Join us from 7 to 9 June 2021 for the Youth-Led Solutions Summit on the Future of Work.
This three-day virtual event will cross time zones to bring together global voices from youth organizations, corporations, public agencies, international organizations, academia and research groups.
Its aim is to empower young people to identify their unique employment pathway in a world of work in transformation, and to show them the skills they need to thrive. We expect 1000 people to join us online.
The Summit will convene leading global industry experts from partners including the International Labour Organization, the World Bank Group, the United Nations, Junior Achievement, MIT Solve, Circulate Capital, the Global Opportunity Youth Network, European Social Partners, the University of San Francisco, Thinking Ahead on Societal Change, and more. All are operating at the crossroads of employment, entrepreneurship, systems change, policy making, technology, and academia.
The Summit will explore employment pathways for young people in three new economies – the green economy, the care economy and the creative economy.
It will go a step further and empower young people to design innovative solutions or create new opportunities in these new economies, by leveraging technology, knowledge, their own experience and their new networks.
“The Covid pandemic is having a devastating impact on young people’s livelihoods and employment prospects. There is a real risk of a lost generation”, says World YMCA Secretary General Carlos Sanvee.
“The Summit will empower young people with knowledge about how the world of work is changing, the importance of agility, and the SDGs on decent work. It will build young people’s understanding of employment pathways, skills, innovations, and entrepreneurship opportunities in these three, key, emerging economies. It’s a fabulous platform for growth – come and join us!”
Each day of the Summit will be dedicated to one of the three new economies. Through a mixture of live talks, interactive demonstrations, panel discussions and networking, the event will introduce young people to an array of emerging career opportunities in each of the new economies, and explore the role technology is playing as a key enabler of innovation and job growth.
To inspire further thinking and action by young people, we will create a library of unique pre-recorded and curated materials which Summit participants can access before, during and after the Summit.
Visit the official YMCA Youth Led Solutions website here.
Who can participate in the Virtual Summit?
Young leaders, aged 15 to 35, from anywhere across the globe, with or without YMCA affiliation.
Registration information will be available on the official YMCA Youth Led Solutions website and via direct mailing to National General Secretaries of the YMCAs.
Share your support!
Please share the event info on social media, using #YMCAYouthLedSolutions
The World YMCA Youth-Led Solutions Initiative
World YMCA is deepening its commitment to young people leading global change. The Youth-Led Solutions Initiative of which this Future of Work summit is a part elevates young leaders to tackle the world’s biggest issues, becoming multipliers of change. We are connecting like-minded individuals from around the world to build the skills and solutions necessary to take action in their communities.
The first Youth-Led Solutions Summit – on Climate Action – took place in October 2020. Further summits will take place in October 2021 (Mental Health) and July 2022 (global showcase of solutions so far at the 20th YMCA World Council).
Following the summit, we invite groups of young leaders to form ‘Solution Teams’ in their communities, or across geographical boundaries. Solutions can be completely new, or they can be existing: in some way, they should innovate, incubate, develop, expand, adapt, evolve or scale. From the October 2020 Climate Summit, some 35 projects in 20 countries were selected for seed-funding, and are now being implemented.
The entire YMCA Youth-Led Solutions Initiative is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a call for action by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities while tackling climate change and environmental protection.