One of the key strengths of the Global Shapers Community, as the name implies, is its global network and reach of young leaders and changemakers. And there is no better representation of that than the 2024 Global Shapers Annual Summit (GSAS) where over 500 curators representing 500 hubs from over 150 countries and territories came together at the World Economic Forum campus in Geneva, Switzerland from July 10-12, 2024 to share, discuss, and inspire about the power of impact that young people have on the world.
Day 1: Dare to Innovate
The GSAS kicked off with an opening plenary at the CERN campus. Shapers were encouraged to come in their national attires. Making it a celebration of the international diversity and reach that gives the Global Shapers Community its strength.
The opening ceremonies was hosted by Natalie Pierce, the head of the Global Shapers Community. And we also heard from Prof. Klaus Schwab, the Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and the founder of the Global Shapers Community.
We heard from Prof. Schwab about the challenges that lie before us, the economic and political crisis around the world, the climate crisis, and the need to respond to a fundamental shift in technology with the further development of Artificial Intelligence. But he also re-iterated his belief in the power of the young generation to be able to address these issues. He highlighted the previous projects and Global Shaper hubs that have made progress in these areas. Prof. Schwab remains optimistic on the future, leaving us with the idea of “constructive optimism”, we can believe in a better future but we also need to make sure that we take the steps to create it for ourselves, using the innovative ideas that come so easily to the youth.
Day 2: Dare to Act
Day 2 then focused on Shapers sharing their various hub projects and interventions in different fields. From cyber security and technology, to reskilling and education, to civic participation, to the environment. There was no shortage of Shaper projects that dared to take on the big topics and challenges. And, as Shapers do, there was no shortage of discussions and brainstorm sessions on ideas for projects on how we can take action to address these challenges. It is here that the Global Shapers Community greatly benefits from being an initiative of the World Economic Forum. Shaper projects are able to align with Forum initiatives and partners, allowing Shapers to leverage the Forum’s wide network of studies, academics, resources, and platform as a whole.
During day 2 we were also introduced to our “Purpose Circles”, a novel idea to make the entire summit experience more meaningful. Purpose Circles are small groups of 8-10 Curators purposely arranged so that each Curator represents a different region of the world. The function behind the Purpose Circles is to facilitate discussion among Curators from different contexts and perspectives. It serves to help highlight that as Global Shapers we have more similarities with each other than we do differences, even if we come from all across the globe. We all face similar challenges being young leaders, and we all face the same challenges in organizing our respective projects addressing similar challenges (albeit with contextual challenges unique to our respective home cities). The Purpose Circles also give us a moment to read and reflect with our fellow Shapers on everything we have learned during the summit.
Day 3: Dare to Lead
The third and final day of the GSAS then shifted gears. Keeping in mind that the 500+ Global Shapers were in fact the Curators of their respective hubs, the summit spent the third day on best practices Curators could take home to lead their respective hubs. It was Shapers sharing with Shapers on the challenges and difficulties they each saw at home and how they overcame it. The third day focused on how we can take our passions, advocacies, and interests, and focus it on leading our hubs for the way forward. We convened with our own respective Shaper regions (Cebu is part of the Asia Pacific region!) to share past experiences, best practices, and how we could further foster cross-hub collaboration within the Global Shapers Community. We shared about what inspired us during the summit and what we would commit to doing once we return home.
If I were to summarize the entire GSAS 2024 summit however, it would be under the tagline “Dare to Inspire”. Every Shaper that I had the pleasure of meeting during the summit has been nothing short of extraordinary. Every single one making strides and impact in fields ranging from technology and cybersecurity, to mental health, to civic participation, to culture and the arts. Every one brings with them an amazing story to tell and is already an inspiration by themselves, but as a group, they are nothing short of awe inspiring.
And it is with that feeling of awe that you can’t help but feel the desire to be an inspiration yourself. When standing in the company of such amazing young leaders the challenge is there to be worthy to continue to stand next to them. I was not only inspired by the impact of my fellow shapers, but I was also inspired to continue to work harder to be an inspiration for others.
And it is with that that we return home from Geneva to Cebu, our Queen City of the South refreshed, energized, and inspired to not only continue, but work harder in our commitment to #ShapeCebu.