Update: One Young World Organizing Continues on Social Media
The One Young World Summit may be over, but the work has only begun. As the hundreds of delegates return to their home countries from Zurich, they are relying upon the same social media platforms that made the amazing discussions we saw over the weekend possible.
This is perhaps what’s most unique about One Young World: The delegates don’t leave the summit simply with a list of new networking contacts, but with a support group of like-minded young people from across the globe who are ready to help with each other’s projects.
The One Young World Facebook page, in particular, has become a place where delegates are sharing specific ideas and promoting worthwhile causes. Many delegates have posted not only about the organizations and programs they themselves have created, but also about those generated by young people who did not attend the summit.
Hans Balmaekers considered starting an online support system for young leaders; Sabhanaz Rashid Diya promoted a mentoring project that combats youth unemployment in Bangladesh. Calls for support for programs addressing everything from women’s health initiatives, to climate change, to the right of a free press appeared almost hourly, and none without a response.
Actions that promote the current projects of One Young World delegates have popped up on the page as well. Ingrida Kerusauskaite, a delegate from Lithuania, alerted followers to the One Young World magazine she was creating, a periodical that would allow the leaders to express their views openly and without censorship. And her call did not go unanswered: responses by the dozens came in to support the magazine, and Ingrida assured respondents that the publication would use Skype, Facebook, and email to acquire voices from as many locations as possible.
Meanwhile, the organizers of the “Wakeup Call,” a new movement that launched at One Young World, already have a Facebook page up with some 350 “likes.”
And so while the three days of the summit were clearly momentous for the young leaders at One Young World, this online outpouring is perhaps the true measure of success. While the chance to absorb the advice and encouragement of people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu was incredible, it is this connection, this web of motivated, steadfast young leaders around the world that will help effect global change. They may not be in the same place anymore, but their minds are now focused on a common goal that was born from their collaboration. As delegate Rj Sustiguer aptly put it, “OYW Zurich 2011 actually just started… the real work, I mean.”
READ MORE
