One Young World Enterprise for Peace Scholars

"I'd like to get more inspiration on how to contribute to a better world." 

About Yakout

I've always been passionate about architecture, and my family has motivated me to dare to dream and believe in myself to be successful in this world. I've graduated with a PhD and am focusing on eco-farming. 

I like reading books, volunteering, basketball, and of course, photography, drawing, modelling, sketching- because these are powerful skills in architecture.

Expertise

Architecture, eco farming, education

"I want to learn about methods and solutions about youth unemployment to implement them in our program, so that we can impact more youth by increasing their chances for high level employment and encourage entrepreneurship."

About Yaakoub

I am an AIESEC member, where we send people on exchange programs to promote diversity and to fulfill their potential. I am a co-founder in Steps which is an initiative to teach kids between (10-15 y.o) tech fields.

CEO and co-founder of "Afaq-آفاق" which is a foundation to sharpen kids' imagination by teaching them 3D design and 3D printing.

Organized many events such as: Tedx, WikiStage, Startup weekend where we inspire people and motivate them.

I had the chance to travel around 6 countries so I always promote diversity and multicultural understanding based on my experience

Expertise

Education, designing, entrepreneurship 

"I can advise on digital technology accessibiliy for developing countries."

About Aristide

I'm a digital entrepreneur in Burkina Faso with most of my experience beig in new technologies. I founded Yamba Digital Hub Ltd., where I developed new ways of working based on the reduction of costs through the optimisation of tools and methods, and I'm passionate about making new technologies affordable for small businesses.

Expertise

Digitial innovation, entrepreneurship, social development

"My objective for the One Young World Summit is to learn, and get inspired by youth from all around the world and from mentors, that would help me to grow even more personally and professionally."

About Nawsheen

Originally from Mauritius, and currently based in Burkina Faso (where I hold the nationality since 2015), I have over 8 years’ experience in the agricultural sector, specifically focusing on the engagement of youth in agriculture through the use of ICTs. I am the co-Founder of Agribusiness TV, the first youth in agribusiness web TV that features success stories of young agricultural entrepreneurs in Africa. Agribusiness TV aims to inspire youth to embrace agricultural jobs along the value chain, hence creating more jobs and contributing to food security. Based in Burkina Faso, the web TV covers 12 countries in Africa, and has in its first three years produced over 130 videos (in English and French), viewed over 9 million times.

I am also the co-Founder and General Manager of Agribusiness Shop, an online and physical shop that markets and distributes agricultural products processed by young entrepreneurs and women’s associations in Burkina Faso and the West African region. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Extension from the University of Mauritius, and a Master’s degree in Management and Information Systems from the University of Manchester.

Expertise

Agriculture, female leadership, entrepreneurship 

"I like to hear from other young leaders from around the world how they are thinking about different issues."

About Dina 

I am a hyperactive self-starter that enjoys networking with other people to see how we can combine different thoughts in a solution that helps to solve the community problems. I have influenced thousands of people in the field of self- development in areas of expertise such as soft and technical skills, especially those related to scientific research and entrepreneurship through lectures, online tutorials, or networking.

I have been involved in many projects and companies that are working in development in Egypt. I have been the founder at some of them, a participant, or a facilitator in others. Social Impact is my first priority in life. I have a network of thousands of people in Egypt in many disciples that I am integrated into and know to some extent how youth in Egypt deals with a lot of fields. I can be an ambassador to relay the way they are thinking and how people are solving their social problems legally and innovatively.

Expertise

Community builiding, leadership, social development

"I would love to see my country come out from darkness into light- and be part of that change."

About Safaa 

I have always been passionate about learning. After studying biological sciences, I decided to try a career path where I can learn something new. I started working as a medical sales representative at one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in Egypt. During that time I developed a passion for marketingm and because I know that I need to back up that passion by knowledge, I started to look for opportunities to study marketing. I found a scholarship offered by IIE to study abroad and I couldn’t miss such a great opportunity. I traveled to the United States to pursue my dream. During my two years at Willamette University, I learned a lot not only academically, but also personally; those two years weren’t only about learning business and getting my degree, I learned discipline and built a character that is more resilient, confident and responsible. After coming back, I joined Electrobekia, a startup company, because I believe I can help this startup grow while gaining the experience I need to grow my career.

Expertise

Education, training, pharma

"I aspire to continue my social change journey and promote decent work and economic growth in Egypt. OYW will fulfill my curiosity with thrilling topics that I'm eager to learn more about and help me empower people in Egypt to be change makers.  I’m excited to engage in conversations with like-minded people from diverse international backgrounds."

About Rawan

Rawan Galal is a young social entrepreneur who believes and works for a change. She’s studying Computers & Systems Engineering. Rawan participated in many training programs that helped her develop her entrepreneurial mindset. She is passionate about teaching computer science and wants to immerse technology with education to increase employment opportunities. This led her to start ‘CS50x Zag’, an initiative that aims at increasing students’ passion for computer science. In 2017, she started working with a team on developing a ‘two-way communication system for Egyptian deaf people’. Since then, her life became dedicated to impacting deaf people and unlocking their potential. In 2018, she and her team decided to start a company that develops an integrated mobile solution for deaf people to communicate with others and find a satisfactory job. Rawan participated in HULTPrize entrepreneurship challenge by UN for solving youth unemployment and her team won the 1st place on-campus for the developing the most sustainable, impactful enterprise solution. The challenge was to build a foundation that will provide meaningful work for 10,000 youth within the next decade.
Rawan has a vision: to empower deaf people and help make an employment dream come true, and she’s seeking every opportunity to bring this vision to reality.

Expertise

Software developing, data science, education

"My attendance at OYW will provide me with more multinational exposure to be able to better comprehend the challenges of economic and political activities in a developing country where challenges and opportunities are increasing hand-in-hand, while being a strong advocate for Egypt."

About Seif

I have almost 5 years of experience spanning the national and international nongovernmental organizations, the private sector and governmental entities. I am passionate about social responsibility and the role that companies, civil society, and individuals can play in improving the welfare of society.

