Youth input in policy making is an issue that, despite limited interest, has yet to be fully developed. According to the United Nations Population Fund (www.unfpa.org) more than 1.5 billion people are between the ages of 10 and 25 and yet very little has been done to involve this group in the process of policy making. The Agora Group intends to utilize the resource of highly educated and motivated individuals in order to ground policy formulation within the confines of the real world as opposed to the theoretical. The impetus behind the creation of the Agora Group was to address the imbalance that exists between the theoretical and the practical, between the idealistic and the established.

Through the development of University seminars, working groups and internet post sites, the Agora Group will develop a global student community. This community will facilitate cross-cultural democratic discourse and promote the exchange of ideas amongst an international student body. The student community will become integral to shaping the world in the years to come and the efforts of the Agora Group are designed to develop this concept to the benefit of all.

Development of this concept will enable the Agora Group to run week-long conferences, bringing together students from diverse countries and backgrounds to discuss issues of relevance and promote democratic development. This in turn will enable real policy recommendations to be made and for the voice of students to be heard.