In a few days, I will join over 1500 delegates at the World Conference on Youth in Sri Lanka. The Conference, expected to run from 6^th to 10^th of May, will bring together young people and stakeholders from all over the world, to discuss strategies ahead of the Post 2015 Development Agenda. This Conference will focus on mainstreaming youth voices in the Agenda and promises to be an important gathering.

I, together with nineteen other youth, will be working as Social Media Fellows at the conference, with a duty to relay proceedings to the rest of the world using our various internet platforms. Through Linguere, I shall produce blog posts about the Conference, from a human interest angle and taking into consideration the blog’s main theme of addressing women’s issues.

My micro-blogging sites: Facebook , Twitter and Instagram will also be used, especially for live blogging purposes at the Conference. This will be my first official task of such magnitude, and I am super excited to get to Colombo.

The delegates come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and I have been able to chat briefly with some of them. Facebook friend requests and Twitter/Instagram follows have been trickling in since the official release of the final list of delegates. The few conversations I have had gave me a glimpse of what to expect at the Conference, and I greatly look forward to wonderful exchanges with people from all over the world.

Seeing as I am not just a blogger but an active youth advocate, my task seems daunting, as I have a vested interest in all of the Foundations and Themes of the Conference. Following them all fully would require cloning my figure, and since that is practically impossible, I will have to effectively manage my time to follow as many discussions as I possibly can.

The great thing- okay, one of the many great things- about the Conference is that I will be meeting up with my sisters from the MILEAD Fellowship, two of whom will also be working as Social Media Fellows. They, in addition to all the other delegates, will certainly make this experience a memorable one.

I look forward to the deliberations and important discussions that will help determine the future of young people. The networking opportunities and the many relationships that can be forged from this Conference will be taken advantage of, as I continue to grow in the work that I do.

Colombo looks like a dream destination and I totally can’t wait to get there and have a feel of the country, its people and its culture. When I eventually leave, I hope to have a lot of pleasant and inspiring moments to reminisce on. Where my mind fails to remember things, the many photographs I intend to take will come to the rescue! Watch out for the #WCYselfie and of course, many Linguere selfies!

Look out for the blogs from our team for live updates and pictures! Meanwhile, I’ll go pack my bags and get ready for the long journey to Sri Lanka.