I am currently working as Social Enterprises Support Manager at Nahdet El Mahrousa (meaning Renaissance of Egypt), mainly responsible for the implementation of the programs that focus on building the capacity of early-stage Social Enterprises. Before joining Nahdet el Maharousa, I spent years in the development field where I worked on a project that provides quality education to underprivileged children with Face for Children in Need and UNICEF, and others that are concerned with the criminal justice system (Violence against women and juvenile justice) with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Projects that brought me closer to the marginalized communities in Egypt and developed my awareness about their difficulties and needs.

I am also running my own project (Yellow Umbrella – Arts and Cultural Events Planning agency). I hold a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cairo University, and currently doing my master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management from Cairo University in academic collaboration with Cambridge Enterprise.

Expertise

Partnerships, entrepreneurship, development work 

"I look forward to learn how other youths have been dealing with societal problems and how they influence their governments to improve the lives of their communities."

About Samrawit

I am 26 years old from Ethiopia. I am the CEO of the Engineers Without Borders-Mekelle, Mekelle University, a chapter which works on providing appropriate technology and engineering solutions for societal problems. I am also a fellow at Young African Leaders Initiative RLC, staff and alumna of Engineering for Developing Communities (an international summer course where students from different parts of the world engage in hands on practice of engineering and sustainable community development study in Ethiopia and Israel). I'm also a member of the International Youth Parliament summit committee Ethiopia.

I have a BSc in Civil Engineering from Mekelle University and have been engaged in community work since 2011, and have over seven years of volunteer experience with locale and international NGOs on different areas. And since January 2019, I have been an assistant country director of Ethiopia at Global Peace Chain where I am working with peace ambassadors on peace, tolerance and inclusive culture by organising peace camps and events. In February 2019, I became Vice President of Arab Africa Council for Integration and Development of Ethiopia, a youth organisation which works on mental and spiritual development of youth and assistant country director of International Youth Society. I am is also Global Good will Ambassador for Ethiopia.

Expertise

Community engagement, leadership, technology

"I hope to gain perspective from other delegates in addressing pressing challenges of today's world."

About Alexander

I am the co-founder and CFO at Axiom Financial Technologies, a start-up company focusing to sustainably reconcile the unbanked setback to access finance and financial institutions trust inquiries using an Artificial Intelligence backed technology. I am also a co- founder and Deputy General Manger at Yared ZeAman vehicle cleaning and Maintenance services. In addition I co-founded Habeshawi records & Trench Town Entertainment, a music record label and Production Company resp. focusing on opportunity creation for talented yet resource limited artists.

Expertise

Finance, services, entrepreneurship

"I want to experience the power of the youth in different setups and this find solutions that I can bring to my home country."

About Ephrem

Over eight years of experience in different nonprofit sectors and social enterprises and earned a Bachelor’s of Art in Psychology. While working as a co-founder and executive director of SunEko art for social development, he designed and executed social circus program in Ethiopia in order to create a place where any child can come and acquire the therapeutic benefits of art and create current and futures job for the youth through performing art.

Since 2013, he reached more than ten million radio audiences through a weekly radio show on areas of peace, child protection, reconciliation, family therapy, and mental health. He is also the creator and director of an entirely volunteer-based social enterprise project under Erk Mead media and communication. Ephrem uses social media for social change through his Facebook pages that have almost more than eighty thousand followers. He personally teaches about mental and psychosocial health. Previously, he worked as a regional content manager for U.S. based media technology company called Zeno Radio.  He is leading 3 major projects on mental health awareness and peace education programs and he strives to influence policymakers on this area. Ephrem participated in YALI-young African leaders’ initiative in Nairobi, Kenya in 2018.

Expertise

Social development, mental health, education

"Management is my passion and humanitarian action is my practice."

About Firas

I work as program development specialist at the Mosul organization for Development, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I develop and manage grants in partnership with local NGOs, CBOs, and volunteer teams that solve or contribute to solving local problems after the city was liberated from Daesh. 

I started working in the humanitarian sector 7 years ago and I started my volunteer initiative when I saw there were a lot of problems in my community and no one was trying to solve them. 

I'm a management consultant in Mosul local organisations that focus on entrepreneurship and tech-related. I also contribute to increasing youths sense of responsibility.

Expertise

Humanitarian, entrepreneurship, technology

"The One Young World Summit will help me gain academic and practical experience as well as networking with peers and professionals."

About Ammar

Ammar Rafid is a Corporate Entrepreneurship Senior Officer at Zain Iraq focusing on youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and gender diversity. He promotes for job creation by empowering youth to thrive and develop. He holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and an M.Sc. in Structural Engineering both from University of Baghdad and holds a diploma in Leadership and Entrepreneurship from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). He has 3 years’ experience in the engineering field and more than 2 years’ experience in the international NGO field. He has more than 8 years’ experience as a volunteer.

In 2011, he was selected to be one of the undergraduate students to participate in an exchange program in the US called Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP). he spent their six weeks and studied a crash course in Social Media at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Expertise

Entrepreneurship, gender diversity, leadership

"I want to raise the voices of the youth in the minds of decision makers."

About Sinan 

Sinan Assaid is a Jordanian youth leader, a young boy raised in an underprivileged community, an average kid who tried to push the boundaries of his knowledge and experience.

He became one of the highest achieving students in the country & the top in the university, received 70,000 USD of scholarships, learned 4 languages, and studied engineering, business, and innovation. He is a scholar at Kelley School of Business & a Hult Prize global finalist. Yet, what makes Sinan different are his toilets & socks. 

Sinan was frustrated by public toilets in Jordan as people always left them dirty. So with a great team, they created S-toilet: a smart public toilet that changes how people use public sanitation facilities & were chosen by the United Nations as one of the Champions of Change for 2017.

Then, in 2018 he started his social enterprise. "The Good Socks" the first ever Jordanian specialty socks company that makes and designs Arabic funny socks. His new venture takes factories’ waste, turn it into socks, and feeds less-fortunate people with the money.

Expertise

Entrepreneurship, inclusion, innovation 

"I want to learn how other people solve unemployment in their countries so learn how to raise employment in the blind community in Jordan."

About Nour

My passion is to inspire people and change their lives. Because of that I have been in social work for 6 years. I worked as a volunteer with Peace Corps in Glow camp to teach Young girls about leadership and how to be a good leader.

