Five young Burghers will fly to Zurich as top leaders for One Young World

Budding leaders in Pittsburgh’s nonprofit community are invited to apply to become a delegate to the One Young World Summit in Zurich, Switzerland, Sept. 1-4 as a guest of the One Young World Pittsburgh Partnership.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was chosen as the only U.S. city competing to host the 2012 summit.

Last year’s London gathering was the first for the international forum, which is already looking to the next generation (those 21-28) to confront and solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. About 1,600 delegates are expected in Zurich, and the Pittsburgh Partnership plans to find five from southwestern Pennsylvania who most qualify for sponsorship. Local corporations such as Bayer also plan to send their own young employees as delegates.

Steven E. Sokol, president of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh — one of the Partnership groups — heard One Young World co-founder Kate Robertson speak here in March, outlining some of the outcomes of last year’s assembly. They included an African Student Leaders’ Summit that brought together 11 African countries and 23 of the continent’s universities, as well as CrowdVoice on MideastYouth.com. The OYW website outlines other projects already underway, such as an effort to employ Haitians to raise chickens for profit and healthy meals, and the world’s first carboNZero-certified winery, eco.love, in New Zealand.

 

“There’s no better place than Pittsburgh for the world’s young people to gather to envision the future” next year, says Bill Flanagan, speaking for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. He points to yet another high ranking for the city on the international scene: North America’s “Large City of the Future” for 2011, as named by FDi magazine of The Financial Times.

 

“We are working to field a very strong and diverse delegation which represents a good cross section of the best that Pittsburgh has to offer,” says Katie McSorley, Mid-Atlantic president for another Partnership member, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR. “It’s a terrific achievement to be selected as the sole U.S. bid city – but we are competing with cities like Johannesburg, Dubai, and Melbourne. The community has to rally behind this effort to bring this to Pittsburgh.”

Do Good:

• To apply, complete the registration form or contact Caitlin Berczik or Allyce Pinchback for more information.

Writer: Marty Levine

Sources: Steven E. Sokol, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh; Bill Flanagan, Allegheny Conference on Community Development; Katie McSorley, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR