Aspen Institute Opportunity Youth Forum October 28 – 30, 2019 Aspen Colorado

The Opportunity Youth Forum convening was an excellent opportunity for the GOYI representatives to share with and learn from the OY network and communities in the U.S. GOYI was featured in two key sessions.
One of the session that was  also attend with

October 29 – the Global Opportunity Youth Initiative – Accelerating Youth Economic Opportunity at Scale, which was one of six Deep Dive and Innovative Design Studio sessions. Following a brief overview of GOYI and its genesis led by Alice Gugelev, and a summary of GOYI’s approach to bringing young people to the table as key decision-makers presented by Tim Cross/Youthbuild International, the floor was given to the partners representing the Colombia, India and Kenya collaboratives.
 The collaboratives – represented by Nduku Kitenge & Alfred Sigo Odhiambo/Kenya;
Kira Gidron & Camilo Carreño Fuentes/Colombia 
Bobby Zachariah/India – shared their local context, the activities they have carried out and the accomplishments to date. In closing, the audience heard from Khethiwe Nkuna/Accenture South Africa - one of two countries to join of the GOYI in the near future - who presented on the South African environment and how Accenture’s involvement in the GOYI is building on and will expand their work  to support opportunity youth. Through the presentations, the audience gained an understanding of GOYI, and the challenges opportunities and specificities of each community. The presentations were then followed up by a Q&A session – the importance of private sector engagement and the institutional changes that systems shifts require were some of the key issues discussed. This session also highlighted the similarities between the U.S. and global OY context.  As one audience member shared, “when I close my eyes, what you describe – challenges, opportunities – sounds like my community in Los Angeles

Alfred Sigo from Kenya [CEO Pwani Youth Network] and Shanice Turner, a young leader from the U.S., who shared their personal journeys, the work they are leading in their communities and the aspirations of the young people they represent. At the end of this session, Alfred presented a painting as a gift to the Aspen Institute that was done by youth artists in his community

The CEO also had a time during the closing ceremony to hand over a art Murral from Kenya to the heads of the Aspen Institutes