Through INJAZ, I taught school girls business management for over than 3 months.

I'm fellow at several organisations such as UNESCO, BADIR- International youth foundation, Swedish institute and Global Shaper. I was chosen as one of Changemakers for 2017 according to Ashoka foundation.

In Jordan, I am considered as a Social Entrepreneur for my Project “Matar" which give blind students educational and cultural opportunities. MATAR Project was chosen as an example of education Entrepreneur in Jordan. I'm 26 years old, Civil engineering and Corporate entrepreneurship responsibility - Team member at Zain Telecom company.

Expertise

Education, youth empowerment, leadership

"Currently, through the support of the Dutch embassy, I set up an incubation program for Jordanian youth to learn about applied research and turn community challenges into business opportunities."

About Ahmad

Ahmad Jadallah is a doctor in medicine and the founder and CEO of Phi Science Institute, heading a team of sixteen young leaders. The Phi Science Institute is a non-profit organization  that aims to create a passionate community about science in order to enrich applied research and innovation in Jordan and the wider Arab region. He was one of the few Jordanian students chosen to study business, innovation and leadership at Kelley School of Business - Indiana University. Ahmad is a researcher in artificial intelligence and biomedical applications, fulfilling his passion of combining business with solid science. Ahmad is a speaker in many conferences for the general public in Jordan and gave many scientific workshops. He is addicted to learning new things and discover new knowledge through reading, lecturing and experimenting.

Expertise

Education, innovation, leadership

"I want to help others know more about the region and issues we face and work on solutions together."

About Lynn

Lynn Malkawi is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and holds a BSc and an MBA in Business Administration. Lynn has worked in the USA in the private sector in the fields of insurance, and financial services in multiple Fortune 500 companies and transitioned to working in social development. Her work in social development focuses on youth and community empowerment where she held multiple positions in the sector such as Project Manager, Regional Coordinator, M&E Officer and Knowledge Officer.

Lynn has founded several community led initiatives of her own.  Lynn she is also is also an OPED writer and her writings focus on political, economic, and social issues in Jordan. Lynn completed an Executive Education program at Harvard University titled Leadership, Organizing and Action- Leading Change. Lynn is currently the Founder and Director or the NGO Wasel which aims at its core to bridge the gap between youth and adolescents in different parts of Amman and the municipalities, youth of different geographical and socio-economic backgrounds through its civic engagement programs.

Expertise

Social development, writing, leadership 

"I expect to gain more on how other youth have managed to handle issues pertaining poverty eradication, food security, job creation for the young and consistent production in their countries."

About Jackson

Being a former participant of Youth Leadership Masterclass 2018 in the Netherlands and the chairperson of Chepkorio Dairy Youth Council, I have managed to bring young farmers and mobilize the youth to join dairy farming after serving as an example as a young dairy farmer. In addition, being a veterinarian and extension officer, working with the popular Chepkorio Dairies Co-op, I get to interact with a lot of dairy farmers hence sensitizing for food security and as a result there have been a significant reduction in poverty levels among the community which has directly eradicated hunger

With more than six years work experience with Chepkorio Dairies working as a veterinarian and Artificial Insemination service provider there have been remarkable production in milk and have created job opportunities to youth in the whole value chain. My extension services have seen most farmers get more advices on feed establishment and storage, animal health and breeding which has impacted the growth of dairy sector in my community and hence promoted co-existence among different communities.

Expertise

Job creation, sustainable agriculture, poverty eradication 

"I will deepen my relationship with other candidates, strengthen leadership skills and utilize available resources to develop advance knowledge in sustainable agribusiness."

About Clarena

I am the Founder and Managing Director of TransFarm Ventures committed towards transforming farming; reducing hunger and malnutrition, creating decent jobs for youth, men and women and boosting Kenya’s economic growth. We provide access to horticultural produce, market access and food distribution to make food reach a large number of people and training services on sustainable agricultural practices and be an eye-opener to farmers who no longer give their best through losses incurred. Here, I communicate the business’ direction, assign roles to 2 employees, delegate to increase efficiency, collaborate to meet greater returns, listen more and accept feedback. We are proud to have acquired market in 3 supermarkets in town, 3 marketplaces and directly to consumers and aspire to reach 200 farmers and consumers by 2023.

I am passionate about transforming youth’s and women’s lives by harnessing their confidence and skills to start and own sustainable agribusinesses. Growing up in a farming community and having studied Environmental Studies Community Development at undergraduate level, I grew passion towards empowering my community to be self-reliant. Also, past experiences working with agricultural programs that transformed communities by equipping them with sustainable land management practices and alternative livelihoods motivated me to start TransFarm Ventures.

Expertise

Youth empowerment, sustainability, leadership 

"I hope to gain knowledge that would ignite me to drive societal change, take action and tackle some of the most pressing issues the world faces today."

About Joan

Joan Mwende is the founder of Lulu Thamani Organization. She is passionate about promoting gender equality through empowering women to be better and understand their true value. She is religious and believes that religion is a common ground for a lot of people she works with; hence uses the local church to reach women and do her work. She is an Amani Institute fellow with a Post-graduate Certificate in Social Innovation Management. She holds a Bachelors Degree of Commerce (Marketing) from the University of Nairobi and she has practiced marketing at GlaxoSmithKline East Africa Ltd. and PZ Cussons East Africa Ltd. In addition, she has experience in project management, financial management and resource mobilization. She is also a 2015 Akili Dada fellow.

In the long run she hopes to build a facility where underprivileged women would be provided a safe space of learning skills and access resources to better their lives. She also is planning to run a retreat and conference centre in the same area to ensure sustainability of her project and also to create jobs. This is mainly by creatively and innovatively developing her organization to be a pioneer in its industry. She aspires that Lulu Thamani emerges as a social enterprise firm motivated to change the way small businesses operate within their domestic markets.

Expertise

Gender quality, female leadership, entrepreneurship 

"In few years to come, farming will be a gold mine in Kenya, offering food security, ensuring safe consumption of food and creating jobs. Until now farming has been neglected, due to various challenges."

