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I met Future Leader Jimmy Paul during a conference addressing major global challenges with young people from around the world.

Jimmy won a place on the Future Leaders Connect scheme which drew 11,000 applications from around the world.

It’s great to see young people taking an interest in politics and the world around them. During the nine-day event, the 50 participants from the UK and ten other countries will meet and question the heads of NGOs, policy-makers and British MPs.

My first bit of advice to young people wanting to be involved in politics would be to follow your vision and don’t just accept what people tell you.

Future Leaders Connect was launched this year by the British Council and offers participants nine days of training in the leadership and policy skills they need to turn innovative ideas in to tangible policy recommendations.

The 50 participants have been chosen through events and interviews in their home countries of Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tunisia, the USA and the four nations of the UK.

One of the highlights for the group was hearing Kofi Annan, and Ban Ki-Moon speak about the global challenges for peace.

The 50 participants took part in an event with the Elders part of their #WalkTogether campaign that leads up to the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. The Elders are an independent group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela a decade ago to work together for peace and human rights.