APU student as a Guest Observer at G7 Youth Summit

Student perspectives

Sherly BudimanApr 23, 2023

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APU student represents Indonesia as a Guest Observer
at G7 Youth (Y7) Summit in Tokyo, Japan

About Y7 Summit

For this year’s Group of 7 Youth (Y7) Summit, Indonesia had the honour to be invited as an official guest observer to not only represent the diverse views of Indonesian youths but also those from the Global South and ASEAN, where Indonesia is Chair this year.

The Y7 Summit is an official engagement group of the G7 Summit which aims to unite young leaders to develop policy recommendations (Communiqué) and bring them to the discussion table of G7 leaders. The discussion track for this year’s Y7 Summit 2023 is Digital Transformation and Innovation, Economic Resilience, Climate and Environment, Global Health and Happiness, and Peace and Security.

The Selection Process to become Guest Observer for the Y7 Summit

I learned about the opportunity through the social media account of Indonesian Youth Diplomacy. Indonesian Youth Diplomacy is a non-profit youth organization aiming to promote international exposure and drive inclusive empowerment for Indonesian youths, including sending delegates to the G20 Youth (Y20) Summits for the last 10+ years. After sending in my application and going through the interview process, I was informed that I had been selected as one of the guest observers for the Y7 Summit in Japan.

The five selected guest observers from Indonesia were Angel Berlian Fonataba, Angelo Wijaya, Anthony Paulo Sunjaya, Anastasya Jesslyn Hartono Salim, and myself (Sherly Budiman).

The Y7 Summit Experience

I had the opportunity to observe the Digital Transformation and Innovation track from the five tracks discussed at the Y7 Summit. As a Business and International Management student at APU, I'm currently taking a seminar course that focuses on digitalization.

The topics discussed included the introduction of the Universal Charter of Digital Rights, fostering a better digital ecosystem and innovation, and empowering youth participation in the digital field. The final discussion concludes with a Communique handed over to PM Kishida as a representation of youth voices.

Witnessing a discussion that we often have in class being brought up on a global level was an insightful experience. Although not entirely new to me, being in a community with over 100 nationalities like APU provides many opportunities for students to share their perspectives in discussions, which somehow parallels what happened at the Summit.

Indonesia is a geographically and culturally diverse country with over 17,000 islands, 200 ethnic groups, and over 300 spoken languages. By learning and talking to other Indonesian student communities at APU, I believe I still have a lot of knowledge to learn about myself and my own country.

Being selected as one out of five guest observers to represent Indonesia was a great honour for me. The Y7 Summit is an example that demonstrates how youth have a voice on a global level. It's not the end, but rather the beginning. The next step is to implement what has been presented in the communique, reflect upon the condition in our own countries, and act towards change.

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Sherly Budiman

Sherly Budiman is an APM student from Indonesia and an aspiring studentpreneur passionate about experiential learning. She calls Armenia and Japan her second home. Outside of academics, you can find her trying out new restaurants, taking photographs, and wondering about "what makes us human?"

APU student as a Guest Observer at G7 Youth Summit - Articles | APU Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University