About Caroline

As per my name above, I am a young dairy farmer based in Kenya, Kiambu  county to be specific. I started dairy farming back in the year 2012, with one heifer which I purchased from the savings earned from my previous employment. I have grown myself from farming since I was once employed, and as an undergraduate degree holder, the society expects one to have secured a white collar job, while I am earning much better now, than when I was employed.

I have a contract with my co-operative, whereby I own a milk parlour and retail milk to clients around the area. I am also able to organise for outside deliveries. My passion for dairy farming has been ever since I was young, as I grew up in an environment where my late grandparents practiced dairy farming. I came to understand that even our Former President Moi had in time visited my grandparents’ farm and they received an award.

Since last year, I can sadly state that I have reduced the number of cows that I had due to the challenges I experienced in the years before. But soon I will be in a better position. My visit to the Netherlands in 2016 has made sense to me, as it has taught me that you can have less cows and increased production, rather than have a higher number of cows and still have the same production. Also, it learned me about the essence of quality breeding. Previously I was milking a total of 7 cows. Now I am milking 4 cows,  and I have 2 heifers and 1 calf. In terms of production it is more or less the same as before.

Expertise 

Dairy farming, community building, agriculture 

"I am interested in learning how other countries are tackling issues affecting the youth like  quality education and unemployment and how I can incorporate the same in my community to create more jobs for the youth and make them self reliant and key players in decision making."

About Eric

I am 32 years of age and a first born in a Family of 3. Am married and blessed with one cute son who is one half years old. I have graduated with a degree in agricultural economics and resource management(2013) and a certificate in Environmental impact management(2016). I have also undergone training on Leadership For Change in cooperative university of Kenya (2017) and participated in Youth Leadership program in Holland in 2017.

I am an employee of Meru Central Coffee Cooperative Union since 2014. In that period production has increased from 7.5 million kilograms per year to 10.2 Million kilograms. Coffee quality has also increased and the prices shot from $ 0.3 per kilogram to $ 0.55 per kilogram. Farmers are grouped into village farming schools where they receive extension services.

I have also lobbied cooperative management and community to give youth a chance in coffee industry. Youth are now being given free coffee seedlings to establish their farms and 3 primary cooperatives have formed youth councils who help the cooperative management in policy making. Am also involved in helping youth form village savings and loans associations to help them with capital to finance their economic activities.

Expertise

Leadership, community development, lobbying

"Sharing is perhaps the world richest knowledge platform, and every leader wants a piece of it."

About George

I believed from an early age that I was born to offer to the world and not to take from it. Making a difference in the lives of others is a passion I pride in, Having been elected as a community, church and cooperative (Ndumberi Dairy) youth leader helped me live my passion in empowering, educating and motivating the youth for a bright future. Born and raised in a humble background in central Kenya and went to local primary and secondary school, later got a certificate in hotel services  all along been elected in leadership positions molded me both morally and in character.

I have attended local leadership classes, leadership certificate from the cooperative, voted most improved youth farmer in 2017 and Youth Leadership Masterclass certificate from Agriterra. Finding and offering solutions to others and service leadership are core principles I hold dear.

Expertise

Advocacy, education, leadership 

"I am an electrical and computer engineer with a focus in renewable energy."

About Haytam

In 2016, I founded Innovating Green Technology (IGT), a startup aiming to transform the field of renewable energy, which has won a number of awards including Kafalat ISME grant (sponsored by the World Bank and the Lebanese Central Bank), Nawaya Impact Lab competition (sponsored by UNICEF), Injaz Lebanon Best Innovative Product and Injaz Al-Arab Best Product of the Year.

I graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Master's after conducting research on “Bandwidth management among a swamp of Tele-operated robots”.

Expertise

Renewable energy, entrpreneurship, education

"I am looking forward to networking, training and learning about youth empowerment, sharing experiences and different perspectives for better approaches to decision making."

About Sara

Born and lived in Beirut, Lebanon, Sara has always had an interest for people, cultures and communities. She is an Architect & Designer, pushing the boundaries of a cross-disciplinary approach to research. Intersecting fashion design with innovation and technology, in the purpose of redefining product creation.

Sara has experience in Architecture, Urban Planning, Spaces for Citizen (training individuals to have a say and develop a proper work frame and action plan to initiate on designing their own city) also in technology and digital design.

Expertise

Designing, innovation, training 

"I would like to learn how I can develop and implement empowerment programmes for young citizens, particularly those in rural areas, especially that our Federation of Municipalities encompasses around 40 rural municipalities that are suffering from rural to urban exodus and weakening the social and economic tissue in these municipalities."

About Danielle 

Before living in Lebanon, I lived in the Emirates for sixteen years where I completed my high school degree in SABIS (International School of Choueifat- Abu-Dhabi). After graduating high school, I decided to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Interior Design at the Lebanese American University in 2016. Soon after, I entered a Civil Service Council Competition under the title designer in The Federation of Keserwan Ftouh Federation. In March 2016, I got appointed the job and began my journey in local governance. The Federation brings together 52 Municipalities with more than 200,000 inhabitants. The Local Development Office carries a number of cross-cutting projects and programmes on economic, social and environmental development.

Being the youngest of my colleagues as well as a designer, I pushed boundaries in the Federation, bringing in new ideas and solutions as well as events to target the youth of the region. Our partnership with the International Cooperation Agency of the Netherlands Municipalities was a privileged occasion to develop programmes in City Marketing and Disaster Risk Management at the level of the Federation and allowed me to take part in the “Next Generation Resilience” programme targeting young municipal leaders. Both experiences were game-changers in my career.

Expertise

Local development, community building, partnerships 

"I would like to learn from others and grow a larger network."

About Cheick

I'm a young man from Mali, who aspires to be greater than his realities. I'm a visionary young man, with a tremendous sense of service, patriotism and excellency.

I'm working so that I will be remembered as a conductor of change, a passionate man of service. Mali is my room, Africa my home and the world is my family.

Cheick founded Youth For Change Mali in 2013 - today they are looking at a global Youth For Change Africa with more than
5000 members across the African Continent and thousands of community projects done every year.

