As Young Global Leaders in contemplating our greatest contribution to the World Economic Forum Global Redesign Initiative, we recognized our unique access and ability to influence decision-makers and identified our potential role as a bridge to channel the voices, visions and actions of youth as part of the global process.

In the fall of 2009, we formed the Youth Task Force and launched a global campaign and created spaces for youth to participate across two mediums:

• A series of 30 town hall meetings in 20 countries around the world with over 1000 participants. The participants were from urban and rural areas, various religious and class backgrounds, and ranged in age from 8 to 25. Where possible, young people created and led the town hall meetings. In some cases, conversations were facilitated by Young Global Leaders.
• Online. Young people were invited to participate in ongoing online forums over a 6 week period on a dedicated Youth Task Force website. Over 1000 visitors to the site participated in 170 online discussions.

The voices and opinions of these diverse young people are strategically summarized and presented in this report according to the pillars of the Global Redesign Initiative. These findings have been pulled together as part of a report to be presented at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos 2010. Follow-up actions of the Youth Task Force include developing toolkits for decision-makers to more effectively engage youth as well as to mobilize resources for investing in youth-led community development projects.

Leaders

Co-Chairs: Jennifer Corriero & Nancy Lublin

Active YGL Task Force Members: Johann Olav Koss, Hon. Scott Brison, Juan Mario Laserna, Adrian Cheok, Idalia Cruz, Alvaro Rodriguez Arregui, Ganhuyag Ch. Hutagt, Aashmi Rajya Laxmi Rana, Hafsat Abiola-Costello, Penny Low, Javier Garcia Martinez, Josh Spear, David Jones, Matias De Tezanos, Amy Butte, Ed Mayo, Wilmot Allen, Osayi Oruene, Yair Goldfinger, Scott J. Freidheim

Looking for

• Decision-makers to make a commitment to developing youth as leaders within their organizations and integrating youth voices into strategic planning and policy processes.
• Financial support for the Youth Task Force to develop a toolkit for decision-makers including case studies showcasing best practices in youth engagement across business, government and civil society organizations.
• Endorsement of the 5% for the Future Campaign, to invest in youth-led development projects

As all of the six pillars of the GRI relate to ensuring human and environmental sustainability they are connected to the mission of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As next steps, we will look for ways to target specific projects which engage young people in the effort of raising awareness, delivering services or generating financial resources to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs.

Visit the Youth Task Force Website

How can our world better prevent destructive conflict?  This YGL Task Force will advise and support the Harvard International Negotiation Program as it undertakes to build the world’s first Global Curriculum on Conflict Management in conjunction with the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution.  The goal will be to foster a sustainable, proactive peace at all levels of society through development and dissemination of frameworks reflecting a new paradigm for conflict resolution–one that addresses both the rational and emotional aspects of conflict.  This Curriculum will build on decades of research and experience in conflict management, and will explore such urgent questions as how to negotiate issues deemed sacred and non-negotiable.  The Curriculum will be initially directed toward senior decision makers from government, business, and civil society, and subsequently adapted for use by youth and young adults.  It will be created and disseminated through partnerships with organizations around the world.

Leaders

Contact Person:  Dan Shapiro   

Task Force Members:  Andrew Cohen, Jennifer Corriero, Yasar Jarrar, etc.  [more coming!]

Background

“LEARN MONEY” is part of the Global Redesign Initiative established in 2009. The initiative addresses the need for current and future generations to have access to effective financial literacy programs.

The goal of the initiative “LEARN MONEY” is to improve the financial literacy of young adults in German-speaking Europe on a sustainable basis by following a “top down/bottom-up” approach. This means on one hand applying public pressure by increasing awareness of the lack of financial literacy and its consequences to the wider public through media campaigns and through the involvement of opinion leaders (politics’/business/academia/unions) who voice clear demands (such as to include economics in the standard curriculum).
On the other hand the initiative wants to have direct impact on the financial education on (some) children and young adults by launching innovative educational projects and the qualification and support of selected existing initiatives and effectively franchising existing “best practice” financial literacy programs/projects and tools into German-speaking Europe. A roll-out of the successful prototype into other regions globally and/or target groups is envisioned.
Furthermore, the initiative “LEARN MONEY” will establish a sustainable “Learn Money” network with a yearly forum/summit.

Initial Results

The “LEARN MONEY” Initiative was first presented at the World Economic Forum in Dalian in 2009. “LEARN MONEY” has been called into action in November 2009 with its first official event, a round table high-level discussion in Berlin, with leaders from education, financial institutions and politics participating on the subject of financial literacy. At the same time, “LEARN MONEY” hit the road with a special supplement of the German newspaper DIE WELT, with a circulation of 700,000 copies across Europe, urging and calling for financial literacy.

“LEARN MONEY”, with its global messages has already won over well-known names, such as Nobel peace price winner and banker Professor Mohammad Yunus. Professor Yunus will highlight the major aspects of financial and consumer literacy, raising awareness about the spending habits of the youth of today at the open forum of the WEF in Davos 2010 in a very special school lesson for local school children on social business. A cooperation with ebs (European Business School) has been established. A “LEARN MONEY” conference with speakers from education, business and politics expert on the subject of financial literacy will be held in Zurich in Q3/2010.

Leaders

Carola Ferstl, Carolina Müller-Möhl, Henrik Naujoks, Mirjam Staub-Bisang, Peter Würtenberger

Looking For

Financing of “LEARN MONEY” initiatives, and xxpert participants are welcome.