The International Youth Advisory Congress

Written by Guest Blogger on 12/09/08

On July 17th through until July 21st of this summer, the International Youth Advisory Congress (IYAC) on Online Internet Safety and Security was held for the very first time in London, England.

The congress for Canadian delegates began in Ottawa, Ontario. In Ottawa, there were two days put aside, filled with tours of the nation’s capital and talks with Canada’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Center (NCECC) and Ottawa Police Service (OPS). This prepared us, the 20 selected representatives of Canada, for the fast approaching congress in London.

Photo by IYAC

When we arrived in London, I’m not sure anyone really knew what was in store. I have to say – and I’m sure all other Canadian delegates would agree – that the congress was so much more than we could have ever imagined. The first couple of days consisted mainly of delegates from eighteen different countries all over the world arriving getting settled, attempting to avoid jet lag. While some chose to sleep, others decided to explore the 128 acre campus (ACS Cobham International School) which would be our home for the next week.

Talks began with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Center and Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) on the 17th; these groups were the main organizers for IYAC in London. Presentations took place in the mornings and after lunch we were separated into various groups to discuss the topics of the day and gather ideas for our final presentations which would take place on the last day of the congress. Throughout the congress, well-known companies such as Microsoft, Becta, Virgin Media and Visa presented information about their companies and asked us delegates questions on how to improve safety on the internet and what they could do to improve their contribution to this serious issue.

In the middle of the week, a day was chosen to view the breathtaking sites of London. Those sites included Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, the House of Parliament, the National Art Gallery, the Millennium Bridge to St. Pauls Cathedral and the Tate Modern Museum. One hundred and fifty delegates, between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, took a trip on the ‘Eye of London’ and walked the streets of this beautiful city. It can be summed up as simply an amazing place to see!

The 20th of July was the busiest day of the congress, as we had to both start and finish our slide show, speeches and videos which would be presented the following day. The 21st of July was filled with mixed emotions. Everyone was excited to present what we had worked so hard towards over the past several days; however, it would then also be time to say goodbye to our friends who had acted as our family for the week.

Each group, defined by their group color (my group was purple), was assigned a topic. My group’s topic was law enforcement; we were required to choose key points that would be considered the guidelines of our presentation. We were then asked to choose four presenters who would discuss the topics with the large companies, organizations and youth. In my group, I was one of the four presenters voted to promote online safety and security and what we felt were the main issues. Our main points centered around making the “Report Abuse” button accessible everywhere throughout the internet, so that every child everywhere can be safe on the world wide web. As well, we offered our opinion on Megan’s Law and how it can lead to a lot of convicted sex offenders going into hiding. This is due to the excessive amount of personal information given out. My group felt that all convicted sex offenders should be both registered and required to report on a regular basis to a law enforcement agency. The personal information of sex offender’s should not be released until he or she is missing or has failed to report to a police agency.

After the presentations were finished, there was a strong feeling that our voices were heard and what we said was what counted. That was so rewarding. However, there was not much time to celebrate as we then had to say goodbye to friends, many of whom we will never see again.

I can honestly say that IYAC was the best and most memorable experience of my life to date and I can not imagine anything else surpassing it. In England, we were told that the work we were doing will save lives and to believe in it; I truly hope they are right.

Guest blogger: Amanda Bolger