Expertise

Youth engagement, leadership, training

"I would like to expand my knowledge and find solutions to problems of peacebuilding such as teaching professionals new techniques, approaches, practices and methodologies about  the challenges of the 21 century."

About Mahamane

Mahamane F Djitteye  is CEO and founder of The Timbuktu Center for Peace Studies. He is an international consultant, peace-building activist, civic leadership coach, and grant writer. He has also published articles on good governance, security, youth civic engagement, violent extremism, security and cultural heritage development strategies.  

He has a master’s degree in English Language and Literature from the Faculty of Letters, Arts, and Human Sciences at the University of Bamako, Mali’s premier university. He has a postgraduate certificate in International conflict Management from the International Peace and Security institute at American University’s School of International Service. He also publishes the web magazine Timbuktu: Land of peace and Culture, which also helps organize peace-building activities in the Timbuktu region.  

Mahamane is a fellow with the Mandela Washington Fellowship Young African leadership Initiative Program. His involvement is with the program’s the civic leadership track. Since 2012, with the onset of civil war, he has focused on peace-building. He uses Timbuktu’s celebrated cultural heritage as a catalyst for lasting peace and transforming violent extremism in the city and region of Timbuktu, with a special focus on preventing the radicalization of youth. He built his career through online news, media and publishing. He also runs outreach campaigns, as well as festivals for the performing arts. He has facilitated meetings and programs in arts development, human rights issues, youth civic engagement, and leadership forums for youth and women.

He also works nomadic tribal communities, such as the Tuareg and Fulani, on rural education and peace-building  He is responsible for implementing and developing strategic and creative multimedia projects, developing tools and content for peace and reconciliation process, including the building of youth civic engagement for positive social change. Hadj’s work brings together youth leaders, Malian journalists, cultural leaders and musicians, governmental leaders, local change-makers, policy-makers, and human rights and women's rights activists to promote peace and national dialogue.

Expertise

Peace-building, leadership, training

"I aim to bring back home innovative ideas and sharing them in the form of spin-off activities linked to Leadership and Gender Equality promotion hosted in the youth platform in my province as well as other Moroccan provinces."

About Nabila

My passion for female empowerment began as a mere interest in breaking the stereotypes about women in Tech and Science. That interest that had shaped and defined my choices in life from an early age, growing in a rural area where only the happy few girls were lucky enough to make it to the university and engineering was a male-dominated career.

I successfully passed the Engineering school selection test and managed to acquire the merit to choose my preferred major Networks and telecommunication. My work experience as an IT Manager in the Social Action Division has significantly sparked my interest in social entrepreneurship, I had enrolled into an MBA program to research the role of ICT could play in scaling up the impact of social enterprises in Morocco. Closely examine and share the lessons learned from a successful ICT-based social enterprise in Morocco: Anou.

As a youth economic inclusion program coordinator, my duties include:

1. Creating a new collaborative youth platform that brings government together with businesses and other stakeholders in private and public cooperation, to offer a comprehensive entrepreneurship program tailored to a specific age group (between 18-35). The program covers: entrepreneurial skills training, access to capital through new financing opportunities for SME at the seed and growth stages, and mentoring from new and established entrepreneurs
2. Promoting enterprise culture among the youth and raising awareness about how to create a sustainable impact through social entrepreneurship.
3. Facilitating synergies and cross-sectoral cooperation by enhancing the role of municipalities in the local coordination of youth inclusion services offered by various provincial entities.

Expertise

Partnerships, youth development, inclusion

"I truly believe that when merged - The NGO mindset and the business mindset- both are much stronger than when separated."

About Marwan

Placing the human factor at the center of my professional interests and work is my main motivation. I am passionate about social innovation and entrepreneurship, in which I find concrete answers to the socio-economic challenges of our time. The master’s degree I hold in International Management and Cultural Diversity really forged my way into working in mixed environments, and not only accepting the many differences they bring, but also investing into the opportunities those differences tend to offer. I first started a career in the capitalistic world as a business manager to discover that my energy and efforts are better somewhere needed while capitalism can still grow with other resources, and that’s when I came back to the NGO work I was involved in as a student. Working with young social entrepreneurs at the Moroccan Center for Innovation and social Entrepreneurship really shaped the way I see business and profit, community and youth and developing societies around the Mediterranean. My work today with the Drosos Foundation in Tunisia helps grow that knowledge bigger to my surprise that the challenges are differently defined, but they remain almost the same. There is just so much we can learn from one another.

Expertise

Philantrophy, entrpreneurship, cultural diversity

"I believe these new connections and outlooks will allow me to improve the impact I can have in the world around me."

About Nathalie

Nathalie is a passionate and determinant young professional who likes to contribute to socio-economic prospects of the underprivileged in developing countries by fostering (social) entrepreneurship. Thanks to her dual nationality (Dutch and Portuguese) she is used to going into different cultures with sometimes conflicting interests. Because of this, she easily makes connections between different worlds. In addition, a good doses of perseverance and organisational skills ensure that she translate challenges into successful projects.

Nathalie currently works at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs on private sector development. As a policy officer with experience in stimulating economic development in a refugee context, she knows how to strengthen local business and promote job growth in a challenging environment. In the past she gained experience in Angola, entrepreneurship promotion in Africa and volunteered to improve (socio-)economic prospects for women in Africa as well as supported a newcomer in the Netherlands in learning Dutch. Nathalie has a background in international relations and in international development.

Expertise

Development cooperation, teaching, planning 

"By attending and participating in debates and discussions I hope to be challenged in my thinking and reach new insights."

About Robin

I was born in Nijmegen, the Netherlands in 1992. When I was three years old our family moved to South-East Asia for my father’s work for Philips. I grew up attending international schools in Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. When I was fourteen, my parents, two younger brothers and I moved back to the Netherlands where I attended a bilingual high school. After a gap year in which I explored the direction of  civil engineering, I entered medical school in Nijmegen in 2011.

During my medical studies I took every opportunity to gain international experience, spending 6 months doing research at the department of Surgery at the University of Chicago, participating in an international thinktank for UNESCO in collaboration with St. Petersburg State University, and spending 5 months in Ghana for a clinical placement. Having completed medical school I moved to Maastricht where I am currently getting my second Masters degree in Global Health. In my spare time I work as a triage officer for refugees and I am a member of the West Wing, the youth think tank for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participating in the track that focuses on the Future of Work.

