Youth Led Sessions

Jia Kirkpatrick & Asha Kirkpatrick
Students @ Bedford Girls School, United Kingdom

We’re Jia and Asha, aged 14 and 16 years old. For the past 7 years, we have been making waves in the palm oil industry and challenging the sustainability of global brands. It all started back in 2018, when we decided to create a petition against Kellogg’s use of unsustainable palm oil, which destroys the livelihood of people and the habitats of local wildlife. Since then, we have gained over 1 million signatures; eventually forcing Kellogg’s to update their palm oil policy, and continue to pressure brands to make environmentally conscious choices.

 

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Friday 18th October 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM BST / 6:00 PM CEST / 9:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
Challenging Unsustainable Practices - Two Young Campaigners Taking on the Palm Oil Industry

 

Session Description
This workshop will explore the complex relationships between the economic benefits of palm oil and its environmental and social impact. Participants will learn about the industry’s impact on deforestation, climate change, and labor rights, as well as attempts at sustainability like the RSPO certification scheme. Through a multimedia presentation and open-ended discussions, participants will gain awareness of strategies for youth-led environmental campaigning in multi-faceted industries. 

The session aims to empower young leaders to drive change in their communities and contribute to global sustainability efforts, and to foster a commitment among youth to advocate for sustainable consumption. Through our session, we wish to spread awareness of both the positive and negative sides of the palm oil industry and to inspire youth-led environmental initiatives in other global industries.

 

Reese Wong
Curator (President) @ WEF Global Shapers (London Hub II), London, United Kingdom

Reese Wong is an award-winning social entrepreneur, community-builder and public speaker. He is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and Curator at London II Hub. He is the Founder of ISSIA HK, a youth-led nonprofit that champions global citizenship education through peer-to-peer and project-based learning. Since 2019, ISSIA has involved 500+ volunteer staff, launching 30+ projects on the Sustainable Development Goals. The organization has been featured on 15+ platforms, including Nasdaq. More recently, Reese is the Chairman of the LSE Entrepreneurs Society and the Managing Director of London Strategic Consulting (LSC).

As an international speaker, Reese has spoken at 70+ engagements to 4000+ attendees on education and social entrepreneurship.

He has also been recognized as a Young Fellows Advisory Board Member at the Royal Society of Arts, Aspen UK Rising Leader, Future Minds 25 Under 25, Trustee at LSE's Student Union and Project Management Institute UK Scholar. Reese previously worked as a Communications Consultant for Ashoka, the world's leading community of social entrepreneurs. He was also a Community Manager at the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He has experiences across the UK Cabinet Office, U.S. Department of State, Linklaters, McKinsey and more. Lastly, Reese is pursuing an undergraduate degree in International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE).
Email | Website

 

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Friday 18th October 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM BST / 6:00 PM CEST / 9:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
Personal Branding for Social Impact: Why You Should Make Some Noise

 

Session Description 
Making an impact and scaling your project is important. However, being able to communicate your impact is equally important. This session will cover how communication can be leveraged to maximise the impact of social good projects. In particular, the session will cover the essential strategies of building a ‘personal brand’ - we will dive into what it is, why it matters and what you can do on an individual/ organisational level. Participants will come away with a sense of their 'personal brand' and actionable strategies to build it.

 

Session Overiew

1. Introduction to Branding 
2. "Surface Area of Luck" Framework 
3. Personal Branding 
4. Drawing out your Brand Exercise 
5. Networking your Way to Success 
6. Using LinkedIn for Social Impact

 

Gervin Baila Kitwika
Director @ Action For Peace And Nonviolence - APN, Uganda

My name is Gervin Baila Kitwika, I'm a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has been living in Uganda for twelve years now. I'm  a twenty five years old male and a highschool graduate in "Social Techniques". 

I'm the founder and chairperson of a community based organization called 'Action For Peace And Nonviolence' which has the mission to train community members in peace building, runs a Sports for Peace and Postive Change which includes more than 120 refugee youth footballers using their talent and passion to promote peace as ambassadors, and which is based in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda. I'm a peace ambassador certified by the Institute for Economics and Peace and also a Gandhian Nonviolent Communication trainer for four years now.

 

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Friday 18th October 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM BST / 6:00 PM CEST / 9:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
The Role of Nonviolent Communication in Peaceful Coexistence 

 

Session Description
The Gandhian Nonviolent Communication workshop aims to explore the principles and practices of nonviolent communication inspired by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. This interactive session delves into understanding how effective communication can be a tool for resolving conflicts, promoting understanding, and fostering empathy in both personal and professional realms.

