Youth @ Annual Meetings
Youth Profiles
Mark Boffa, Friends of Africa International
Mark is interested in the relationship between ethics and social justice, particularly within the fields of corporate social responsibility and business ethics. He developed a particular interest in the non-profit and philanthropy sector upon completing a course on poverty and AIDS in Africa. The course involved studying faith-based, corporate, governmental, and grassroots approaches to providing relief and sustainable solutions to the issues of poverty and AIDS in Africa. Mark has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Business Management.
AlAnoud Darwish, Silatech, Qatar
AlAnoud aims to empower youth by helping to build their entrepreneurship skills, which she believes are necessary to maintain an independent and secure livelihood. She pursues her goal at international platforms such as Silatech, where she is a youth representative for the Middle East North Africa region. AlAnoud is currently in the process of evaluating an organization that aims to provide youth with regional industry market research to promote their marketing intelligence as well as enhance their individual assessment and risk management for their proposed entrepreneurial careers. This project will be a stepping stone toward creating sustainable and profitable ventures through new innovative business ideas created by youth.
Youth attendees brainstorming and bonding at the Annual Meetings. Photos: Ismaël Tanko
Santi Nuri Dharmawan, Society for Democracy Education, Indonesia
Santi has been actively involved in debate activities since her first year as varsity student. Believing that debate can help to develop analytical thinking, she has created a program to integrate debate into the high school curriculum. Her program is now being supported by teachers, NGOs and government departments. She is working closely with the National Department for Religious Affairs to prepare a module for educational debate on the subject of Islamic teachings. Santi believes that through educational debate, young people can learn to be more critical and aware of social issues as well as become more tolerant of each other.
Antoine Eloi, Leadership Initiatives, United States
Antoine Eloi founded Leadership Initiatives (LI) to support university students in developing countries to transform their visions for social change into locally sustainable development projects. LI has supported youth social entrepreneurship in Namibia, Nigeria, and the Philippines, by training youth in leadership skills, budgeting, networking, project design, management, and communications. Its long-term goal is to foster a strong sense of social consciousness among young professionals that they will take with them into their future roles as leaders in business, government, and the nonprofit sector.
Adaku Uche Ekpo, JA Worldwide
Adaku Uche Ekpo works as International Development Manager for JA Worldwide. The organization’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Adaku manages JA’s strategic relationships with bilateral and multilateral organizations such as USAID, the US State Department, World Bank and United Nations. Adaku has a Masters in Government/Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute, a law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of law and is admitted to practice law in the State of Maryland.
Renata Florentino, REJUMA, Brazil
The main goal of Renata’s work is to create better cities with and for youth. Projects she works on include environmental education at schools, community gardens, and more democratized urban mobility, giving priority to mass transit and reducing personal automobile usage. To create better cities, she feels it is necessary to make people feel better about where they live, and become involved in caring for their city. She has worked with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the UN Programme on Youth, and also helped the World Bank to promote the Brazilian Youth Voices.
Mark Garcia, Silliman University, Philippines
Mark Garcia is currently handling a youth project on a World Bank grant in the Philippines that aims for youth involvement in monitoring transparency in local government procurement. The project recognizes the potential for youth to become co-players with government and civil society in bringing about national development. Using the arts (song, dance, painting), the project also provides an opportunity to out-of-school youth to express their views in order to help create change for themselves, their families, and their communities. Mark’s advocacy for youth empowerment inspired the founding of three debate societies in his university across three academic levels: elementary, high school and college. Believing that debate could also become a tool for peace, he has trained prisoners at the Negros Oriental Provincial Jail.
Sejal Hathi, Girls Helping Girls, United States
The mission of Sejal's nonprofit organization is to unite girls around the world to identify and confront universal issues, igniting a global revolution that changes the way girls are perceived and democratizing the quest for peace worldwide. To accomplish this mission, Sejal partners girls in the United States with those in developing countries, allowing them to discuss social issues and develop service projects. She believes that girl empowerment is vital to world peace because it ensures that a society is equal and emotionally healthy. "Girls Helping Girls" has served as a beneficial mentoring and scholarship program, pairing over 400 school-age children living in impoverished areas of India, Ghana and Turkey with California high school students. It has also provided school supplies, books and funds for higher education to these children. Sejal hopes that "Girls Helping Girls" will transform not only how society views girls, but also how girls view themselves.
Lisa Tomoko Kitagawa, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
Lisa Tomoko Kitagawa has taken part in the assessment of a number of development projects submitted to Japan Special Funds at the World Bank. She has been particularly dedicated to “voicing” country-specific needs at the various stages of the policy-making process at the Ministry, and has reflected on countries’ problems during several policy dialogues. As a result of this experience, Lisa is eager to talk to other youth and help to formulate their project plans, to apply for possible financial resources, and finally to help bring the projects to fruition. Lisa wishes to continue learning methods in multilateral cooperation that tackle global issues at national and international institutions, and hopes to promote cultural diplomacy among youth.
