Yemeni girl selected as one of sixty Global Changemakers [Archives:2008/1207/Local News]

By: Yemen Times Staff
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