© UNICEF/2009/A.Muchnik

ROME, 5 July 2009 The J8 met at the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday to give the world’s leaders a good ol’ earful about what they think they should be doing at the G8. At a venue more associated with Gladiatorial combat the J8 challenged the world’s leaders to listen to the voices of young people from all over the world who will be most affected by the decisions they make in I’Aquila over the next week. 

Lining up in front of a 4 meter paper mache ear, the J8 representatives each wrote their top three demands for the G8 leaders and placed them in the ear in front of global media. They then lined up in front of the ear and with the Colosseum in the background the called on the G8 to ‘Listen to Us’. 

Conspicuous by their bright orange shirts, the young people then addressed the media in a series of group and individual interviews which were broadcast all over the world. HIV and AIDS, climate change and the financial crisis were some of the main topics the young people spoke about.  

Many of the young people gave a very personal message to the G8 leaders. Nigel Wodrich from Canada asked the leaders to remember when they were young when making these key decisions. ‘If humanity was able to put a man on the moon, said Daniel Morales from the US, ‘it should be able to solve the humanitarian problems it faces.’ 

Jona Cho from China summed up the mood of the event by urging the leaders to take action now on their G8 issues,  ‘we cannot wait for the next generation to grow up, he said, ‘if not now, it will be too late for change’. 

The team left the Colosseum to begin properly getting to know each other and get ready for their welcome dinner.