One Young World Secures Egyptian Activist Wael Ghonim as Counselor

Digital Activist Pledges Support to Tomorrow's Leaders Ahead of Global Summit in Zurich; Joins Oscar Morales to Highlight Role of Social Media in Driving Political Change

News provided by

One Young World

Jul 24, 2011, 06:00 ET

NEW YORK, July 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Wael Ghonim, the Google executive credited with spearheading Egypt's recent revolution, has pledged his support to One Young World, the global forum for young leaders, by joining a growing panel of distinguished counselors.

Ghonim, dubbed the "Voice of the Revolution" by demonstrators in Tahrir Square, has come to represent the young Egyptians who fought for the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak.

He now joins an international panel of leaders participating in One Young World as counselors. Together, they will advise, inspire, and celebrate the achievements of the forum's young ambassadors. One of the activists joining Ghonim as a counselor will be Oscar Morales, creator of the One Million Voices Against FARC Facebook campaign, the inspiration for the world's largest-ever anti-terrorism demonstration. In 2008, Morales's campaign saw more than 12 million people march in Colombia and around the world against the terrorist organization.

Ghonim and Morales will draw attention to the role of social media and Internet technology in driving revolutionary change. "The reality is that the Internet helped to spark the revolution," Ghonim explained. "Our role was to create the snowball, and once the snowball was created, most of the Egyptians who were hurt by the regime started to join and broke the psychological barrier of fear. My view is that the power of the people is much stronger than the people in power."

The announcement comes amid preparations for the annual One Young World summit, being held in Zurich, Sept. 1-4, 2011. The event will bring together some 1,600 young leaders from across the globe.

Unlike any other event anywhere, One Young World gives delegates aged 16 to 25 a platform and forum ordinarily afforded only to those who lead countries or corporations; also unlike any other event anywhere, OYW uses these young people's views, visions, and ideas to create real resolutions for real change, which then are turned into actions by delegates upon their return home.

Joining Sir Bob Geldof, Mohammad Yunus, and many others, these new counselors will help One Young World's young ambassadors to address some of the most challenging issues facing the world today.

David Jones, One Young World co-founder and Havas global chief executive, said: "We are delighted to welcome Wael and Oscar to One Young World in Zurich and to learn more about their lessons for social change. These men have transformed their countries through their social media efforts, and they serve as inspirations to our remarkable young ambassadors. We are delighted to have them on board and look forward to working with them in the run-up to the summit in September."

About One Young World

One Young World is the world's premier global youth leadership summit, aiming to bring together delegates aged 25 and under from every one of the world's 192 countries. One Young World combines the social power of the Internet with the energy and ideas of global youth to address the most challenging issues of today. Founded by David Jones, global CEO of Havas and Euro RSCG Worldwide, and Kate Robertson, U.K. Group Chairman of Euro RSCG, One Young World focuses on plenary sessions at which delegates are guided by a group of international luminaries including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bob Geldof. The inaugural London summit took place in February 2010. The second-annual One Young World summit will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, on Sept. 1-4, 2011, and will gather more than 1,600 young people from every country worldwide. For more information, please visit www.oneyoungworld.com.