SANA'A* Nov. 12 ? Although she is not your typical Yemeni girl* she is very much a Yemeni at heart. Needa Al-Qadasi* 17* is Yemen's participant in the British Council's Global Changemakers project to take place at the Guildford Forum near London in January 2009.Needa is a young activist who is involved in educating and building awareness against negative behaviours in Yemen* such as qat chewing and the possession of weapons* and trying to find solutions to overcome them.The Global Changemakers project is in its third year since it was launched in 2006 and has grown to be a global project* with young activists taking part in regional meetings in the Middle East and Africa* and representing the Changemakers network at World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meetings in Davos* Switzerland* in January 2007 and 2008.This year* 60 young activists between the ages of 16 and 19 have been selected by the British Council to participate in the project. The come from over 40 countries* including Afghanistan and Burma* are all active in projects ranging from community work and environmental campaigns to education initiatives.They will represent the voice of their generation when they meet in the United Kingdom this January to discuss the challenges that their communities face* including climate change* education* intercultural conflict and the devastating impact of poverty. Needa is eager to represent Yemeni youth in the discussions and share solutions from her own experience with other participants. "I know about the problems and issues that we face as a community here in Yemen* and I know that those problems need people* more than the government* to commit to solving them. I am going to tell the other changemakers in London that Yemen* like every country in the world* has issues that can be solved by the young generation*" Needa explained.Having recently graduated from Raba?a Al-Adawia high school* Reeda has been active in the development field* both as a volunteer in the USAID Yemen Partner Health Reform (YPHR) project and as an English teacher on various occasions. "I was the judge of the Delaware teen court for six months in the United States* a court that helped youth to overcome teenager issues* and I have been involved in helping the young generation to be more involved in finding solutions to community problems in Yemen*" she said.At the end of next January* six of the 60 young activists will be chosen by the group to represent them at the WEF in Davos* Switzerland* where they will share a platform with world leaders as the youngest delegates for the third year in a row.Needa hopes to be one of them because she knows what she wants to do and has so much research and plans to complete before returning to Yemen.Nawaf Shamsan* assistant director of the British Council* agrees that Needa is a determined and good representative of active Yemeni youth. ?We have undergone a very firm interview process to assure that the candidate selected from Yemen is fit for the Global Changemakers Forum. Needa was definitely a perfect match for what we were looking for and we feel she has an excellent opportunity among the other candidates.?Many public figures have supported the project* among them actress Emma Thompson* who praised the young panellists at this January?s WEF meeting in Davos. Don Tapscott* the author of Wikinomics* said: ?I?m feeling positively uplifted. The panellists [selected by the British Council] were extraordinary. These six were all natural leaders and* as activists for social change* all educated* connected and multilingual. As far as I?m concerned* these are the most important people attending Davos.? Needa said that she has much to gain from the Global Changemakers experience* but that the most important opportunity will be to help shape her community?s future and youth to be more involved in helping the community to overcome their problems."I also want to link Yemeni youth with the outside world*" she said.In Guildford* the young changemakers will take part in a week of workshops* discussions and training on topics such as communication and media skills. Upon their return to their home countries* they will continue to be supported by the British Council in the community action programmes they work on with their peers. Using this strategy* Global Changemakers hopes to multiply its potential for change* not only involving the direct participants but many more through the participants? networks.The chief executive of the British Council* Martin Davidson* said: ?Young people around the world are making amazing personal contributions in politics* in climate change* in social activities. We* and the WEF* want to give them an opportunity to challenge the worlds? leaders on a range of issues. The youth of the world are not passive recipients of education or passive consumers; they want to take responsibility into their own hands. The issues discussed at Davos are global issues that concern them as much as the world leaders.?The Global Changemakers will share their experiences from Guildford and Davos with a wider audience on www.global-changemakers.net* a website created specially for the programme* which will feature a regularly updated blog and video posts as well as photo galleries from the workshops and the WEF....

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