Young leaders, unite: The One Young World Summit will occur in Montreal from Sept. 18 to 21. The event aims to unite nearly 2,000 fresh-faced individuals from more than 190 countries to address pressing global issues and cultivate leadership development.
Founded in 2009, One Young World has established itself as a platform for budding change-makers to connect, share ideas, and collaborate on solutions to worldwide challenges. The organization’s mission is to inspire, build, and elevate leaders, believing that addressing international threats requires effective — and fearless — leadership.
“We get to work with the most inspiring young people from every single country in the world,” states Ella Robertson McKay, managing director of One Young World.
“By working with young people, it’s incredibly forward-looking, and that is just incredibly engaging and exciting, but also humbling and inspiring. And knowing that through funding, through giving a platform, through giving inspiration, to providing a mentor to young people at this really important stage, if you move a young person’s trajectory by just a degree, the impact it has over the course of their lifetime is really exponential.”
The 2024 summit will utilize various venues across Montreal, including the Bell Centre for the opening ceremony and the Palais des Congrès de Montréal for the main summit activities. The Palais des Congrès, a carbon-neutral building, aligns with the event’s commitment to sustainability.
One Young World’s program includes professional development opportunities, networking sessions, and platforms for delegates to showcase their initiatives. The organization also recognizes outstanding young leaders through various awards, such as Politician of the Year, Journalist of the Year, and Entrepreneur of the Year.
What To Expect at the 2024 Summit
Over the years, the One Young World Summit has garnered support from high-profile individuals and organizations. Queen Rania of Jordan and Harry Potter star Emma Watson are among those who have been involved with the organization’s initiatives.
This year’s event will feature speeches and workshops led by global leaders and industry experts. Confirmed speakers for the 2024 event include Sir Bob Geldof, author Margaret Atwood, and Olympic champion swimmer Mark Tewksbury. Geldof, a singer and avid climate activist, has spoken at multiple One Young World Summits.
“It is in our power to make the world anew,” Geldof said at the 2012 summit’s opening ceremony in Pittsburgh. “It’s not my power anymore. It is in yours. Go ahead and do it.”
At the 2023 summit in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Geldof pumped up the crowd by saying, “We will leave here with tangible, practical ideas for action. And we are in the right city at the right time to enable that change.”
The effect One Young World has on shaping up-and-coming leaders is pronounced. Its 2023 impact report states that 97.9% of One Young World’s delegates increased their understanding of global matters simply by attending the summit. An astonishing 98.5% said they made priceless connections there.
The Indigenous Focus of This Year’s Summit
In addition to the main summit, One Young World will organize an inaugural Indigenous Youth Day on Sept. 17 to bring together Indigenous and First Nations leaders worldwide. This presummit event aims to provide a platform for Indigenous youth to share experiences and showcase their cultures and traditions.
Robertson McKay shares that “Indigenous voices and Indigenous young people are our strategic priority at the moment.”
One Young World has created an Indigenous Council consisting of 12 rising change-makers from diverse Indigenous backgrounds.
“We are committed to ensuring the voices, perspectives, and needs of Indigenous communities are at the heart of our Summit in Montreal,” states One Young World’s 2023 impact report. “In addition to a summit plenary challenge dedicated to spotlighting Indigenous voices, we are hosting our first Indigenous Day event.
“This day will consist of live performances, networking opportunities, and the chance for delegates to hear from Indigenous young leaders on topics including climate change, land rights, [and] preserving and celebrating Indigenous culture and heritage. We are also proud to be hosting a session on the legacy of the Stolen Ones.”
One Young World’s Summit Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Since its first summit in 2010, One Young World has established a growing network of more than 17,000 ambassadors, including Olympian sprinter Kirani James, Nobel Peace Prize nominees Jaha Dukureh and Amanda Nguyen, and FEED founder Lauren Bush, the granddaughter of the late U.S. President George H. W. Bush.
Robertson McKay notes the organization’s efforts to measure its impact: “We have an impact analysis team in-house … Last year’s [impact report] showed that we’d impacted more than 50 million lives through the projects that we’ve analyzed.”
As the summit approaches, One Young World focuses on its core mission. “If we build, elevate, develop, and inspire the next generation of more ethical and effective young leaders, the world will be a better place with more responsible and sustainable leadership,” Robertson McKay adds.
The organization encourages individuals engaged in impactful work to apply for scholarship opportunities to attend the summit. It also invites businesses and large organizations to participate by sending representatives to the conference.
And in true One Young World fashion, the visionary organization that believes the work must constantly continue is already thinking ahead to its 2025 summit that will take place in Munich.
“We don’t ignore the world’s major issues, but we aim to inspire hope,” Robertson McKay adds. “When people see problems like deforestation in the Amazon, we want them to think, ‘That’s terrible, but here’s a young leader making a difference: there is hope.’ Without hope, people won’t take action.”
