20 Apr 2021
This weekend (23 – 25 April 2021) Cambridge International will be taking part in the Global Youth Summit, a virtual event designed to inspire young people (aged 14 - 30) to take action and help their local communities recover from the pandemic.
The major international event is part of a new initiative called the Global Youth Mobilization. Its aim is to give young people the support and motivation to develop solutions that will help their communities overcome the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic and recover from its many impacts.
The Global Youth Mobilization initiative has been launched by six of the biggest international youth organisations - World Organisation of the Scout Movement, Young Men’s Christian Association, World Young Women’s Christian Association, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. It is being supported by the World Health Organisation, United Nations Foundation and many other global organisations and charities including Cambridge International.
The three-day event marks the starting point for young people to get involved in the initiative and will see thousands of young people, leaders, policy makers and change makers come together in one space to discuss the issues facing young people across the world.
A number of high profile guest speakers will be taking part in the summit, who will recognise and celebrate the efforts and initiatives that young people around the world have been making during the pandemic. Those taking part will also be able to join a range of workshops led by global organisations and charities including the Red Cross, YMCA, SalesForce and Fifa. The workshops will cover a wide range of topics from bridging the digital divide and mental health, to connecting schools and empowering communities.
Cambridge International has been working with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for the past few years and is thrilled to be taking part in the prestigious summit. We will be leading a breakout session on Cambridge Global Perspectives with support from Unicef at 9:00 GMT on 24 April.
Cambridge International colleagues Tabinda Mazhar, Nivedita Bose and Lynda Bramwell will present the session, which will focus on how our Global Perspectives programme enables young people to develop skills and learn more about the perspectives of other young people around the world on global issues. It will also highlight how Global Perspectives helps to inspire young people to make a difference in their local communities, and even find ways to help address global issues locally.
Four Cambridge International schools will be presenting with us to give real life examples of how they have put their Global Perspectives learning into action. They include students from Lahore Grammar School and First Steps School in Pakistan, and Galaxy School and Bombay Cambridge International School in India. These students have set up some fantastic projects during the pandemic to help their local communities. They include establishing a food bank for under privileged people, building an animal shelter, making face masks from old clothing and a campaign to raise awareness about improving waste management recycling.
Andrew Coombe, Director, International Network at Cambridge International said:
'We have all faced some very challenging times over the past year and have seen the global pandemic affect many parts of our lives. This extremely positive initiative will help to shine a light on some of the fantastic things young people around the world, including our students, have been doing to help others deal with and overcome these challenges.
'We are very pleased to have been invited to take part in the summit and we look forward to seeing how it will further inspire and support young people globally, to make a difference in their local communities at this very difficult time.'
Tabinda Mazhar, Senior Education Manager in Pakistan, at Cambridge International, said:
'As an Education manager and a teacher at heart, I am always interested in platforms that give us the opportunity to hear stories from schools and students. The Global Youth Summit is doing exactly that. As part of our breakout session, we are highlighting how our Global Perspectives qualification motivates students to bring about a change, and impact their local communities positively.'
Nivedita Bose, Senior Education Manager, in South Asia, at Cambridge International, said:
'The global summit is a great opportunity for young people to connect and learn about what is happening around the world and how they can make a difference. I firmly believe that young people can bring about positive change and influence the world to move towards environmental sustainability and equality. Through our involvement in the project, we are showcasing one way in which we facilitate global citizenship in young people; how we empower them to analyse and evaluate the social issues around them, form their perspectives on these issues and then translate it into visible action.'
About 30 Cambridge International students from around the world will be attending this weekend’s summit. We hope they will all find it incredibly inspiring and will come away from the event, ready to take their ideas to the next stage.
The summit will also see an initial $2 million fund launched, which young people will be able to apply to for grants, to help develop and run projects that tackle a specific Covid-19 related challenge in their local community. Funding will be available in four tiers, from $500 to $5,000 and applications to the fund will be judged by young people and experts on juries appointed by the Global Youth Mobilization.
Visit the Global Youth Summit website to watch the sessions this weekend and follow the #youthmobilize hashtag on Twitter for the latest news and updates about the event.