"I was a member of the world family of children"

This is the story of one child, Subhasandhya, from the Centre for Youth and Social Development CYSD/Plan-Bhubaneshwar in India

"Sometimes I dream of flying in the sky. But cruising through the sky to Melbourne was more thrilling than the dream. It was like a fledgling bird rising to the sky for the first time. Looking at the night sky one was carried on the wings of a dream until we landed at the Melbourne airport,"

"I found myself among other children from around the world. We became friends, and fear and the yearning for home left me. We felt like family members.

First, we visited a high school in Melbourne – the largest I have ever seen. The students who happily welcomed us, are lucky to have many ‘extras’ like a  library, computers and above all a beautiful playground.

Next, I learned  video camera techniques and became a 'Doco Crew' video member covering the conference. With me were participants from Vietnam and the Philippines.

We also visited the Channel 7 in Melbourne, and the studio director took us on a newsroom tour. My eyes were dazzled with the technical beauty of the rooms.  It was like an imaginary world, and it was a  delight to handle the camera and capture the fleeting reality around us. I felt powerful and happy.

I was nervous about my presentation to the gathering. When I went to the stage I was feeling as if I would fall down, but I don’t know where from strength came and I confidently did the presentation on 'The Children's Assembly'.

The faces of friends and 'co-assemblers' came floating to mind and I felt happiness and pride - I was a member of the world family of children.

The last day was painful. Though we parted from each other physically, memories of our stay with the children from  all over the world will remain ever indelible in my mind."