Flair Magazine Just this week, the third edition of the World Youth Forum commenced at Sharm El-Sheikh. Wider-reaching than previous editions, this event hosts 7000 Egyptian and foreign youth, along with field experts, journalists, public figures and officials from around the world. If this is your first time hearing about it, WYF is a platform for youth engagement in a diversity of topics including industrial revolution, food security, environmental challenges, artificial intelligence, block chain technology, women empowerment, arts and cinema.
“From our experience, we know that when young people participate and are included, economic and industrial development processes are much more likely to be sustainable,” said Li Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
From the line-up of youth who took the stage, 12-year-old Zein Youssef shared his powerful journey in defeating cancer four times. He was first diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma in 2013 when he was only five years old. With his mother watching him in the audience, Zein shared his life slogan to ‘never ever give up.’
With the motto “Don’t change yourself. Change the game,” hijabi fashion model and activist Halima Aden talked about the value of diversity. “As young people, we have the power to change the world. I’ve found that our generation knows the importance in learning to understand alternative views and backgrounds and to engage across the divisions imposed by societal narratives,” she said.
If that wasn’t empowering enough, another speaker was Jessica Cox, the world’s first licensed armless pilot and first armless black-belt in the American Taekwondo Association. Due to a birth defect, Cox was born without arms but you can see she obviously doesn’t let that stand in her way. “In order to break free from those limitations that we put on ourselves or that others put on us, we have to channel our drive with persistence and fearlessness,” said Cox. As she spoke about overcoming physical and mental barriers, she demonstrated tying her shoelaces using nothing but her toes.
Other interesting speakers included actor Ahmed Helmy, Jasmine Crowe, founder and CEO of Goodr Co., Natalya Pryshliak, associate professor at Vinnytsia National Ararian University and Elizabeth Wathuti, founder and president of Green Generation Initiative.
All images are from WYF accounts.
