In 2011, the World Economic Forum (WEF) made the brave decision to create the Global Shapers community, a community that follows the 2005 Young Global Leaders Initiative and aims to bridge the gap between those below 30 and those above 40 years old. The mandate of the WEF, and its fundamental motto, is to bring in the community of young, passionate, future leaders with exceptional potential and strong commitment to improve the state of the world. The Global Shapers community does just that.
I say that this was a brave decision for two main reasons. First, because the WEF had to prove that it intends to initiate a youth community of its time and not a remnant of the past, obsolete and outdated. Second, because this community had to be able to perform better than those that already exist, a qualitative characteristic that is difficult to assess but easy to criticize. Taken together, the WEF had to re-invent youth participatory democracy and include this generation in the decision making processes for the future’s burning issues.
The truth of the matter is that this aim was accomplished in the best way possible. Three years since the community’s creation, the WEF can be proud of a network of 400 Hubs all around the world with approximately 4400 Shapers! But the strength of this community goes far beyond the standard levels of success. The Global Shaper Hubs have been actively involved in the their local communities, bringing innovation and maximizing sustainable growth. It is easy, though, to imagine the potential improvement of developing communities in unprivileged societies. The question then arises: how do Global Shapers contribute to the developed, modern western societies, particularly in countries that enjoy high standards of living?
This is exactly the field to which we mostly relate, as Global Shapers’ Zurich Hub. We have the privilege to live in Zurich, a city that is constantly rated among the top 3 best places to live, a city that is considered a genuine destination for education, professional development, and healthy living. At the same time this privilege can be considered a misfortune, as in such an environment very few things could be improved. Here enters the unique potential of the Global Shapers. They can critically identify the underlying, concealed problems of a community, bring them up to the surface, and foster dialogue or action around them. The Global Shapers may have the capacity of think tanks, coupled with an unparalleled entrepreneurial spirit and strong commitment. It definitely requires effort, alertness, and strong will to reflect to your society, inveighing primarily yourself for the absence of action and conceptualizing concrete measurements to improve its state.
In this regard, the Zurich Hub has a tradition of initiating discussion and action on issues that matter. We first brought up the concept of sustainable transportation in the city of Zurich and initiated the “green taxis” project, installing electric taxis in the city—an attempt that later found a lot of followers in other countries as well. And now we go even deeper, unraveling and highlighting a delicate but immensely important issue: immigration. Using the cause of an art exhibition of a 19th century painter, we bring to the foreground the necessity of a reformed Social Contract that speaks and appeals to the needs of the globalized world we live in. During the four months of this interactive exhibition that starts in February 2016, we will host parallel panel discussions, roundtables, debates, and lectures that focus on the effect of migration and relevant policies on human rights, intercultural exchange, economic development, and human capital sustainability. Our aim is not only to discuss the relevant topics, but also to participate in decision making and the shaping of the Immigration Agenda in both Switzerland and Europe.
Global Shapers dare to move to the foreground and tackle the issues that affect our generation. With the zest of youth, strong commitment, intellectual capacity, and the support that the WEF brand name brings, this young community is empowered to grasp the role of doer or enabler to shape the future of communities, both locally and globally. The WEF won the bet it made in creating such an extraordinary community. The responsibility of leveraging our activities now lays entirely on us.
Epameinondas Gousopoulos, M.D. MSc is the Curator of the Global Shapers Zurich Hub. He is currently a MD/PhD candidate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, focusing on regenerative medicine.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's January/February 2015 print edition.
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The Triumph of Youth
January 15, 2015
In 2011, the World Economic Forum (WEF) made the brave decision to create the Global Shapers community, a community that follows the 2005 Young Global Leaders Initiative and aims to bridge the gap between those below 30 and those above 40 years old. The mandate of the WEF, and its fundamental motto, is to bring in the community of young, passionate, future leaders with exceptional potential and strong commitment to improve the state of the world. The Global Shapers community does just that.
I say that this was a brave decision for two main reasons. First, because the WEF had to prove that it intends to initiate a youth community of its time and not a remnant of the past, obsolete and outdated. Second, because this community had to be able to perform better than those that already exist, a qualitative characteristic that is difficult to assess but easy to criticize. Taken together, the WEF had to re-invent youth participatory democracy and include this generation in the decision making processes for the future’s burning issues.
The truth of the matter is that this aim was accomplished in the best way possible. Three years since the community’s creation, the WEF can be proud of a network of 400 Hubs all around the world with approximately 4400 Shapers! But the strength of this community goes far beyond the standard levels of success. The Global Shaper Hubs have been actively involved in the their local communities, bringing innovation and maximizing sustainable growth. It is easy, though, to imagine the potential improvement of developing communities in unprivileged societies. The question then arises: how do Global Shapers contribute to the developed, modern western societies, particularly in countries that enjoy high standards of living?
This is exactly the field to which we mostly relate, as Global Shapers’ Zurich Hub. We have the privilege to live in Zurich, a city that is constantly rated among the top 3 best places to live, a city that is considered a genuine destination for education, professional development, and healthy living. At the same time this privilege can be considered a misfortune, as in such an environment very few things could be improved. Here enters the unique potential of the Global Shapers. They can critically identify the underlying, concealed problems of a community, bring them up to the surface, and foster dialogue or action around them. The Global Shapers may have the capacity of think tanks, coupled with an unparalleled entrepreneurial spirit and strong commitment. It definitely requires effort, alertness, and strong will to reflect to your society, inveighing primarily yourself for the absence of action and conceptualizing concrete measurements to improve its state.
In this regard, the Zurich Hub has a tradition of initiating discussion and action on issues that matter. We first brought up the concept of sustainable transportation in the city of Zurich and initiated the “green taxis” project, installing electric taxis in the city—an attempt that later found a lot of followers in other countries as well. And now we go even deeper, unraveling and highlighting a delicate but immensely important issue: immigration. Using the cause of an art exhibition of a 19th century painter, we bring to the foreground the necessity of a reformed Social Contract that speaks and appeals to the needs of the globalized world we live in. During the four months of this interactive exhibition that starts in February 2016, we will host parallel panel discussions, roundtables, debates, and lectures that focus on the effect of migration and relevant policies on human rights, intercultural exchange, economic development, and human capital sustainability. Our aim is not only to discuss the relevant topics, but also to participate in decision making and the shaping of the Immigration Agenda in both Switzerland and Europe.
Global Shapers dare to move to the foreground and tackle the issues that affect our generation. With the zest of youth, strong commitment, intellectual capacity, and the support that the WEF brand name brings, this young community is empowered to grasp the role of doer or enabler to shape the future of communities, both locally and globally. The WEF won the bet it made in creating such an extraordinary community. The responsibility of leveraging our activities now lays entirely on us.
Epameinondas Gousopoulos, M.D. MSc is the Curator of the Global Shapers Zurich Hub. He is currently a MD/PhD candidate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, focusing on regenerative medicine.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's January/February 2015 print edition.