The main purpose of this workshop is to introduce participants to the core principles of nonviolent communication and highlight how Gandhi's philosophy can be applied to present-day communication challenges. By integrating Gandhian values such as truth, nonviolence, and compassion, participants will learn to cultivate a deeper sense of empathy and build stronger connections with others.

By the end of this workshop, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how nonviolent communication can transform relationships, promote peaceful interactions, and contribute to personal and social well-being. Through embodying Gandhian values in their communication, attendees will be equipped with practical tools to navigate conflicts with compassion, empathy, and integrity.

 

Srishti Shankar
Executive Team Lead @ Peace Gong Fellowship (Foundation), India

Srishti Shankar holds a master’s degree in public health and has over 3.5 years of experience working with NGOs, startups, and organisations focused on international community development, public health, and healthcare system strengthening.

Through her work across various fields and her interactions with beneficiaries and consumers in diverse domains, Srishti has developed the essential skill sets needed to identify gaps in services and address unmet needs. Armed with this insight, she is deeply committed to serving her community and tackling the complex challenges faced by our global society.

Srishti is driven by a profound ambition to advocate for women, children, LGBTQIA+ and other minority communities in urgent need of support. She strongly believes in the power of empathy and compassion in building resilient, closely-knit institutions and societies.

Srishti currently serves as an Executive Team Lead at the Peace Gong Fellowship (Foundation), where she works with young people (aged 18-28) from the Global South. This role has further ignited her passion for empowering young people and helping them understand the true essence and importance of empathy and compassion in driving meaningful societal change.

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

 

Abdelslam Alfaki

Abdelslam Alfaki is a recent pharmacy graduate and the founder of Evolare. He is passionate about leveraging healthcare and public health awareness to improve lives, particularly in conflict-affected regions of Sudan. With experience leading NGO medical convoys and conducting research for organizations such as Young Workers of Sudan, he is dedicated to addressing healthcare challenges, including malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera.

Currently, Abdelslam is focused on applying Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) to foster positive change. By promoting health literacy and empathy, he aims to empower communities to overcome public health challenges. He is also deeply committed to women's empowerment, especially in advancing their roles in healthcare and society during crises.

Abdelslam believes that fostering nonviolence and encouraging behavior change can enhance public health initiatives and strengthen healthcare systems in under-resourced areas. His goal is to engage in projects that promote sustainable healthcare improvements, prioritizing the well-being of communities deeply affected by war and conflict.

 

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Thursday 17th October 7:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM BST / 4:00 PM CEST / 7:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
Empathy & Compassion: Keys to Resilient, Connected Societies

 

Session Description
This session aims to raise awareness of the critical role empathy and compassion play in building resilient, tightly-knit societies, and achieving our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will provide an overview of how empathy underpins the 17 SDGs, highlighting the targets rooted in the importance of understanding and compassion.

The session will begin by addressing the rise in global conflicts and violence, framing these challenges as a call to action for fostering empathy on a global scale. It will then explore practical approaches that youth can adopt to drive meaningful change in their communities and beyond.

 

Key elements of the session include

1. Understanding Empathy: A deep dive into the true definition of empathy, distinguishing it from sympathy, and exploring its role in advocating for critical issues. Participants will learn to identify hidden barriers that hinder empathetic action.

2. Unlearning and Intersectionality: The importance of unlearning biases and embracing intersectionality will be discussed, emphasizing how these practices contribute to more inclusive and effective advocacy.

3. Effective Empathetic Communication: The power of acknowledgment and the importance of empathetic communication will be highlighted as tools for building trust and fostering connections, even across cultural and linguistic divides.

4. Diversity and Inclusion: The session will underscore the value of diversity and inclusive dialogue, emphasising the importance of cultural sensitivity in creating connections that transcend physical distance.

 

By the end of the session, participants will have a deeper understanding of how empathy and compassion can serve as foundational elements in driving sustainable development and fostering global peace and cooperation.

 

Hajar Tazi
Director of Alliance Weaving & Strategic Initiatives @ Synergia Institute, Morocco

Hajar is a storyteller, kincentric leader, and planetary wellbeing advocate. She studied Eastern spirituality and sustainable development and has experience stewarding a variety of programs and initiatives that support bottom-up community development, holistic wellbeing, & environmental regeneration. She has served in academic institutions, research think tanks, an AI startup, international development organizations, and NGOs.

