Umeå students on their way to international conference in Russia
NEWS
Anna Sjöqvist and Jacob Bergman will represent Umeå University at the world's largest event for young leaders, the G20 Youth Forum in St. Petersburg. Together with researchers and students from the world's top 200 universities, they will discuss global economic and social challenges.
Jacob Bergman accepted immediately when he was asked to attend the conference. He studies business with an international focus. Anna Sjöqvist shares his interest in international affairs. She is about to get her law degree, and international law is one of her favorite subjects. “The G20 Youth Forum is also a chance to be a part of interesting cultural encounters,” says Anna Sjöqvist. With a total of 1500 participants from all over the world, there will be plenty of opportunities for this.
The G20 Youth Forum runs from 17 to 21 April. The conference that Anna Sjöqvist and Jacob Bergman will attend consists of 20 parallel roundtables, where academics and students present a topic for discussion. “I hope to contribute with a Swedish and Nordic perspective in the discussions, but also with the experience I gained from exchange studies and through my education,” says Jacob Bergman, who was an exchange student in Shanghai and Norway. Anna Sjöqvist, who spent a semester in England, tries to keep up to date on international issues and got an overview of the G20's agenda for 2013.
But it's not enough to be prepared for the topics to be discussed. The conference’s social events require at least as good preparation, since the students are invited to a cocktail dinner and a black-tie dress code ball. “At the ball, there will also be dancing. We have been offered to take dance lessons on location in St. Petersburg,” says Jacob Bergman.
