Earlier this month, I joined 1,800 young people from 190 different countries and we descended on the International City for Peace and Justice (The Hague). A city that was created more than 100 years ago with the mission to combat Inter-state disputes by peaceful means, because if we know anything about war and violence we know those who will suffer the greatest, will be those who are the littlest and who have the least... often times, just to protect the egos of men. So it’s only fitting that leaders from the millennial generation (who some could consider the descendants of too much war and not enough peace) have arrived with similar hope and determination to ensure that future generations, won't have to survive the consequences of war, sexual violence, famine, homelessness, slavery, and oppression.

During my time at the summit, I was able to both meet some amazing youth leaders and interview David Sprouls (CEO, Deloitte North-West Europe, and the UK), where we addressed the role of the business community to create space and opportunities for young people to fully participate in society -- as active members and not simply bystanders. We also addressed what it meant for business to honor the lived experiences of young people without tokenizing or fetishizing their trauma. To see more from our session, watch the video below.

I can only hope, that through the stories of trauma and success shared by the delegates, politicians, business industry leaders, will understand that young people don’t need a voice. What we need is access to our rightful place in the process to make transformative change in our lives and communities. What we are demanding, is for governments, world leaders and businesses to put people, plant and social impact over profit.

We’re a long way from transforming the business community to value people more than profit but there is a shift happening, largely due to the fact that millennials and GenZs are requiring more from the people and entities that want to hire and sell to us. #OYW2018

A few weeks ago, I served as a panelist and workshop facilitator for the Teen Vogue NY Meet Up, which served as an opportunity to empower and inspire the next generation of women leaders. During the event we addressed topics like salary negotiations, voting, education and diverse representation. I had the pleasure of meeting young women and a few good men from all over the Tri-State area, who after recent political events are looking for ways to get engaged and to utilize their voices for change. The NY Meet Up was one of four events leading up to the national Teen Vogue Summit on December 1-2nd in LA, to learn more: Click Here

Please see below for a few pictures from the NY Meet Up: Photo credit David Vollucci for Teen Vogue/23 Storie

Check out my interview at Theirworld: Here

Watch Here--> YP4

I spoke to @sarahbrownuk about creating change for new #BetterAngels podcast episodes. Listen here below: 

Description: Sarah Brown talks to American activists and campaigners Jamira Burley, Michael Gibbons and Michael Silberman about the history of extraordinary campaigns for change in the U.S. and how skill-sharing, and thought leadership are moulding the entire social change field today.

In honor of the International Youth Day, here are ten alarming facts about youth and why we can't  underestimate the need for decision makers (governments, the business community, and international organizations)  to have a sense of urgency, to help foster collaboration and ensure youth are able to fully participate in society. 

Fun Fact: There are nearly 1.8 billion young people in the world, which is the largest youth population in written history.

1. More than 263 million young people are out of school and millions more are receiving a piss poor education. 
2. Approximately 238 million youth live in extreme poverty—that is, they live on less than $1 a day; 462 million youth survive on less than $2 a day.
3.  110 million youth live in hunger.
4. About 255 million young people live in the 19 countries with the largest poverty gaps; 15 of these 19 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.
5. About 133 million youth in the world are illiterate.
6. Youth comprise 41 percent of the world's unemployed people.
7. 50% of the jobs we are training young people, will not exist when they enter the workforce. 
8. 75 million youth are unemployed 
9. Youth make up 40% of the world's unemployed population 
10. Worldwide some 200,000 homicides occur among youth 10–29 years of age each year, which is 43% of the total number of homicides globally each year.