As a poet enamored with the human language, Hajar believes in the boundless power and sacred gift of storytelling, and its potential to kindle collective action. She is passionate about eco-spirituality and practices of self, community, and nature care, and aspire to help craft new narratives that pave the way for the "Symbiocene", through the delicate weaving of science-based knowledge and ancestral wisdom. 

Her broader interests include reimagined economies, alternative education systems, benevolent technologies, eco-village design and governance.

LinkedIn

 

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Friday 18th October 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM BST / 6:00 PM CEST / 9:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
Birthing Compassionate Futures

 

Session Description
In this interactive session, "Birthing Compassionate Futures," participants will engage in a collective imagination exercise to visualize individually and collectively what compassionate futures might look and "feel" like. 

This session aims to nurture a space where young leaders can explore the transformative cultural, societal, political, and environmental transformations needed to foster these more compassionate and harmonious futures. Through guided visualization, group discussions, and collaborative mapping, attendees will identify the key transformations required to midwife compassionate futures into being. 

The session will empower participants to take actionable steps toward realizing these futures, both individually and collectively.

 

Ryan Honary
Founder & President of Climate Solutions Society @ Stanford Online High School, United States
@ryanhonary (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook)

Ryan Honary is a multi-award-winning, 16-yr old inventor and entrepreneur who has been actively putting his STEM-fueled passion for people, animals and the environment into action for years. Motivated by devastating wildfires near his hometown, he created an AI-Driven Sensor Network for the early detection and growth prediction of wildfires. After winning numerous science awards, his project got the attention of Orange County Fire Authority who is now helping him turn his platform into a deployable product. He received funding from Irvine Ranch Conservancy and formed a startup SensoRyAI in 2022. The platform can be used as a low-cost Early Warning System for various environmental hazards, particularly useful for vulnerable communities and developing nations without existing infrastructure. Most recently in April 2024, his project became a Top-Ten finalist at The Earth Prize out of thousands of submissions from over 100 countries. 

He is also a UNESCO/Learning Planet Youth Fellow and founded an educational non-profit Climate Solutions Society (CSS) in 2023, where he offers an open version of his SensoRyAI technology platform and mentoring for free to teenagers around the world to enable them to develop environmental solutions that they are passionate about. He has been invited to make presentations to the United Nations General Assembly in New York as a Youth Leader to discuss AI and STEM education for teens and ways to further engage them. He will be presenting again at the UN this September at Summit of the Future. In 2023, Ryan won a grant from International Baccalaureate and United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network to help grow this non-profit. In its first year of creation, Climate Solutions Society has grown to 6 chapters across 6 high schools, and Ryan plans to grow it internationally, with particular focus on low-income communities. There are now multiple teenagers developing AI/STEM based solutions for various environmental problems leveraging the CSS educational platform. 

Ryan lives in Newport Beach, California. He is a competitive tennis player and captain of his high school varsity tennis team. In his free time, he volunteers to teach tennis to kids on the Autism Spectrum. He also likes to surf, snowboard and play the electric guitar.

 

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Thursday 17th October 7:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM BST / 4:00 PM CEST / 7:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
Enabling Global Youth to Develop Environmental Solutions

 

Session Description
This session will present a new educational platform that aims to enable global youth towards developing AI/tech based environmental solutions.

Climate change is only going to accelerate – and in turn increase climate anxiety in youth. According to World Meteorological Organization, natural disasters have increased 500% in the past 50 years. Various surveys of global youth have shown 75% of teens are worried about their future due to impacts of climate change, and 84% of teens believe climate change needs to be addressed and want to be part of the solution. In a recent global survey across many countries, on average 45% teens said their climate anxiety impacts their functioning. However, a very small percentage are actually engaged in developing “solutions”. We believe the reason is that existing educational paradigms and resources are inadequate, particularly in underserved communities. Some level of scientific and technology education is necessary for developing solutions. Existing educational resources are either too shallow (Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts), or too detailed, cumbersome/expensive (textbooks, after school programs…) and not viable for a high percentage of global youth. 

To address this, we created a non-profit offering a pragmatic and engaging approach towards educating youth. We offer a targeted technology platform and help youth get started towards developing solutions for environmental problems they are passionate about. We offer educational solutions at a “medium” level of detail to address the problem outlined above. Specifically, we provide a ready-to-use hardware platform with a variety of environmental sensors already attached and very easy to add additional sensors. We also offer open-source software making it easy for youth with ZERO previous experience focus on developing “solutions”, rather than go through difficulties of traditional tech education. All offered free of cost as we have received a grant to promote our educational non-profit. 