Expertise

Global health, future of work, leadership

"I would like to gain a better understanding of the new types of jobs [and the role for social entrepreneurship, innovation, digitalization] that we need to create the coming years, and how we can work towards this."

About Ida

I’m a policy officer for the Food and Nutrition Security cluster of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I’m responsible for enhancing Climate adaptation in our Food and Nutrition Security policy and programs, thereby especially focusing on climate issues being an influencer for conflict and hunger. I’m working on overall better knowledge management within my department Inclusive Green Growth, focus on youth activities in our FNS programs and increasing opportunities for youth for example through the Young Expert Program.

I have a BSc. and MSc. in Development Economics and International Development from Wageningen University. Before joining the Ministry, I was working as a consultant in the small-scale dairy value chain in Kenya from 2015-2017. I have a passion for rural development and for bringing people together to share ideas and experiences.

Expertise

Food security, climate adaption, agricultur 

"I believe it is extremely valuable for any young policy officer operating in the field of international development to build a network including peers in the countries we are developing our policies and programs for."

About Yara

Before starting as a policy officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs I did field research in Mali, where I could apply in practice what I learned during my master studies in Development Economics. Now I work at the Department for Sustainable Economic Development on innovation and circular economy policy. Innovative products and services are needed in order to achieve the ambitious SDGs, which is why we are developing an Innovation Fund that provides technical assistance and financing to entrepreneurs with innovative ideas. We stimulate innovations for environmental challenges such as waste management and mobility that at the same time provide business opportunities to entrepreneurs. Besides the thematic work, I am the PSD-focal point for our embassies in Senegal, Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast.  

Next to my work at the MoFA I am a board member of the Dutch Youth Climate Movement in which we unite young people in my country on the topic of sustainability. We have written a vision for a sustainable Netherlands in 2050 based on the input of over 70 youth organizations. Using this joint vision we are advocating for more ambitious climate policy and better involvement of youth in decision-making processes.  

Expertise

Circular economy, advocacy, partnerships
 

"A lot of the world’s largest challenges can not be faced alone. I hope to meet and talk to the people who are truly experiencing the issues we simply talk about here in the Netherlands."

About Andrew

I was born in Indonesia in 1996 and moved to the Netherlands at the age of 6. One of the reasons my parents decided to move to the Netherlands was because they wanted me to have a good education. Currently a student at Leiden University, I am studying Public Administration with a specialisation in Public Management and Leadership. Here, I am currently writing my thesis with a focus on international bureaucracies and migration. Next to my studies, I am also active at The West Wing, the youth think tank created for and by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the think tank, I have worked on two projects. My first project was about how city-state cooperation could help specifically women and youths participate, in order to combat terrorism, crime and conflict.

In my second year, I became a board member and track leader. This second project investigated how the Dutch foreign trade and development cooperation policy can respond to the challenges brought by the Future of Work. When looking back at my parent’s decision, I can now better understand the importance of providing a positive vision of the future. Essential aspects for this positive vision are education and employment.

Expertise

Future of work, leadership, migration 

"I am currently researching innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions for the future of work, which will be influenced by many future technologies that will drastically change our work environment."

About Jessica

As an International Relations and Organisations student at Leiden University, I value a multidisciplinary approach the most, because this may provide solutions to many complex societal problems. Therefore, I am always open minded for new worlds and new perspectives. From a young age, I have been eager to learn more. As a child I studied Russian language in my weekends, and went to Cambridge to learn English in my summers. And I am still looking for new ways to develop my skills and obtain valuable knowledge. For instance, I took additional courses in human rights law, because I believe that human rights form the foundation of many of our democracies. Second, I completed a minor focused on the responsible exploitation of geo-resources at the Technological University Delft, because I value subjects that will shape the future of our international relations. Finally, as an active member of The West Wing Think Tank, I researched how new digital technologies may shape our future work environment. However, it is my goal to contribute to the world in a meaningful way. OYW is the most perfect opportunity for me to become a responsible and effective leader that can help to create a better world.

Expertise

Innovation, inclusion, leadership

"I look forward to learning about the newest technologies and insights from the broad range of entrepreneurs with different expertise and backgrounds." 

About Eline

Eline Ruisendaal is a policy officer Education within the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Focusing on girls’ education and education in emergency settings. She holds master degrees in International Public Health and Development Studies. Previous experience in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV prevention and gender working on the She Decides initiative and SRHR diplomacy in various UN fora. Driven by strong motivation to fight injustice and inequality. Open-minded and optimistic, eager to meet new people and connect. She has a passion for travelling and nature, loves hiking, surfing and practicing other sports.

In her spare time Eline can be easily persuaded for a karaoke night (with a preference for hop-hop and Dutch folk music).

Expertise

Education, human rights, HIV/Aids prevention

"I would like to enrich myself in contact with others, to enlarge my angle of view on the ways to innovate, the ways to solve problems, to impact his community."

About Feyçal

As the co-founder and CEO of Niamey links and 2nd year student in entrepreneurship, I am trained on EDX, Open Classroom and more. I also learned computer languages ​​(C; Html; CSS; javascript; PHP) and completed the Toastmaster training.

I did 6 months internship at the first incubator of Niger (CIPMEN) in the department of supporting small and medium companies and project holders. I bring my experience, my know-how in the choice and deployment of support strategies for project holders within the incubator ilimi innovation lab (iilab).

I am an entrepreneurial enthusiast who believes in purpose. To get to where I am, I faced a lot of obstacles, many doors closed in front of me. I had to put aside my ego and my self-esteem. From my experience, I came to the conclusion that my personal legend, my ultimate goal, is to be out of my comfort zone.

I am convinced that leaving my comfort zone again and again will lead me to turn lead into gold!

Expertise

Entrepreneurship, sustainability, leadership

"I expect to learn more about how holistic education can be made accessible to all, irrespective of race, creed or disability status. I look forward to networking with youths from all over the world and brainstorming about how we can create and adapt solutions to youth unemployment in our respective countries."    

