Maxwell Hall, Senior Media Manager: Tel.: +41(0)79 329 3500, E-mail: maxwell.hall@weforum.org
Geneva, Switzerland, 10 January 2014 – Throughout 2014, Global Shapers – an international network of young, dynamic and socially engaged leaders from across the world – will showcase their local projects and initiatives that are having a positive impact on their communities.
As part of the “52 Weeks, 52 Cities” initiative, a different Global Shaper city-based Hub will take to Twitter (@globalshapers) to share news about individual Shapers and their projects, as well as pictures and interesting facts about their cities. These tweets and photos will be cross-posted on other platforms, including www.globalshapers.org, the official website of this World Economic Forum community.
“Young people are an indispensable part of the solution to the challenges that communities face,” said Yemi Babington-Ashaye, Director of the Global Shapers Community at the World Economic Forum. “When young people self-organize to improve their community we know that one more community is guaranteed a bright future.”
The Global Shapers Community is on a mission to make the world a more sustainable, inclusive and liveable place, one community at a time. Examples of recent Hub projects implemented by Shapers around the world include constructing libraries (Manila Hub), setting up therapeutic farms for handicapped people (Tunis Hub) and public Wi-Fi spots in disadvantaged neighbourhoods (Bamako Hub), eliminating financial illiteracy (Atlanta Hub), promoting use of green transportation (Zurich Hub) and popularizing science (Astana Hub).
The San José Hub in Costa Rica, with 20 Global Shapers, recently launched ¡Jale a votar! (“Let’s vote!”), a project to encourage young Costa Ricans to vote in the 2014 presidential and congressional elections in order to ensure youth involvement in civic engagement. Hubs in Zurich, Nairobi, Toronto and Rabat will be next to highlight their successes in the “52 Weeks, 52 Cities” initiative.
There are currently more than 3,000 Global Shapers organized in 300 Hubs in over 150 countries. The Global Shapers Community is one of several multistakeholder communities at the World Economic Forum. Other communities include the Young Global Leaders, the Global Agenda Councils, and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs.
A group of 50 Global Shapers will be attending the World Economic Annual Meeting 2014 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 22-25 January.
Notes to Editors
Visit the Global Shapers website at http://globalshapers.org
Follow the Global Shapers on Twitter at @globalshapers
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Watch our videos on YouTube http://wef.ch/globalshapersyoutube
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Read about the Global Shapers on the Forum Blog at http://wef.ch/shapersblog
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