In this presentation we will provide an overview of the status quo and why it’s not working, especially for youth with minimal access to resources. We will show details of our 3 educational modules: platform–software–AI and how youth can leverage them step-by-step, from when they are first faced with an environmental challenge they care about, and are looking to solve that problem. We will review examples of teenagers with no tech background leveraging the platform to develop various environmental solutions. The key is engaging/enabling a global audience of youth to become part of the solution. We believe this can help youth address their climate anxiety, help them with their educational/professional aspirations, and even make an actual impact on our global climate challenges.

 

Lake Forest Country Day School
Midde School Students @ Lake Forest Country Day School, United States

We are a group of middle school students who aim to bring innovation out of our classroom into the community. We run monthly mobile makerspaces for non-profits that work with children in our community. We have also participated at community fairs, libraries, and presented at several conferences including IDEACon, the largest educational technology conference in the midwest.

 

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Thursday 17th October 7:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM BST / 4:00 PM CEST / 7:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
Bringing Innovation to the Community: Leveraging Technological Skills and Resources for Impact

 

Session Description
Middle school students will share how they created Mobile Makerspaces in their community and how attendees can develop similar programs. Attendees will see a case-study of a successful community outreach program led by an Innovation Club. Attendees will brainstorm ways they could move create similar programs to share innovation, technology, or a different strength of their school/institution with the broader community.

At Lake Forest Country Day School, a pre-k through eighth-grade school in the United States, we have developed a community outreach program centered around bringing tools and materials from our school’s Innovation Space to the broader community. Through this program nearly 20% of our middle school students have had at least one experience facilitating makerspaces in the broader community. More importantly, we have significantly increased access to materials to other youth-focused non-profits in our area including Roberti Community House, the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, and Pillars Community Health-Constance Morris House. 

In this session, we will share our innovation program’s origin, how it works, and how we build partnerships with community organizations. We will focus on our Mobile Makerspace events. When we run Mobile Makerspaces, around a dozen of our middle school students take a mini-bus to a community partner’s after school or weekend program. Each of us runs a “maker station” of a topic we’re passionate about. Some of our past stations include sewing machines, vinyl cutters, woodworking with hand tools, and drone flying. We will also spend time talking about our conference presentations. We have presented at IDEACon (the largest educational technology conference in the midwest) and Maker Faires. We will share how we adjust our work for different formats and best share our story for wider audiences.

We will conclude our presentation by giving our audience the opportunity to workshop their own outreach ideas as a group. We will split into breakout rooms and have attendees ideate the strengths of their schools or organizations that could be brought to the broader community. Attendees will come up with several ideas for outreach ideas and initial plans to find community partners.

 

Grace Netski
Representing Hope Means Nevada

Grace Netski is a Senior at Faith Lutheran High School. She was a part of the Faith Lutheran state-champion mock trial team, the president of Faith’s key club chapter, and the president of the Spanish honors society. Grace plays the viola in the Faith Lutheran Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, where she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Grace also fundraises and works with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a member of their Leadership Society and is now a Co-Chair for Hope Means Nevada’s teen hope network to raise awareness and destigmatize mental health.

About Hope Means Nevada

Hope Means Nevada is a compassionate team of individuals supported by the Nevada Medical Center – a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Through our accessible resources, consistent support, community events, and passion for prioritizing mental fitness, we make it our mission to eliminate teen suicide and empower Nevada youth to live hopeful lives.

We’re here to provide hope to those who need it most and increase awareness around the struggles and pain some Nevada teens face.

 

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Thursday 17th October 7:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM BST / 4:00 PM CEST / 7:30 PM IST

 

Session Title
From Isolation to Inclusion: Compassion as a Lifeline for Teens at Risk

 

Session Description
This session will explore the crucial role of social connectedness and compassion in preventing teen suicide. Grace will delve into the connection between social isolation, mental health struggles, and suicide risk among teens. The session will present practical strategies for building supportive, empathetic environments in schools, families, and communities to protect at-risk teens. Attendees will gain insights into the power of compassionate relationships and learn tools to foster deeper connections, all aimed at reducing the isolation that often causes anxiety, loss of hope, and/or teen suicide.

 

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