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Noella Thindwa Kitenge, Congolese Children of the Future, Democratic Republic of Congo
Saddened and outraged by the disastrous impact of violence and HIV/AIDS epidemic on family members, neighbors and friends—especially young women—Noella decided she had to do something for her community. Talking about HIV/AIDS in public is still a very sensitive issue and even taboo in the Democratic Republic of Congo. HIV is often associated with immoral behavior or witchcraft. With a group of friends, Noella started the non-governmental organization Congolese Children of the Future (CCF). The group managed to raise the necessary funds to open a training centre and recruit young, vulnerable girls to teach them basic professional skills (tailoring and hairstyling), as well as literacy in French and English to enable program participants to find a job, generate income and succeed in life.
Michael Klein, Youth Farmers International, United States and YDP US-Canada
Michael Klein is Chair of the YDP US-Canada network, and is also founder and director of the NGO Youth Farmers International, which works to bring microcredit financing solutions to poor youth farmers in developing countries. Michael traveled to Ghana, Africa on a 5-month study abroad program where he completed his undergraduate degree requirements at the University of Ghana at Legon. While in Ghana, Michael also worked on a public-private partnerships study with the United States Agency for International Development located in Accra.
Eileen Knowles, SEED, Canada
Eileen is co-foundeder of SEED (Students for Education, Empowerment and Development), a non-profit that works to increase access to education in slum areas of Kenya and Zambia. Eileen's has also worked in India, Costa Rica and Ecuador. In Canada, Eileen has worked as a youth ambassador with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). She holds a Bachelors’ degree in Political Science and a post-graduate degree in Latin American Human Rights & Public Policy from the Henry Dunant School of Human Rights, Geneva. She is currently a Vancouver-based consultant for Ashoka USA.
Giuseppe Porcaro, European Youth Forum
Before holding its current position as United Nations and Global Youth Issues Coordinator, Guiseppe worked as Youth Specialist for Kosovo's World Bank's Youth Project and as Assistant for External Relations at the Brussels' Office of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. In 2006 he obtained a PhD in Geography of Development at the University of Naples "L'Orientale." He has also chaired the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe between 2005 and 2007.
Cristina Rossi, New Voices, Peru
Cristina works with ECOVIDA, a non-profit organization that works with artisans from Puno, a region in the south of Peru where 76.3% of the population lives in poverty and 41.6% in extreme poverty. She has also been a member of the Youth Advisory Group New Voices in Peru for 2008. This is a group made up of sixty young leaders from youth organizations who serve as advisors in the portfolio’s projects financed by the World Bank. Her contribution to YAG New Voices was with the organization of a project on solid waste management for the municipality of Surco, a report on youth involvement in the Sierra rural development project; among other ideas for expanding New Voices in other provinces of Peru.
Kelsey Spitz, Youth United for Global Action and Awareness, Canada/United States
Kelsey Spitz is the coordinator of DC's first Youth United for Global Action and Awareness (YUGA) Network, supported by Plan USA. A network of young people seeking change, YUGA strives to inspire local action on and awareness about pressing global challenges such as Climate Change, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Child Exploitation. A lifetime advocate for youth engagement and activism, Kelsey and her peers used national awareness and media campaigns, political dialoguing and the International AIDS conference 2006 to empower young Canadians to action. Today, her work with Plan USA coincides with her involvement in the World Bank sponsored Youth Development and Peace Network for Canada and the USA
Ismaël Mamadou-Tanko, President, YDP-Togo
Since graduating in 2006, Ismaël Tanko has dedicated his time since to youth organization activities (YDP and AIESEC), and to his company. He is interested in world issues, poverty reduction, development, youth civic engagement activities and leadership. He has worked on a variety of projects, including bringing high school students to a village in Togo, where they contributed to build a health center in the village and also helped out in agriculture and education. Ismaël also worked on the Girl’s Education Sponsorship Program, which raised funds to send 436 girls to school in 2007. For the coming year, he and his colleagues are planning to build a school and send more girls to school.
Natalya Ann Twohill, United Nations Youth Association (UNYAS), Singapore
The mission of Natalya’s nonprofit organization, "United Nations Youth Association Singapore,” is to unite young Singaporeans in confronting the social issues that affect the region. Initially starting out as a group of five people who shared a common interest in the UN, the association now aims to share projects and ideas to a wider community of youth and build a network of youth leaders. Natalya believes in the power of young people for change, and believes the betterment of future generations largely depends on young people today, who have the power and responsibility to create a better environment and create a difference. She has worked on the “Speak Your Mind” campaign, a project that taps on the strengths of three international organizations—UNICEF, MTV and Levi’s, and aims to promote an environment for young Singaporeans to speak out about what most affects them and they feel they can contribute to their communities.
Robertine Yaya, Regional Representative, IMCS-Pax Romana, Cote D’Ivoire
IMCS-Pax Romana brings together over 80 national federations of Catholic university students from six continental regions. Since 1921, when it was founded under the name of Pax Romana in order to promote peace at the global level, IMCS has been helping in the holistic formation of students around the globe. Since 1949, IMCS has been advocating on behalf of its members as an NGO in consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC and UNESCO, as well as with the Vatican as a recognized International Catholic Organization.