A special session of the Gibraltar Youth Symposium was held at the Convent, hosted by Minister Christian Santos with guest speaker His Excellency the Governor, Sir Ben Bathurst.

A statement from the Government follows below:

A special session of the Gibraltar Youth Symposium was held at the Convent, hosted by Minister for Youth, the Hon. Christian Santos GMD MP with guest speaker His Excellency the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst KCVO CBE.

Minister Santos opened the session by introducing His Excellency to the forty attendees, representatives of schools and NGOs. His Excellency then shared insights into his background, experience and the journey that led him to serving as Governor of Gibraltar and also explained his key roles and functions under the Gibraltar Constitution. The young participants were engaged throughout, posing relevant questions to the topics discussed.

Minister Santos announced that the Youth Service will be introducing a smaller-group model for future Youth Symposium sessions which will allow sub-groups to explore specific issues of interest more deeply. These discussions will directly inform the question-and-answer sessions with the Minister for Youth, ensuring young people’s perspectives and queries are captured more effectively.

Minister Santos said: “I would like to thank His Excellency for speaking to the Youth Symposium. His contribution was fascinating and the young people were thrilled to be invited to the Convent for this session. It is important to see the participants engage directly with key public figures and understand their roles further by asking informed questions. These opportunities help strengthen the youths’ understanding of institutions and encourage their active participation in civic life.”