UK so I’m really excited.”
The former Bury High School pupil, who left Rochdale Sixth Form College this summer after completing her A-Levels, will spend three days at the UN headquarters in New York from February 1. She said: “The conference is about realising the UN’s 2030 agenda. They’ve come up with 17 goals to help improve the world and now they want to see how the youth can put that into action.
“I’ve always loved geography, but I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Alison has been assigned the specific goal of health and well being of the world.
She added: “This is about recognition for the world, not about recognition for me. The main issue for me is about getting the world to work together.
“The are loads of horrific wars at the moment and making sure there is more peace is so important.”
The conference will feature guest speakers, and Alison will even be given her own assistant to help with sending emails and note-taking. The UN paid for her to attend the conference as well as providing her with a place to stay, while Rochdale council has helped fund her flight.
And she is hoping to put the things she learns into action back home in Rochdale.
She added: “It’s all about feeding back to the community.
“I’ve got a lot of responsibility on my hands and this UN conference could affect a lot of people around the world. The more people who know about the goals can help in making them successful.”
Alison is due to start studying child nursing at Northumbria University, Newcastle, in March.
She added: “I had taken the year out to go travelling before I get my head down and start my degree. I never expected this to happen!”
She also writing a blog seeingtheworldfromanaeroplanewindow.wordpress.com, where she will be sharing her UN experiences.