The Tab meets the students behind One Young World Cambridge

The Tab sat down with three members of the new Cambridge society “One Young World” – the society’s current Chair and President, Yi Kang Choo; Ifunanya Molokwu, the speaker’s director and Johanna Freistedt, the lead Attendees Director. They all had plenty to say about OYW, why they got involved and the upcoming Caucus on Saturday (12/03).

(Image Credits: One Young Cambridge)

One Young World Cambridge is a branch of the UK-based NGO One Young World, which “works with young leaders worldwide.” One Young World describes itself as a “Global Forum for Young Leaders” and holds annual summits, with delegates from 190+ countries. It is “counselled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as Justin Trudeau, Paul Polman and Meghan Markle, amongst many other global figures.”

Choo helped found the Cambridge branch after being involved in one of the global summits. He explained that his vision for the society is to “bring young people together” and hopefully “motivate and empower people to be part of those discussions and to take meaningful positive social actions in the future.”

That is why the society is holding their first Caucus on Saturday in the Old Divinity School, St, John’s. The event is open to both members of the University and members of the public, but there are only 120 tickets. You can find links and instructions on how to secure your tickets at the bottom of this article!

The Caucus is a full-day event “consisting of keynote speeches, interactive workshops and panel discussions regarding a select few UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” There are also opportunities to “network, interact and debate with fellow change-makers, leaders and experts.” Lunch, coffee and tea breaks will also be provided!

Ifunanya outlined the four main SDGs that the Caucus will be focusing on:

• SDG 4: Quality Education – Increasing Access to Education
• SDG 5: Gender Equality – Women in STEM
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Racial Equality and Justice
• SDG 13: Climate Action – Individual and Corporate Responsibility

Ifunanya also added that there will be speakers from a “broad range of experience and point of view,” stating that “it’s going to be really exciting to hear from all of them and hear their ideas on how we can positively impact our specific community interests.”

The Opening Ceremony kicks off with speeches from the Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner and co-founder of One Young World Kate Robertson. Other notable panellists include Tara Choudhury (Cambridge SU BME Officer 2021/22), Loay Radwan (UN SDG Young Leader, and cofounder of G-Beetle, which aims to help farmers adapt to the aftermath of climate change and save water) and William Awomoyi (the first Young Mayor of Croydon, Member of Youth Parliament for Croydon).

Johanna also told me about how the organisation were “keeping sustainability and accessibility in mind” when planning the upcoming caucus. The OYW Cambridge Caucus will have a digital information booklet so that people can access that via their phones or choose to print it off themselves. As the lead attendees director, she has been “working closely with the logistic director to keep the event as accessible as possible.”

The event has options for reimbursement for Cambridge bursary holders, but you can get the full details of that on the ticket website. As well as this, the team have also developed quiet areas where people can “take a break or relax before getting back to their sessions” so that everyone can enjoy the day.

How can you get involved with OYW Cambridge?

Choo informed me that access to sign up to membership for OYW Cambridge is currently closed to avoid people getting confused with memberships and tickets but this will reopen after the event. They currently have around 30 members but are looking to expand their team as the society grows. They said that if you are interested in getting involved then you can attend the event and talk to current committee members.

You can follow the link here to find tickets. The OYW Cambridge’s Instagram has more information on the events and where to buy tickets. If you have any queries, you can contact the team’s email [email protected]. They’re a super friendly bunch!

Feature Image Credits: One Young World Cambridge 

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