During January 2020 the World Economic Forum (WEF) held their annual meeting in Davos. Switzerland. President Trump spoke there as did many other world leaders. The WEF is a nonprofit organization based in Switzerland with the mission of improving the state of the world; it was founded in 1971.
A headline about Greta Thonberg’s comments to this group caught my attention. For the first time in its history, the WEF welcomed teenage change-makers to their annual meeting to boost collaboration between the generations.
Here is a list of this year’s participants: Autumn Peltier,15 from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation in Northern Ontario, Ayakha Melithafa,17 from Cape Town, South Africa, Cruz Erdmann,14 lives in New Zealand, Fionn Ferreira,18 from Ireland, Greta Thunberg,17 from Sweden, Melati Wijsen,19 from Bali, Mohamad Al Jounde,18 fled Syria, now lives in Lebanon, Naomi Wadler,13 from Virginia, Natasha Mwansa,18 from Zambia, Salvador Gómez-Colón, 17 from Puerto Rico.
These activists from around the world expressed concerns such as: safe drinking water, need for low-carbon development, aquatic wildlife, plastic pollution of the ocean, climate crisis, education for refugee children, gun violence, against child marriage, and need for solar power.
This news gives me hope and encouragement. How can we help?
Til Zimmerman
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