About Adeleke

After falling suddenly blind at age 16 due to glaucoma, I had given up life without sight.

However, I eventually overcame depression to study Mass Communication in the University. As a disabled student, I faced a lot of discrimination from those who believed I would have been better off staying indoors or attending a specialised university, which was not available in my country. Although I was very disheartened by their remarks, I did not allow discouragement. I campaigned for and won the position of the Public Relations Officer in my Department, ran a dedicated column in the departmental magazine tagged "Blind Chronicles" and socialised easily with my sighted peers despite the huge difficulties I faced. I went on to host a radio show on campus called Den Tales.

At the end of the four- year programme, I graduated with a 4.44 Cumulative Grade Point Average out of 5 and was the 4th best student of the 147 students in my class. Today, I read and write proficiently, contributing content on various online platforms, thereby encouraging disabled youths to rise up against marginalisation, discrimination and inequality. I believe Nigeria can win the war against poverty, terrorism, crime and youth unemployment if we work together. 

Expertise

Advocacy, education, leadership

"I believe being a part of the summit will empower me with current global perspectives in providing solutions to local problems. The Summit also provides a platform for shared value, collaborations, and partnerships and very importantly for sounding out the message that alone we can do little, but together we can change the world."

About Ibijoke

Ibijoke Faborode is a transformational leader that currently serves as the Head, Agritech & Healthcare Advisory West Africa with UK Department for International Trade. She has 10 years experience in trade & investment advisory, international business development, stakeholder engagement, enterprise development, youth empowerment, gender advocacy and project management. A significant part of her work focuses on encouraging more uptake of Agriculture by the youths, working closely with UK agritech innovation centres and Nigerian stakeholders. In the past 2 years, she has worked with over 50 agritech start-ups across West Africa by connecting them to people and resources, as well as advising government at the federal and states level on job creation strategies through agricultural advancement.

Ibijoke is the founder of The Social Change Network [TSCN] Africa, a non-profit organization with impact programs across four pillars – Governance & Democracy, Gender, Youth Empowerment and Social Inclusion. In February 2019, Ibijoke spearheaded the “#yourvoteyourpowercampaign” which reached over 50000 citizens, and secured the involvement of over 2500 youths in the presidential and gubernatorial elections in Nigeria. Amongst other awards, earlier this year she was recognised as one of the top 100 most influential women in Nigeria, by Leading Ladies Africa.

Expertise

Youth empowerment, leadership, advocacy 

"I look forward to connecting with other leaders and learning the strategies that work in their field and adopting same for to challenges we face at Gavel and in Nigeria."

About Nelson

Nelson Olanipekun is a lawyer and the Team Lead of Citizens’ Gavel (hereinafter referred to as Gavel); an organization leading the frontiers of tech for justice in Nigeria. Nelson, through his organization, started the first Social Media legal aid initiative providing supports for victims of human rights, domestic violence, bank extortion. He is also popular for his work on police brutality, extortion and extra judicial killings. As a co-strategist and legal consultant to End SARS; a movement committed to the eradication of SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad notorious for brutality and extra judicial killings), he and his team engaged through consistent advocacy secured a presidential directive to overhaul the said squad.

He also provides several legal support for pre-trial detainees to ensure speedy trial. In several of his interventions, he has observed that unemployment is one of the root causes leading youths to crime and he now empowers ex-inmates with skills to prevent them from returning to crime and helps them reintegrate society.

Expertise

Law, advocacy, leadership

"I have leveraged digital tools to build a thriving business from home while being a stay-at-home parent."

About Nkechinyere

I am a stay-at-home parent and a Creator and Marketing Communications Manager at Pages & Ink, an organisation that enables small and medium sized enterprises to leverage digital tools to grow their businesses on and offline. We cover website development, search engine optimisation, content creation, graphic design and branding. 

I am also the founder of 'Herlibrary', where I source funds and work with volunteers to build libraries & provide learning resources and book clubs for public schools in eastern Nigeria. The goal is to enable them learn and develop employability skills. I have also collaborated with 'Beyond the Classroom' in my capacity as founder of 'Herlibrary', to organise bookclub meetings for primary school kids.

Having resigned from my job to care for my baby with multiple food allergies, I have overcome obstacles to build my thriving business from home. This has enabled me to be financially stable while also providing employment for other young people.

In addition, I also teach other stay-at-home mothers how to run successful businesses from home, which in turn empowers them economically.

Expertise

Web development, entrepreneurship, designing 

"As a young social entrepreneur, I would like to get connected to like-minded people, social entrepreneurs and stakeholders from around the world who are making positive change happen."

About Muhammed

I am a passionate social entrepreneur and a pro-environmentalist. I have been involved in sustainable wastes management, economic empowerment and youth employment for over 6 years now. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria and a Postgraduate Certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship from Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, United States.

Alongside two other co-founders, we started eTrash2Cash as a social enterprise that would help reduce the high waste management crisis in Africa, create green and sustainable jobs for young people, and economically empower extremely low-income people from exchanging trash for cash.

I am a Mandela Washington Fellow and an Associate Fellow of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative. I am highly interested in making sustainable and positive change in environmental sustainability & climate change, grassroots women & youth development, social entrepreneurship & technology.

Expertise

Sustainability, entrepreneurship, youth empowerment 

"Diversity is the best opportunity we have to learn to cultivate curiosity, sharing and motivation. Meeting 2000 young people from all over the world would be one of the best opportunities a young person can have."

About Nafi

Nafi Gueye (28 years old), Is a founding member of Makesense (Social Enterprise) in Senegal and Ivory Coast and president of the association of JExiste ""your act, my identity"". After two years in law, three others in Marketing / Communication, and two years of experience as a portfolio manager-client, Nafi gives up "classic" career path to pursue making positive impact.

She thus becomes the development manager and representative of a German social enterprise named Little Sun from 2015 to 2017 in Senegal, before officially joining Makesense and Incub'Ivoir (that same year) as a community developer for a year in Côte Ivory. In addition to being responsible for innovation and community development, she is also a coach in entrepreneurship and leadership through capacity building in collective intelligence and design thinking. Totally committed and defining herself as ""Ambassador of the useful"", Nafi (Senegalese) is an active member of the citizen movements for the protection of the environment (Save Dakar and 1tweeto, 1tree), founder of the association JExiste which fights the problematic in Senegal and Africa, but also carries the torch of female leadership by creating a training program for women (who evolve in the arts), to promote their empowerment through entrepreneurship (assistance to assembly project).

