Mary Asumpter, Youth Representative from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia shares her experience at the recent G7 Summit attended by youth representatives and ambassadors from across Canada.

Mary, A Motivated Youth Representative. We gathered to join our voices for the Indigenous community and countries in the Global South so we could reach the ears of world political leaders gathering at the G7 Summit and demand a more sustainable future for all. A world where economic and ecological justice and decolonization are the norm, not the exception.

On the first day of the event, the young adults had a meeting before the official start of the program. It was a great opportunity to meet other young adults from other places who share the vision of the Jubilee and are ready to add their voices to advocate for change.

The four-day program was very impactful. The first day, listening to and dinning with people from different faith groups gave me a feeling of belonging and oneness. It emphasized the objective of the Jubilee that we are all people, and we should all be treated with ecological dignity and equality. The second day was enriched with presentations that explained the impact of environmental degradation and pollution, especially in countries in the Global South, the health effects and the cry of the people.

I attended a workshop on Jubilee and Financial Debt, and I was able to understand the history of jubilee in depth, the positive impact it brought some years ago, and the hope for something similar and more to be achieved. This workshop was very educative as it explained the role world political leaders continuously play in environmental degradation and economic exploitation along with organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank.

Another interesting workshop I attended was Global-Indigenous Conversation. This workshop was an opportunity to understand experiences and perspectives from all different parts of the world about Jubilee, justice and land and its care.

Finally, a workshop on Gamifying Diverse Futures for Social Change and Jubilee triggered my mind on the future and how changing times can impact critical thinking about the future.

On the last day of the forum, I was thrilled to participate in a street theatre skit; I played the role of the IMF. It was a complete display of the role world leaders play, which ended in smashing debt and equal distribution of resources.
In all these experiences and workshops, I felt a deep reawakening in my faith because this was the coming together of different religions, blending for the good of all. Unity is strength, and we are all embarking on a journey which starts with Christ and ends with Him. I can best understand and carry on the message to others and hope that the change we seek is achieved.