More Than 100 North American Delegates Will Attend the One Young World Global Youth Leadership Summit in Zurich, Sept. 1-4

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 100 young people from across North America will attend the second-annual One Young World, an international summit for young leaders aged primarily under 25 years old.

Some of the world's most prominent companies have pledged their support to One Young World as delegate sponsors, including American Express, Nestle, and Pepsi, among many others from a variety of industries and business sectors -- healthcare to financial services, publicly traded companies to non-profit organizations.

As events of the past year have demonstrated the ability of youth to generate full-scale change around the globe, One Young World's goal of giving a voice and platform for expression to young people is more relevant and vital than ever.

Here is a cross section of U.S. delegates who will be making their voices heard in Zurich:

Samantha Grossman, 24, of Glendale, N.Y., sponsored by American Express.
Samantha is one of five delegates sponsored by American Express, where she works, and is attending One Young World because of her passion for the environment. "The summit is also a great opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and gain knowledge to bring back to American Express," she said, "so we can continue our efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Katie Kirkpatrick, 26, of Pittsburgh, sponsored by Bayer Corp.
A 2008 graduate of Robert Morris University, Katie has already represented Bayer Corp., her employer, at the G-20 Summit (2009) and World Environment Day (2010). She hopes to learn from delegates around the world and gather ideas for a prosperous and sustained future for the Pittsburgh region.

Pedro Pizano, 26, of New York City, sponsored by the Human Rights Foundation.
Pedro is the media relations and public advocacy coordinator for the Human Rights Foundation and the global media liaison for the Oslo Freedom Forum. He is a graduate of Boston University. To him, One Young World is "an opportunity to seek counsel from world leaders and pioneers who have changed the world, meet delegates that share my outlook, and team up to create impact right away."

Skyler Ross, 17, of Stamford, Conn., sponsored by Stamford Democrats.  
Skyler is a senior at Westhill High School, where he is online editor-in-chief of the award-winning newspaper, captain of the debate team, and a member of the drama club and National Honor Society. The Stamford Democratic Party selected Skyler based partly on a citywide essay contest. He is attending One Young World, he said, because "I'm passionate about restoring civil discourse to both Stamford and American politics, which, in turn, will improve global communication and help resolve global issues."

Erin Schrode, 20, of Ross, Calif., sponsored by Burt's Bees.
Erin also served as a delegate to the inaugural One Young World summit in 2010. She is a co-founder of Turning Green, a non-profit devoted to education, and founder and CEO of The Schoolbag, an organization that provides basic school supplies to students in disaster-stricken areas. Erin is a political activist, public speaker, blogger, and columnist in her junior year at New York University.

Yale Zeller, 23, of New York City, sponsored by PepsiCo.
A 2010 graduate of Harvard University, Yale began working at PepsiCo as an intern during her senior year while she pursued a degree in economics. She is attending One Young World because she believes in "businesses as a vehicle for societal betterment and growth; it just takes the right leadership and proper incentives. I hope to learn how my peers across the world have been successful in this regard and apply these lessons to my professional career."

The second One Young World summit will take place Sept. 1-4 in Zurich. One Young World, which has been called the "Junior Davos" by CNN, brings together more than a thousand delegates from over 170 countries around the globe to address such worldwide challenges as climate change, global poverty, world health, and the changing media. It provides a platform and forum ordinarily afforded only to political and business leaders, and it channels the young leaders' views, vision, and ideas to create resolutions for real change.

David Jones, co-founder of One Young World and Global CEO of Havas, said: "This generation of young people is truly unique. Technology has given them access to unprecedented amounts of information and knowledge and through social media -- which they understand better than anyone -- they have unparalleled power and influence. Across the world today we are seeing our leaders consistently fail to lead. If they listen to the brilliant leaders of tomorrow, perhaps they can find some solutions to their problems."

Delegates will join Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof and Unilever Global CEO Paul Polman, among many other international luminaries serving as One Young World counselors. The North American delegates will be an important part of the consensus project, contributing knowledge and expertise gained as young leaders who regularly deal with the local effects of global issues. The counselors will guide the process and advise delegates as they draft resolutions.

About One Young World

One Young World is a global youth leadership summit, bringing together 1,200 delegates primarily under 25 from over 170 countries worldwide.  Unlike any other event in the world, One Young World gives delegates the kind of media platform and forum afforded ordinarily only to those who lead countries and corporations. One Young World gives them a platform for their views, vision and ideas to create real resolutions for real change.  Supported by counselors including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof and Muhammad Yunus, delegates will tell the world what the leaders of tomorrow think and feel -- and what they demand of the leaders of today.  Founded by David Jones, Global CEO of Havas, and Kate Robertson, UK Group Chairman, Euro RSCG, One Young World is a unique event that offers international decision makers powerful insight into where our world may be heading. The inaugural London summit took place between February 8-10, 2010. The Second Annual One Young World Summit will be held in Zurich, Switzerland from 1st - 4th September 2011. One Young World -- where young leaders start leading.  For more information about One Young World please visit: www.oneyoungworld.com

Contact:
Lisa Gruber
Global Communications Manager
Euro RSCG Worldwide
T +1 212.886.2018
[email protected]

SOURCE One Young World