Today, she aspires to share the few experiences she has gained with young people of her generation, hoping to be at the rendezvous of development as an actress and not just a spectator. She plans to do a master's degree in public policy in order to effectively serve the interests of her country and to participate in the sustainable development of Africa.

Expertise

Citizenship, entrepreneurship, childeren's rights

"This kind of event boosts the inspiration, fires the flame, maintains the passion to reach precise objectives."

About F. Binta

I was born in Benin. My mother is Nigerien and my father is Senegalese by origin. I went to primary school in Benin, after the death of Papa we moved to Niger where I continued my studies and obtained my degree in experimental sciences. I then came to Senegal to continue my higher education in process engineering (chemical and food). I got a grant to pursue my dream of becoming an engineer to better impact my environment. From an early age I participated in many competitions of logic, mathematics, general culture and poetry. My first contest I had to be 7-8 years old and it was a contest of general culture, I was also champion of Niger in Slam and the dictations of the French-speaking world. I participated in Senegal in the social impact leadership contest "Voix des jeunes" which inspired UTANDO, a project that I co-founded. I think that all these beautiful experiences and the small details allowed to develop a leadership and a perfectionism that suits my ambitions. Living on my own since I was nine has boosted my leadership, my ability to cope and find solutions.

Expertise

Leadership, engineering, education

"I am ready to put forth my experiences and efforts to address issues relating to education."

About Ibrahima

I am the creator of the mobile application "Niaata", a Digital Manager and partner of SajMahal, a company which works in the sustainable development of the African continent, and a consultant in telecommunication as Voice Carrier Relationship Manager.

I am of Senegalese origin and lived in India for 3 years where I entered the digital world by working with multinationals. I returned to Africa with the goal of developing the continent and initiating some innovation in the field of the technology.

I began with a mobile application of the name of Niaata. Niaata is a West-African virtual market to buy and sell. I would like to start a programme which is called the digital village: a concept to develop Africa through technology. In this programme, I aim to gather young folks from poor families to teach them IT lessons and skills so that they can have their way through IT.

Expertise

Technology, entrepreneurship, partnerships

"I hope to expand my scientific and literary horizons at the OYW Summit. I also want to encourage Sudanese women to participate in international conferences, addressing and reducing the fear of the Sudanese people around women travelling."

About Dalia

I am the founder of the startup "Ask me for professional certificates preparation" which is part of orange corners Sudan incubator, as well as a teacher assistant at Sudan University of Science and Technology.

I was born and raised in a Third World country. After graduating from high school, I chose the field of software engineering because I have a passion for technology. During my studies at the university I was the first of my classmates. After graduation, I was surprised that I did not have a chance to work in Sudan due to several reasons. Firstly, because I am from the poor class, I do not have favoritism to help me to get job. Secondly, my gender effects in the employment process despite my academic excellence.

So, I decided to add my fingerprint in the field of education through university teaching. Unfortunately, this profession did not cover the cost of living in my country, then I decided to set up my project to earn a good fortune to help my society and also to run the smart and ambitious youth from both genders who do not have a job in Sudan.

Expertise

Entrepreneurship, teaching, gender diversity 

"This One Young World Summit is a golden chance for me to take a break from the 'routine' of my work and sharpen my skills."

About Mohammed

Born to a small Sudanese family, I have been raised in a hard-working environment and involved with well-educated people. This ambient has helped me to develop strengths in myself such as being a good listener and quick learner with persevering nature.

For my academic life, I had the opportunity to study in one of the top institutions in Sudan which significantly enhanced my creativity, initiative, and leadership. At the undergraduate level, I received tuition-waiving scholarships for outstanding students twice; and, when I was in the fifth year, I got a certificate for my graduation project.

I observed an urgent need to bridge the skills gap between new graduates and employees which has a great impact on their high rate of unemployment, and they’re not even given a chance to do internships, because employers are not convinced they could contribute to their businesses. I founded a national organisation called the Sudanese Association for Scientific Talents (SAST) to help the youth find environment that benefits and acknowledge their expertise, skills specialties and fostering collaboration to solve problems for private, public and voluntary sectors.

Expertise

Leadership, training, entrepreneurship 

"I would love to create a network for young people in developing countries."

About Abdel-malek

I am a 26-year-old young man who has reported news in the field of community media founder and director of the first local radio station in Mahdia Tunisia, a youth-oriented radio station to renounce violence and extremism.

I work as an independent media expert from an international German organisation through the Pioneers Media Project in Tunisia.

More than 300 young men and women have been established in the field of citizen journalism and help create jobs for them.

Expertise 

Data analysis, media, journalism

''The community, the support, the global experiences, and all the inspiration that I will gain from being part of One Young World will help me grow professionally and personally.''

About Salmine

Salmine is a social entrepreneur, a business mentor, and a ball of positive energy! Salmine considers herself as a catalyzer for entrepreneurship in Tunisia, especially female entrepreneurship. She creates programs for startups, mentor entrepreneurs, and consult for SMEs. She, at the age of 21, decided to take “The Road Less Traveled” and worked for startups and incubators to pick up as many skills as possible and grow as a changemaker. Some experiences were positive and some were negative but all were essential for her growth. As a student and now a mentor, Salmine developed a wide network of professionals and change-makers, developed programs for the entrepreneurial ecosystem, contributed to many initiatives to promote entrepreneurship, and acted as an enabler for social change.

She, also, acquired a diploma in social entrepreneurship from an incubator named Watson Institute, this experience armed her with the skills, knowledge, and mentoring needed to grow as an entrepreneur and to eventually create a program targeting female entrepreneurs in Africa. Salmine is now the president of She Starts Africa; a hub for aspiring female entrepreneurs, that’s mission is to advance women through entrepreneurship to become catalysts for change, take more initiative, and disrupt the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Expertise

Marketing, communication, business consulting