Sixty Global Shapers from 32 Countries Bring Youth Voice to Summer Davos

Dalian, People’s Republic of China, 10 September 2013 – Two years after the Global Shapers Community was launched in Dalian, People’s Republic of China, 265 city-based “Hubs” have been established worldwide. At this week’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, 60 Global Shapers from 32 countries will join other members of the New Champions communities – Global Growth Companies, Technology Pioneers, Young Scientists, Young Global Leaders and Social Entrepreneurs.

The Global Shapers Community is an international network of young, dynamic and socially engaged leaders from across the world. Since 2011, when it was first founded, more than 2,800 Global Shapers have joined the Community. All are aged between 20 and 30 at the time of joining. Organized into city-based Hubs, they have committed to working together to make a positive and tangible impact through local projects in over 260 cities. So far, more than half of all Hubs have established local initiatives, ranging from career mentorship to tackle youth unemployment to building free Wi-Fi hotspots in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Of the 60 Global Shapers taking part in the Summer Davos, 17 are from Hubs in China. Projects they have developed include an initiative in Shanghai helping children of migrant families. The Dalian Hub is currently running a project that provides mentorship and career counselling to university students. In other Hubs from around the world, Shapers have launched projects such as “Pláticas del Pueblo”, which will foster a culture of dialogue in rural communities across El Salvador and ensure their voices and concerns are heard by local authorities. The Manila Hub has started a public-private library renewal partnership that aims to open 200 libraries in the Philippines by 2020, reaching 2 million people.

“The Global Shapers Community is about teams of people working together to positively impact the communities in which we live; young people are part of the solution to the challenges that we face locally and globally, and Global Shapers are responding with conviction,” said Adeyemi Babington-Ashaye, Director of the Global Shapers Community.

During the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, Shapers will have the chance to learn more about global challenges and take part in high-level discussions that influence the international, regional and industry agendas. More than 10% of Shapers at the Meeting will participate as discussion leaders or panellists alongside chief executive officers, ministers, presidents and other leaders. By providing the perspective of a younger generation and drawing on their experience working on projects that positively impact their local communities, Shapers will play an important role in the multistakeholder interactions that are scheduled to take place.

One of the themes Shapers will be exploring during the Summer Davos will be that of growth, and where this will come from in the future. “We expect the next wave of growth to come from the pioneers, innovators and entrepreneurs; from organizations that are attentive enough to understand needs and dynamic enough to design solutions,” said David Aikman, Managing Director, Head of New Champions at the World Economic Forum.

Over 1,600 participants from 90 countries will take part in the seventh Annual Meeting of the New Champions, which is taking place in Dalian on 11-13 September. The Meeting is held in close collaboration with the Government of the People’s Republic of China with the support of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Under the theme Meeting the Innovation Imperative, the Meeting features an intensive three-day programme to explore the innovation imperative under four thematic sub-themes: Transforming Industry Ecosystems; Unleashing Innovation; Building Societal Resilience; and Connecting Markets. Premier Li Keqiang of China will open the Meeting.