2017-05-16
Mathew Townsend
During the Global Greens Congress held in Liverpool, between 28th March and 2nd of April, I was a delegate for the Australian Young Greens and a panellist for Greens Perspectives on Disability Issues. This Congress was my first experience of an event centred around global relations. I arrived in Liverpool at 4 pm after 24 hours of exhausting long-haul flight from Brisbane, via Dubai.
On the first day of the Congress, I attended the opening of the Global Young Greens (GYG). I met hundreds of young delegates and attendees from over 100 countries around the world. While there were three other young Australians in GYG, I was the only Australian Young Greens' delegate, which meant a lot of time and effort to ensure we were counted, with the spotlight firmly on Europe.
The majority of the GYG meetings were about internal structure, communication and networking for future campaigns. These sessions were very long and exhausting because there were so many different perspectives in the room, coming from all over the world.
Connecting the region
We had a regional gathering of the Asia-Pacific Young Greens (APYG) group. There were a lot of similar perspectives and values about relationships and policies. These meetings helped me connect with other people involved in our region. Before the end of the Congress, I also developed good relationships with people around the world.
The GYG charter reminds me of the work we need to do in Australia around interconnectedness, because Australia is isolated from other countries - both geographically, and within our region because of our different political climate. These sessions changed my perspective on how to develop relationships and communication strategies within my national group. It has also encouraged me to expand my horizons to join the Asia-Pacific group. I believe that supporting the regional group will help my country to expand our horizons and understand our neighbours.
Lessons from Europe
There were quite a few lessons I learned from the European Young Greens (EYG) group where their young greens are very active and empowered.
The EYG shows a lot of commitment and determination in supporting their countries, which made me think about the potential to develop strong links between AYG and APYG groups.
Following on, I want to take the initiative to be involved in AYG and APYG. In Australia, youth are getting a raw deal from the government, and our government ignores issues that face young people like health, education, affordable housing and employment opportunities. I feel energised to try and make a difference, after seeing so many motivated young people trying to make change around the world.
I am hoping to get more involved with my local Greens branch, the state delegation, and in national circles. The Congress has changed my perspective about collaboration and the Greens and has created so many new opportunities, in local, regional and global contexts.
Mathew Townsend is a young Queensland Green and works in sustainability and diversity inclusion.