Monday 5 December 2016

ESSEC at One Young World Summit 2016

By Arvind Palanisamy


ESSEC is a proud partner of the One Young World, and the delegates being sent there each year are now proud ambassadors! I stress on the word PROUD for a reason and do read on to understand the reason behind this.

Firstly, let me tell you a little about the One Young World for all those who are not social entrepreneurs or those who do not follow Emma Watson on any of her social handles (Yes, she was there!). The One Young World is a UK-based charity that gathers together the brightest young leaders from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change. They stage an annual Summit each year at exotic venues where the most valuable young talent from global and national companies, NGOs, universities and other forward-thinking organizations are joined by world leaders, acting as the One Young World Counselors. At the Summit, delegates debate, formulate and share innovative solutions for the pressing issues the world faces.

There are different ways to attend it, I had a chance thanks to the ESSEC’s Leadership and Diversity Chair, which is the gateway to the One Young World. Each year, the chair selects members from a huge pool of applicants to work on their ongoing project with L'Oréal on the subject of diversity at the workplace. At the end of the project period (July), five members of the Chair will be chosen on the basis of their contribution and performance to be the delegates of ESSEC Business School and their respective nations at One Young World.

The Summit in Ottawa this year was spread over three days with highly important topics being discussed such as extremism, climate change, unstable political systems and much more. We not only witnessed world leaders speak, but also delegates, who were selected through an application process, get to go up on stage and voice their thoughts on these matters. They were not speaking in mere abstract terms, they were proposing their concrete ideas with evidence, hoping to be heard and adopted all around the world through each delegate present in the room. The entire conference centre was brimming with positivity and to us the idea of survival in the world of a merciless tomorrow was not just a dream anymore. 

"You realize that it is us, the youth, who are responsible for shaping our own world that we want to live in!"


I could go on and on about how the conference opens up avenues of knowledge you never knew existed, but what I would like to stress about, is the HELICOPTER VIEW of the world that you get in three days. In three short, sleepless days, you hear about the most vital issues first hand from those who are fighting them on the front lines. You not only get to meet people who are genuinely pushing the world to end poverty or end gender inequality or even stop climate change; but you also realize that these people are LESS THAN 27 YEARS OF AGE. You realize that it is us, the youth, who are responsible for shaping our own world that we want to live in. You need to have the courage to fight for your cause making this world a better place and the One Young World gives just that and more. You get the chance to network with these young leaders and be part of the One Young World community as ambassadors which can provide all the assistance and means you need for your cause.

"Now, as a One Young World ambassador, I feel like an inhabitant of this planet belonging to the human race who bears the responsibility with all the 2 billion youth to shape the world of tomorrow."

I went to the Summit as an engineering graduate from India, now pursuing the MSc in Management program at ESSEC. Now, as a One Young World ambassador, I feel like an inhabitant of this planet belonging to the human race who bears the responsibility with all the 2 billion youth to shape the world of tomorrow.


What you learn to ask yourself no matter your age, your sex, your origin or your profession is:

“IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN? IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?”